A Winnipeg jury has found Brett Overby guilty of second-degree murder in the 2016 death of Christine Wood.
Melinda Wood, the 21-year-old’s mother, cried as the verdict was announced shortly before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday — just over two hours after the jury began deliberations.
Overby, 32, was charged with the crime in April 2017.
Wood, who was from Oxford House First Nation, was last seen by her parents in Winnipeg on Aug. 19, 2016. She met Overby that evening on the online dating website Plenty of Fish.
During his trial, which began April 30, Overby admitted to killing Wood in his basement on Burrows Avenue and burying her body in a farmer’s field. Wood’s remains weren’t found until June 2017, almost two months after Overby was charged.
He told the jury he covered up the crime and lied to everyone, including police, about his connection to Wood and the circumstances around her death.
But the defence argued that Wood, who had been drinking with Overby on the night of Aug. 19, became aggressive and attacked him with a knife, at which point he blacked out, he said. When he came to, she was lying in a pool of blood, Overby testified.
The defence argued that under those circumstances, he should be found guilty of manslaughter rather than second-degree murder.
The jury of nine men and three women, which began deliberating shortly before noon on Wednesday, rejected that argument.
The second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence with no parole eligibility for 10 to 25 years. Jury members recommended sentences of parole ineligibility between 10 and 23 years.
That decision will ultimately be made by Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin, who heard the trial.
Martin approved a request for a Gladue report prior to sentencing made by Overby, who says he’s of Indigenous ancestry.
Gladue reports provide the court with background on Indigenous offenders’ personal histories to consider in sentencing — including substance abuse, poverty, victimization and experience in residential schools or the child welfare system — and may also suggest alternatives to jail.
Overby’s sentencing date is set for July 2. Christine Wood’s family will have the opportunity to read victim impact statements at that sentencing hearing.
The Crown expects hearing the statements will take a full day.