'I'm guilty': Calgary woman convicted in 2003 murder testifies at faint hope hearing
CBC
When Nancy McKinnon murdered her estranged husband in 2003, she says she was a "horrible person" but the 52-year-old mother of three testified at her faint hope hearing Tuesday that she's changed in prison and is now "proud" of the woman she's become.
In 2004, McKinnon and her then-boyfriend Joey Bruso were convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Nick Maradyn. The pair were handed life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years.
McKinnon's faint hope hearing began Tuesday as she looks to a jury to allow her to apply for parole before that 25-year eligibility period.
McKinnon was 33 years old at the time of the killing. She has spent the last 19 years and seven months in prison.
As it stands, McKinnon is eligible for day parole in June 2025 and full parole in June 2028.
These types of applications were abolished by parliament back in 2011 but those convicted before the legislation change can still apply after serving at least 15 years.
It is likely McKinnon is one of the last Calgarians who will go before a jury for such an application.
After delivering an opening statement, defence lawyer James McLeod called McKinnon as his first witness.
McKinnon says it took a decade but she has come to accept responsibility for her role in Maradyn's death.
"I'm guilty," she told jurors. "I got the ball rolling and it's all my fault."
In 2003, McKinnon and Maradyn were in the middle of a divorce.
In her testimony Tuesday, McKinnon said Maradyn was abusive and had, in the months leading to his death, attacked her oldest son.
McKinnon dated several men in 2003.
Before she met Bruso, McKinnon expressed to other boyfriends her desire to have Maradyn killed, telling them he was violent and harassed her. One man testified at her trial that she offered to give him some of the insurance payout if he killed Maradyn.
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