Nunavut man receives maximum sentence for killing Emerald MacDonald
CBC
The man who killed Emerald MacDonald of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years.
Justice Vital Ouellette found Scott Hala, 25, guilty of first-degree murder after a three-day trial in Kugluktuk this week.
Emerald MacDonald's body was found at a cabin outside the hamlet on on May 3, 2021, according to Nunavut RCMP.
Police didn't arrest Hala until nearly six months later, in October 2021.
Hala also pleaded guilty to attempted murder and sexual assault of another woman who was there that night. That woman's name is protected under a court-ordered publication ban.
He was sentenced to 19 years for the attempted murder and six years for the sexual assault, which he will serve concurrently with his first-degree murder sentence.
First-degree murder comes with an automatic sentence of life without parole for 25 years.
The trial heard that MacDonald, 24, died of a gunshot wound to the head. The other woman was also shot, but survived with severe injuries.
MacDonald became well-known for her role in The Grizzlies, a 2018 film about a lacrosse team in Kugluktuk.
Six victim impact statements were read out in Kugluktuk's community hall on Friday.
Melissa MacDonald, Emerald's sister, recounted receiving her sister's ashes months after she had died.
"I held a box in my hands," she said through tears.
Melissa also noted that the building where the trial was held was a place where Emerald, like many others in the community, celebrated and danced.
"In this building is where she jigged, she square-danced … she throat sang, she spoke at my wedding," she said.
Saskatoon resident Delynne Bortis knew her commute to work Tuesday morning would be particularly difficult.
WARNING: This story contains details of abuse and intimate partner violence:
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