Alberta Court of Appeal Upholds Murder Conviction of Woman Who Dismembered Husband

The Alberta Court of Appeal has unanimously upheld the second-degree murder conviction of Deborah Belyea, a 73-year-old woman from Suffield, for the 2021 killing of her elderly husband, Alfred Belyea. The court rejected defense arguments that the trial judge made legal errors by failing to properly consider Belyea’s poor health and physical limitations as evidence preventing her from committing the crime. Judges affirmed that the trial judge reasonably concluded Belyea was mobile enough to stab her husband, dismember his body, and transport it 170 kilometers to Saskatchewan. Alfred Belyea, a Cypress County council member, was found dead after his daughter provided a letter with a map leading to the remains, though his arms were never recovered. Belyea was also convicted of causing an indignity to a body. She was originally sentenced in January 2024 to life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for at least 12 years. The appeal panel confirmed that the trial judge correctly interpreted contradictory evidence regarding her mobility and health, ensuring the convictions stand.