deadmonton 2006 - william edward maloney
William Edward Maloney, 63, was stabbed to death February 10th, 2006.
Lisa Anne McKay, 25, was charged with second-degree murder.
The at-first mysterious death of a successful St. Albert realtor had homicide detectives and major-crimes unit investigators from the RCMP's provincial headquarters in Edmonton assisting local police.
A neighbour had discovered the body of William Maloney in his home at 20 Lancaster Crescent in the affluent St. Albert Lacombe Park neighbourhood. An open garage door caused the neighbour to check Maloney's home and welfare.
Police first did not consider Maloney's death a homicide. Without discussing details, an RCMP spokesman said there was something at the scene that led investigators to deem the death "suspicious," adding it "was not suicide." Police found no signs of forced entry.
Police later termed Maloney's death a homicide and asked the public's assistance in locating a young female who was seen leaving the home around the time of his death. Police said they knew the identity of the female but did not release her name. The female was from the Edmonton area and did not have a fixed address.
Reports circulated that Maloney's death was the result of an assisted suicide. While police initially did not discount the stories, a witness had reported copius amounts of blood in the home inconsistent with a planned death, describing the death scene as "gruesome."
Maloney had lost his wife, Leone, two years ago and that he had recently started chemotherapy treatments for bone cancer. Police had "no formal indication of his mental state."
A source close to the Last Link suggested that Maloney fell in with an "unusual crowd" after his wife's death. A local newspaper published speculation that Maloney began drinking and gambling after his wife's death, and that his body was found bloody and battered, likely the result of being "whacked."
The Maloney family responded to the allegations in a statement released on their behalf by the RCMP.
On February 14th, 2006 a woman turned herself in to St. Albert RCMP and was arrested for Maloney's murder. Lisa Anne McKay, 25 (left), was charged with second-degree murder. She also faced several previous counts of forgery, uttering forged documents, personation and failing to appear in court.
Police confirmed that McKay was the person of interest they were seeking earlier but did not indicate what her relationship with Maloney was.
McKay's family attending her court appearance on February 16th told media she was a working prostitute who had deserted her four children for a life on the street. McKay was due back in court February 27th.
A medical examiner's report stated Maloney suffered numerous stab wounds with the fatal wound coming to the chest.
Persons close to Maloney also cast further light on the state of his health prior to his murder, saying he had been treated for bone cancer and had caught it early enough to make a full recovery. Maloney was a realtor for 32 years and was with Sutton Realty since 1994.
In an interview published by the Edmonton Sun, a friend of McKay's shed light on her relationship with Maloney. The friend said Maloney didn't know McKay worked in the sex trade and that she was to be employed as a bookkeeper.
However, on a visit soon into the relationship McKay claimed Maloney had slipped something in her drink, leaving her dizzy and seeing things. It was then that McKay claimed Maloney tried to rape her.
The Sun further reported that Maloney spoke to McKay about Project KARE and the prostitute murders it is investigating. "He said he knew about these people. He used to deal with them," said the friend. A Project KARE spokesman acknowledged that Maloney's name has been forwarded to them.
In a follow-up story, the Sun spoke to another sex-trade worker who said Maloney promised two of her escorts positions in his real-estate business -- and even offering one of them a car. A real estate agent who worked with Maloney said the realtor worked mostly out of his home office and didn't have any assistants working for him.
On February 27th, 2006, Lisa Anne McKay made a brief court appearance. Her trial was put over to April 3rd to allow the Crown time to disclose evidence to her defence counsel.
On May 1st, 2006 Lisa Anne McKay pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Provincial court Judge Jeanne Burch accepted the plea and Crown prosecutor Bill Gatward said, "I agreed with defence counsel this was a manslaughter, not a murder."
Manslaughter carries a maximum life sentence but there is no minimum term.
McKay will return to St. Albert provincial court June 12th, 2006 for a sentencing hearing. At that time further details of the crime will be released to the public.
On June 12th, 2006 Lisa Anne McKay appeared before Judge Jeanne Burch for her sentencing hearing.
An agreed statement of facts read out in provincial court shed light on the double life popular realtor William Maloney seems to have led.
McKay and Maloney had known each other for eight years and shared each other's company as well as an addiction to crack cocaine.
On February 9th, 2006 both had consumed a large quantity of cocaine and a fight broke out in the kitchen sometime after midnight.
McKay grabbed a knife and stabbed Maloney five times -- four times in the chest and once in the abdomen.
Court heard the fatal thrust entered Maloney’s heart.
McKay fled the house leaving Maloney to die, unplugging his phone and grabbing his credit and bank cards along with a cordless phone on her way out.
McKay -– covered in blood –- went to two nearby homes asking to have a cab summoned.
McKay eventually got her cab ride and travelled partway to Edmonton before boarding a bus. She was carrying some of Maloney’s mail and books.
Court also heard that the next morning, McKay’s brother and sister saw her walking on 118th Avenue, still wearing the same bloodstained clothes from the night before.
McKay got into their car, admitted she had stabbed Maloney and even showed them the knife she used.
With her boyfriend, McKay later dumped the knife in a field near Wetaskiwin. It was never recovered.
Those convicted of manslaughter can face up to life imprisonment but the charge does not carry a minimum term.
Crown prosecutor Bill Gatward asked for a sentence from six to nine years for the homicide. He noted McKay's criminal record that included convictions for prostitution, robbery and possession of a weapon.
Gatward added McKay turned herself in only after learning a warrant had been issued for her arrest.
Defence lawyer Peter Royal asked his client serve four to five years. He said McKay's record showed no violence, and he reminded the court she turned herself into police and pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Royal said McKay had a history of sexual abuse and came from a broken family, and that she was intoxicated at the time of the murder.
Her father, Peter McKay, was convicted of manslaughter in 1999. He had punched a man to death during a fight over a game of pool in an Edmonton bar. He was sentenced to three years.
Lisa Anne McKay addressed Maloney's family in court.
"I just want to to apologise to Bill's family. He was a good person. He was a good guy and he didn't deserve what happened to him. I accept full responsibilty for my actions.”
Maloney's family did not read their victim impact statement in court, but released public documents reflected that Maloney’s son Brent said his dad had made some mistakes.
“But none of these mistakes deserved the punishment that he got,” Brent said. “He paid with his life.”
The family was upset with the way the media had portrayed Maloney after his death and refused to talk to the media outside the courthouse.
The Edmonton Journal perhaps underscored the tension between the family and media bannering their June 13th story with the headline "Slain grandpa a drug addict."
On June 19th, 2006 Judge Jeanne Burch pronounced sentencing.
Judge Burch began by stating 10 years was what one could expect for the slaying.
While she has reviewed worse crimes, Burch said the offence was serious because it happened in Maloney's home after he invited McKay as a guest.
Burch took several years off a decade-long term for McKay’s early guilty plea, her co-operation with police, the four months she spent in pre-sentence custody and the fact she was intoxicated at the time of the killing.
"She is somewhat of a tragic figure," Burch said describing McKay, who came from a broken, violent home and was sexually abused as a child.
Lisa Anne McKay was sentenced to six years and five months in prison.
Judge Burch said there was reasonable hope for McKay’s rehabilitation.
McKay is spending her time in jail praying and reading the Qur'an. Her boyfriend is a Muslim.
While a quick trial seemed to work in favour of McKay and the judicial process, it likely gave justice to only to the accused's version of events.
Withheld from public scrutiny was McKay's 159-page confession. Cross-examination from Crown prosecutors was not allowed, and the true nature of the crime remains sealed by a swift trial and sentencing.
While Maloney’s family declined comment as they left court, Claudette Roach (left), mother of Lisa Anne McKay, addressed the media.
Roach said that Maloney exploited her daughter and only God could determine whether he deserved his bloody demise.
She also said she should have contacted Maloney’s family to let them know about his relationship with her daughter.
“I think that they probably didn’t know what was going on,” Roach said. “And maybe they could have talked to him about that.”
She said her daughter “was on the road to a straight life until she got involved with Bill.”
“I think that we all make wrong choices at times and I think that he got involved in a wrongful sexual relationship and whatever he was doing led to his death,” Roach said.
"Bill was a john and he was exploiting her, providing her with money for drugs and exchanging sex for drugs."
Roach said her daughter’s sentence was fair adding, “I think that she’s safe and is not going to be exploited sexually anymore.”
With the accused now painted as a victim, lessons can not be learned from Maloney's fall from grace and McKay's possible complicity in that descent.
The quiet St. Albert cul-de-sac where Maloney was murdered was the scene of a murder investigation in 1991. A home just a few doors down from Maloney's house was the residence of the Mandin family, four of whom were gunned down by a family member at a farm they owned in Valleyview.
15-year-old Gavin Mandlin shot and killed his mother, two sisters and stepfather, and reportedly once said that he killed his family because he resented having to follow rules and do chores. In 1994, Gavin pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life. He was last denied parole in 2001.