Deborah Belyea arrives for her verdict at the Court of King's Bench in January 2024. (CHAT News)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

UPDATED

Deborah Belyea ineligible for parole for 12 years, court recommends B.C. prison

Feb 12, 2024 | 2:00 PM

Deborah Belyea, convicted of second-degree murder in the death of her husband and former Cypress County councillor Alfred Belyea, will be ineligible for parole until 12 years into her life sentence.

READ MORE: Belyea found guilty of murder in husband’s 2021 death

The 71-year-old Suffield woman’s murder conviction, handed down after a seven-day trial in January, results in an automatic life sentence that was formally handed down Monday at the Court of King’s Bench in Medicine Hat.

Belyea received an additional three years in federal prison for indignity to a human body — the other crime she was convicted of — that she will serve concurrently with her life sentence.

Unlike first-degree murder that has no chance of parole for 25 years, parole eligibility for second-degree can range from 10 to 25 years and is at the discretion of the court.

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Each one of Belyea’s daughters gave victim impact statements.

They all outlined grief and anxiety they deal with on a daily basis since the death of their father Alfred, but said they remain close with their mother.

The prosecution argued for 16 years before Belyea should be eligible for parole. The defense said Belyea should be eligible for parole after 10 to 12 years.

Justice Dallas Miller, who presided over the judge-only trial, said he agreed with the defense that the case was “truly unique” because Belyea’s daughters appeared to want eligibility sooner rather than later.

Along with the 12 years of ineligibility, Miller included a 20-year weapons prohibition for Belyea and a forfeiture order.

Considering the eight months time served after her arrest in October 2021, Belyea would be eligible for parole by 2035.

Belyea’s daughters live in British Columbia and were hoping she would be imprisoned there.

While the court’s suggestion is nonbinding, Justice Miller recommended Belyea be placed in a B.C. jail.

The justice granted Belyea’s daughter Trina Belyea a chance to give her mother a hug before she was escorted out of the courtroom.

Both mother and daughter were in tears as they embraced for several minutes.