A man was sentenced to life in prison today in the Supreme Court of King’s Bench for his part in the tragic passing of his wife, Cynthia MacKay. Michael Mackay, 41, of Meota, has been charged with murder in the first degree in the passing away of his wife, Cynthia Macdonald. Instead, he altered his plea to second-degree murder.
The government and the defence reached an agreement, and Judge M.L. Dovell approved their combined judgment of life in jail with no chance of parole for a minimum of a decade. MacKay also not only barred from owning guns but he was also ordered to provide a DNA sample.
Cindy MacKay, 38, was brought to the hospital for treatment on February 7, 2020. She died in a hospital on February 12, 2020. Her death was found to be the result of strychnine poisoning.
Michael MacKay reportedly gave Cindy a beverage with the toxic insecticide strychnine in an amount he knew would be lethal on February 7, 2020, on the family farm in Meota, according to an agreed summary of facts read in court by Crown counsel Oryn Holm.
She was hospitalized soon after drinking the drinks. MacKay called 911 because Cindy became ill and needed assistance. They have three daughters, one of whom was present. Cindy was taken by ambulance to the Battlefords Community Hospital. She was later transferred to the Royal University of Health Sciences (RUH) in Saskatoon.
Cindy’s health continued to deteriorate, thus her life support was switched off on February 12, 2020. On February 10, 2020, while Cynthia was still alive, RUH officials reported a suspected case to the RCMP. In two statements to police throughout the investigation, MacKay denied giving Cindy strychnine and indicated she may have killed herself.
According to the court’s statement of facts, Michael MacKay was in an informal relationship. It further said that on Feb. 6, 2020, a day after poisoning his wife, he texted the lady with whom he was connected, stating, “Goodbye will most likely be in a few days.”
As she began her remarks, the judge declared, “This is the most terrible of cases.” Cindy MacKay’s family shared their need for closure following her trial. According to Holm, there is insufficient evidence to continue with the case.
“It was a truly flimsy case,” he told reporters. “It’s one where we sometimes meet people who glimpse stuff or offer us things that tend to be more literal.” This was entirely a coincidence.Nobody had witnessed him perform the action. He had never told anyone that he had committed the crime. There was nothing about his devices that indicated a plan. It was purely circumstantial.”
According to Holm, a series of suspicious incidents occurred, and “that gave us the Crown hypothesis that led to charges.” He emphasized the risks of going to trial with merely circumstantial evidence. Strychnine poisoning, as Holm explained, is extremely rare.
“In my career, I’ve been an attorney for more than 10 years now, and I’ve never seen it,” he told reporters. “Strychnine poisoning is an extremely rare occurrence.” If the trial had gone forward, we would have heard from the toxicologist. Although these things do occur, you’re talking only about one or two per year. Because it was the poison employed in this case, it is highly rare.”
