Ronald John Candaele sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter [Video]

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A Calgary man who killed his wife in 2020 when he drove over her in a loaded U-Haul has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

Ronald John Candaele killed 33-year-old Melissa Blommaert in 2020.

Though he was found guilty of second-degree murder in a 2021 trial, the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned his conviction and found him guilty of manslaughter instead.

The Crown was asking for a sentence of 15 to 18 years for the manslaughter conviction, while Candaele’s lawyer wanted six to 10 years.

“This case is the result of a culmination of domestic violence that ended in a tragic killing,” said Justice Blair Nixon in his sentencing decision, released Monday.

“This manslaughter case is as close to murder as one can get without tripping over that line.”