REGINA — Justice Beverly L. Klatt sentenced Jason Daniel McKay on Feb. 24 to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 17 years for the second-degree murder of his spouse, Jenny Leigh McKay.
On Feb. 4, a sentencing hearing was held for McKay in Regina Court of King's Bench after he pleaded guilty to killing his wife. He had previously been convicted in 2020 and sentenced to life in prison, but in July 2024 the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ordered a new trial.
“This was a case of indescribable viciousness,” said Justice Klatt in her written decision. “Jason cut or stabbed Jenny 24 times. She had 56 injuries to her body in total. Some of the stab wounds were post-mortem and it is apparent that Jason used different knives in the prolonged attack.
“The nature of the wounds shows that Jason was intent on inflicting terror on Jenny, and even when she was clearly dead, he continued his gratuitous attack on her,” added Justice Klatt. “This utter disrespect and contempt for both human life and for a person’s body after death, are difficult to comprehend. It is even more difficult to find words to adequately describe the horror of the manner of the killing in this case.”
The judge said what McKay did in the aftermath was “extremely disturbing.”
“By 2:15 a.m., Jenny was dead. Between that time and when police arrived at the house at around 3:30 a.m., Jason continued to stab Jenny’s body with different knives. He then took photos of Jenny’s dead body with his phone.”
Justice Klatt emphasized aggravating factors including McKay’s three previous violent assaults on others.
“The degree of violence and harm in those other incidents tells me that the violence he committed against Jenny cannot be said to be completely out of character for him.”
Justice Klatt also considered his repeated police involvement in the weeks before Jenny’s death and the devastating impact on Jenny’s family and his daughters.
“The impact on Jenny’s family has been devastating. I have re-read the victim impact statements and the pain each one of those people experienced and continue to experience is palpable. The varied emotions include grief, guilt, sorrow, fear, anger and utter disbelief that this could have happened. The horrific facts, described at the first trial and during sentencing, will leave a lasting imprint in their minds.
“The crime has also impacted Jason’s daughters who came to know and love Jenny as well as Jason’s mother who is grief-stricken,” she added. “Nothing that happens today will lessen the impact of this horrible crime or the emotions that all of these people are feeling.”
Justice Klatt emphasized the broader issue of domestic violence saying parliament recognized that crimes against spouses must be treated as aggravating factors under the Criminal Code.
Mitigating circumstances were minimal, said the judge. McKay’s guilty plea came late, offering little relief to Jenny’s family by sparing them from going through a second trial, and his mental health struggles were outweighed by his long-standing alcohol abuse.
Comparative cases of domestic homicide were reviewed, but Justice Klatt concluded McKay’s brutality and lack of mitigating factors warranted a harsher parole ineligibility period.
McKay’s parole clock began on Sept. 6, 2017, the date of his arrest. He will be eligible to apply for parole in 2034, but that doesn't mean he will be granted parole.
