PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal heard an appeal on Oct. 7 of 36-year-old Deborah McKenzie’s conviction and sentence for manslaughter and kidnapping in the death of Sheena Billette.
In her grounds for appeal, McKenzie alleges the judge wrongly dismissed her Charter delay claim after attributing to her 4.5 months of delay stemming from co-accused Sharise Sutherland-Kayseas' late filing of a disqualification application and by improperly treating the matter as a complex case. She also argues the trial judge misapprehended key evidence, improperly relied on testimony from Tracey Powder and Linda Halkett despite credibility and reliability concerns, failed to resolve important inconsistencies in witness and forensic evidence, and reached an unreasonable verdict. McKenzie also alleges the sentencing judge overstated her moral culpability and failed to adequately account for her limited role in the offences when determining her sentence.
The three-judge panel reserved its decision for a later date.
In December 2024, McKenzie was sentenced in Prince Albert Court of King’s Bench to 10 years on the manslaughter conviction and four years concurrent for kidnapping.
In August 2024, McKenzie and Sharise Sutherland-Kayseas were found guilty of manslaughter and kidnapping in Billette's death. A passing motorist found Billette’s body on Hwy 102, seven kilometres north of La Ronge, at about 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 23, 2019.
During McKenzie’s trial, the court found that she directed the beating at a home on Quandt Crescent that left Billette “unrecognizable.” Her mood during the beating was described as “ecstatic, like happy.”
“Deborah McKenzie directed the horrible beating that rendered Sheena Billette unrecognizable, creating an unstable situation in which the prospect of further serious bodily harm became a strong probability,” read the December 2024 Court of King's Bench sentencing decision. “During the beating, Ms. McKenzie was overtly callous and heartless. When Sheena apologized, Ms. McKenzie laughed at her.”
After the offence, McKenzie instructed a co-accused to put the car away and asked her parents to report it stolen. According to court documents, McKenzie wasn’t present when Billette was fatally stabbed along the road.
Billette was a substitute elementary teacher in La Ronge and left behind four children. La Ronge is about 213 kilometres north of Prince Albert.
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
