Law360 Canada ( May 24, 2022, 9:26 AM EDT) -- Appeal by the accused from her sentence for manslaughter. After enduring a physically abusive 27-year marriage, the accused shot her husband while he slept. She involved their adult children in the disposal of his body and reported he was missing to the police. The accused carried out the masquerade for almost seven years. She faced charges of first-degree murder and indignity to human remains. Under a plea agreement, the accused pleaded guilty to manslaughter for a sentence of 18 years’ imprisonment and the withdrawal of the indignity to human remains charge. The sentencing judge accepted a joint submission on sentencing and imposed the recommended prison term of 18 years. At the sentencing hearing, the Crown submitted that an 18-year period of incarceration was a fit and proper sentence but offered no case law detailing sentences for offenders in circumstances comparable to the accused. The Crown’s submission identified the guilty plea as the only mitigating factor, while listing six aggravating factors. Defence counsel agreed with the Crown’s recitation of mitigating and aggravating factors. No additional case law was cited to explain the sentence proposed. The sentencing judge indicated that nobody was being taken advantage of, relied on counsels’ experience, and stated that the accused had other options. Notwithstanding the plea agreement, the accused appealed her sentence. The accused claimed that the sentence brought the administration of justice into disrepute and that the sentence was contrary to public interest....