Judge finds man guilty of gunning down woman

Nicole Leanne Cooney was out for a walk with a friend when she was fatally shot by Lenny Lavallee, a judge ruled Thursday.

Lavallee was convicted of second-degree murder by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Eldon Simpson, who found the prosecution’s case built on circumstantial evidence proved Lavallee shot Cooney while intending to kill Theresa Butler, her friend and his girlfriend.

Lavallee had faced a first-degree murder charge, but Simpson found that while the evidence raised a “suspicion” that the shooting was planned and deliberate, this was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

In a lengthy decision, Simpson re-hashed details from the trial held earlier this year, during which court heard evidence that Butler was trying to avoid Lavallee and was planning to leave Edmonton to get away from him.

On the night of April 17, 2016, Butler was packing to leave town when she decided to take her dog for a walk. Once outside, she ran into her friend, Cooney, who joined her. Concerned about running into Lavallee, Butler was walking faster than Cooney when she heard someone curse. She turned to tell Cooney to run when she heard a gunshot.

At trial, Butler testified she saw Cooney “flinch” before both women began to run. Cooney fell behind, and when Butler turned to look, she saw Lavallee and his brother riding away on bikes.

Cooney’s mother and several supporters were in court for the verdict Thursday.

A date for sentencing has yet to be set.