Woman gets life for killing fiance

Muskoday First Nation man fatally stabbed in 2015 domestic dispute

PRINCE ALBERT A woman who fatally stabbed her fiancé with a kitchen knife during a domestic dispute sobbed openly Friday as she was sentenced to life in prison.

Robin Laura Ermine, 30, was found guilty earlier this week of second-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Evan Bear.

The two from the Muskoday First Nation were fighting in their home in February 2015 when Ermine struck out at Bear and severed a major artery.

Life in prison is mandatory in a murder conviction, but the judge ruled Ermine will be eligible for parole in 10 years — the shortest period allowed under the law.

The jury declined to make a recommendation on her parole.

Given the chance to speak before the sentence was imposed, Ermine expressed remorse for her crime.

“I just want to start off by saying I’m sorry for what I’ve done,” she said.

“There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think about him.”

Ermine apologized for the pain and hurt she caused both Bear’s family and her own. She also expressed regret for leaving the home before the ambulance arrived, but said she did so because she knew paramedics wouldn’t enter while the perpetrator was still inside.

“Every day I think about me leaving the scene,” she said. “I should have stayed right by his side. I wish I could bring him back.”

Justice Brian Scherman said he believed Ermine’s remorse to be genuine and noted that she’s remained sober since the murder. He suggested that improves her chances at rehabilitation.

“She hasn’t had a drink since that night,” Scherman said. “I think that’s significant.”

Ermine hugged family members before being shackled and taken into custody by deputy sheriffs.

After the hearing, tensions between the families of Bear and Ermine boiled over in the hall outside the courtroom. Ermine’s mother hotly criticized media coverage of the trial and accused Bear of causing Ermine to miscarry earlier in their relationship, something Ermine testified to during her trial.

“He killed his baby,” Ermine’s mother said loudly. “He’ll never hurt anyone again.”

“How can you be so hateful?” a member of Bear’s family responded.

During the trial, court heard that Ermine and Bear had argued throughout the day of his death. The fighting escalated and became physical after a night of drinking.

Ermine testified that Bear grabbed her by the throat. The defence argued she had acted in self-defence.

Every day I think about me leaving the scene. I should have stayed right by his side. I wish I could bring him back.