Alcohol, argument blamed in man’s death

A 62-year-old Sundre woman admitted numerous times to police that she fatally shot her 68-year-old husband, but maintained it was an accident that occurred during an alcohol-fuelled argument at their rural home nearly three years ago.

Crown prosecutor Doug Simpson told the jury in his opening statement of Heather Wilson Duncan’s second-degree murder trial that she told a Mountie on Dec. 10, 2010, who arrived after she called 911, that her husband Barry Alexander Duncan poured wine on her then handed her a rifle, telling her it was loaded.

“She said she didn’t mean it,” said Simpson. “She didn’t think the gun was loaded.

“He said, ‘pull the trigger ...’ and she did. He died.”

Simpson said Wilson Duncan immediately blurted out to Didsbury Const. Earl Hutchinson after he arrived, “I just killed my husband.”

The prosecutor said she later told police, “sure I fired the gun.” He said she never negated anything she said to the officer, either at the scene or after they returned to the Didsbury RCMP detachment.

She also told Hutchinson that both she and her husband, who lived on the property near Sundre, northwest of Calgary, were alcoholics.

Police found the body of the deceased in the house, south of the town of Bergen.

Wilson Duncan later told Hutchinson in an interview that “my husband never abused me.”

Under cross-examination, Hutchinson told defence lawyer Jim Butlin he had written in his notes that the accused was “very intoxicated” and gave her the breathalyzer to determine how intoxicated she was.

He said she was very unsteady on her feet when he first encountered her at the scene about 6:45 p.m. that day, but her balance improved over the next several hours.

Hutchinson told Butlin he was advised by a female officer that the accused had a bruise on her buttocks, but was unaware how the injury occurred.

When asked by Butlin how he determined the woman should be charged with murder, it was because of what she said to him at the scene and information from dispatch. He acknowledged he was never inside the residence and never saw the deceased. The officer said Wilson Duncan was crying on several occasions during the car ride back to the police station, but would stop to compose herself, then continued to answer questions.

The trial continues Wednesday before Justice Alan McLeod at Court of Queen’s Bench.