Man pleads guilty in shooting of partner

Court had been expecting preliminary hearing to begin in manslaughter case

The suspect in an alleged spousal-related homicide — which sparked discussions about a possible spike in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic — entered a surprise guilty plea Thursday.

Alexander Moskaluk, 24, was to face a five-day preliminary inquiry, but instead, his lawyer, Kim Arial, told court her client wished to plead guilty as charged.

Initially, Crown prosecutor Devinder Brar said she would oppose allowing Moskaluk to re-elect so his sentencing could be handled in provincial court, but after discussions with Arial told Judge Heather Lamoureux she was prepared to proceed so the plea could be entered.

Moskaluk was charged with manslaughter with a firearm after his common-law partner, Brittney Ann Meszaros, 24, was found dead on April 27, 2020, in their northeast Calgary home.

“You confirm your guilty plea?” Lamoureux asked Moskaluk as he sat in the prisoner's box in standard Calgary Remand Centre blue overalls.

“Yes, your honour,” the Calgary man replied.

Both Brar and Arial asked that the case be adjourned to next Tuesday so they can draft a statement of agreed facts.

The lawyers told Lamoureux that any issues they had early over which aggravating and mitigating factors would be put before the court had been ironed out.

Once the facts are in, Arial will seek a pre-sentence report be prepared on behalf of her client.

Meszaros's death triggered discussions about a fear the COVID -19 pandemic would trigger a surge in domestic-related violence with many couples under 24/7 isolation.

Kim Ruse, executive director of the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter, said at the time of Moskaluk's arrest that, generally speaking, there was a concern the pandemic will lead to more cases of domestic violence.

Moskaluk has been in custody since his arrest shortly after the woman's body was discovered, but some of that time has been done serving a sentence on weapons and drug-related charges.

A conviction for manslaughter with a firearm carries a minimum four-year prison term.