A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for a man convicted of manslaughter in the 2008 shooting death of his estranged wife.
The hearing for Robert McMath is slated for April 11 in B.C. Supreme Court in Chilliwack.
McMath, 69, went to trial last year on a charge of second-degree murder but the judge found him guilty in December of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
The judge found that McMath accidentally shot his wife Janice, 64, twice on May 28, 2008, when he tripped while picking up a rifle to unload it.
Janice was rushed to hospital but died nine days later – on June 7.
The incident occurred on the McMath family’s property on Bradner Road.
The couple were in the midst of a divorce at the time and were scheduled to go to trial on June 4 of that year.
Although the couple were battling over some elements of the divorce, including the Bradner Road property, the judge found that they otherwise had an amicable relationship with no history of violence.
A manslaughter conviction involving a firearm can result in a prison term of anywhere from four years to life.
