VANCOUVER - The Crown says the killing of a Vancouver-area professor was the culmination of a tumultuous relationship that was plagued by alcohol abuse, frequent arguments and numerous encounters with the police.
Matthew Scott is in court for a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of Melanie O'Neill, a chemistry professor at Simon Fraser University who was found dead in her condominium in July 2011.
The Crown says Scott moved into O'Neill's townhouse in 2010, which was followed by repeated arguments and several instances in which police attended and found Scott and O'Neill intoxicated.
Scott admits he choked O'Neill during one such argument in July 2011, and the Crown says he spent the next several days selling some of O'Neill's belongings and using her credit card to book a flight to Edmonton.
But Scott told undercover police officers that he only choked O'Neill to stop her from yelling and that he never intended to hurt or kill her.
The Crown is asking for a sentence of seven to nine years, while the defence has yet to provide its recommendation.
