A 63-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of his estranged wife in the parking lot of the Brampton high school where she taught.
A jury delivered the first-degree murder verdict to Erhun Candir on Monday morning after three day of deliberations, the Toronto Star reported.
The seven-woman, five-man jury concluded Candir stalked teacher Aysegul Candir in the parking lot of Bramalea Secondary School on Dec. 10, 2004 and fatally shot her.
Candir said he was "shocked" by the verdict and told the court he had never been a threat to his wife, the Star reported.
Justice Donald Mackenzie handed Candir an automatic life sentence and placed his parole ineligibility at the mandatory minimum of 25 years, meaning he will be at least 88 before he can seek parole.
During the eight-week trial, jurors heard Aysegul, a well-liked English-as-a-second-language teacher, was shot in the head and hip at 11:11 a.m. after returning from running an errand.
She had left Candir, her husband of 18 years, just weeks before she was killed. Candir was in Turkey at the time.
Aysegul had left their Bolton home and into a condominium in Woodbridge.
Crown attorney Brian McGuire called friends, co-workers and Aysegul's doctor to the stand, who testified she feared what Candir would do when he found out she left him.
Aysegul had said her estranged husband mentally abused her and tried to control her.
While no weapon was ever found, forensic experts found particles of gunshot residue on the steering wheel of the rented minivan Candir used that day. Particles were also found on gloves in his coat pocket when he was arrested just 90 minutes after the shooting.
McGuire portrayed Candir as a "desperate" man who decided to murder his wife because he could no longer control her, the Star reported.
Although two key eyewitnesses initially told police they thought the person who shot Aysegul was a young East Indian male, they changed their description when they testified. The pair said their memories were clearer after tragic day passed.
