Editor’s note: A warning, the details of this story may be disturbing to some readers.
A Halifax man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of his 71-year-old mother in what he told police was a “fit of rage.”
Delina Pinsky’s body was discovered in a Halifax condominium building on Quinpool Road on Oct. 10, 2024.
Two days later, her 41-year-old son, Jonathan Pinsky, was arrested and charged in her death.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Jonathan arrived home on Oct. 1, 2024, to the condo where he lived with his mother. He says he was stressed from work and that they got into an argument when she asked him to put subtitles on the TV.
He says that during their argument, she told him he had to move out of the home by 10 p.m.
Jonathan would later tell police he flew into a “fit of rage” and attacked her, breaking her ribs. The statement, which was read in court, details how Jonathan admitted to putting her in the closet, where he believed she was “already probably dying,” and then stabbing her.
He hid her body in a storage room for 10 days.
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He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, which carries an automatic life sentence, in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Monday.
“All I could feel is just a lot of sadness. Like what her last moments would have been like, the terror that she would have felt,” her friend Paul Vienneau told Global News Monday.
Delina’s body was discovered following a wellness check, which was requested by Jonathan’s manager when he didn’t show up for work for days after calling to say there was an “emergency.”
Immediately, police began searching for Jonathan. He was arrested and charged the following day after being spotted by a co-worker. According to the agreed statement of facts, he told the arresting officer “the knife was in the bottom of his backpack.”
“He provided a very fulsome confession within 12 hours of his arrest, wherein he took full responsibility for what he did to his mother,” said Crown lawyer Stephen Anstey.
“We are going to be jointly submitting the mandatory minimum as appropriate for Mr. Pinsky. Mr. Pinsky has no prior criminal record, this is his first involvement with the criminal justice system.”
The mandatory minimum for parole eligibility for second-degree murder is 10 years.
Following the plea, the judge requested that a pre-sentence report be filed by June 2 and scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 2.
Those who knew Delina — known as Lana — say her death has been devastating.
She worked at the North End Memorial Library and is credited for her work transforming their children’s reading support program.
In previous interviews with Global News, friends described her as a ball of energy with a big smile who loved dancing.
“She was just a fixture on my street … a pop of colour and a really nice disposition,” said Vienneau.
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