A Sherwood Park man must serve 13 years of his mandatory life sentence before being eligible to apply for parole for the death of his wife.
Brian Beglau, 60, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty last week to the second-degree murder of his estranged wife, Melanie Hunter.
Beglau hung his head while the Justice read his reasons. As he left the prisoner’s box, he slammed the door before entering the holding cells.
READ MORE: Edmonton man pleads guilty to 2nd degree murder in death of estranged wife in Sherwood Park
Police found Hunter’s body inside a home in northeast Sherwood Park on the evening of Sept. 22, 2015, after responding to an alarm at the home. A man was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Two days later Beglau was charged in connection with her death.
The estranged couple was supposed to sign divorce papers the day Hunter was murdered.
Court heard Beglau drove to Hunter’s home and parked down the street. He broke into the home and attacked Hunter with a steak knife while she was talking to a friend on Facetime. Hunter’s friend heard her screams and called 911.
The judge called the attack violent and vicious. The victim had 21 stab wounds.
When police arrived, the doors of the home were locked. Officers eventually got inside and found Beglau in a bathroom with self-inflicted stab wounds.
Beglau claimed he took sleeping pills and doesn’t remember the murder.
READ MORE: UPDATE: Husband of Sherwood Park woman charged in her murder
Weeks before the murder, Hunter had called RCMP to complain about Beglau’s harassment. No charges were laid but RCMP warned Beglau to stay away from Hunter and only contact her through email.
Beglau was charged with first-degree murder, but entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of second-degree murder last Thursday, which carries an automatic life sentence. The judge in the case will decide when Beglau can apply for parole, which can range from a minimum of 10 years to a maximum of 25 years.
RCMP said Beglau and Hunter were married but had been living separately for three years before Hunter’s death.
The couple had a son and daughter together.