Saskatchewan man pleads guilty to second-degree murder in 2015 death of wife

Warning: This story contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.

It was a tear-filled courtroom, as John Strang pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday in the death of 47-year-old Lisa Strang in August 2015.

He also pleaded guilty to uttering a death threat against another woman, Lynn Larsen.

Strang, 48, was charged two days after his wife’s body was found in their home in McLean, Sask.

Court heard after the murder, Strang went to the home of Roland and Lynn Larsen, and confessed to Lynn that he had killed his wife. Larsen contacted police, who then found the victim’s body. Lisa Strang was found slumped over on her sofa in her home in McLean. She had two gun wounds, one to the upper torso and one to the back of the head.

During that conversation when Larsen asked why he did it, Strang replied, “I don’t know why I did it. I just did.” Strang also told Larsen he had fantasized of raping her and killing her and others.

Officers also searched his Jeep and recovered the handgun that he had used to shoot his wife, which had already been reloaded. They also found numerous other loaded firearms, axes, a machete, 15 sets of handcuffs and 1,095 rounds of ammunition.

A neighbour who had overheard the couple arguing on the day of the murder also heard the sound of two bangs a few hours later.

The Crown said Strang alienated his wife from her friends and family, and that Lisa’s parents disliked Strang from day one. The Crown said Lisa was the main breadwinner and her husband spent a lot of money and racked up debts that required them to remortgage their house.

Court also heard that Lisa Strang wanted a divorce months before she was killed and her husband had accused her of having an affair.

Today in court, Strang sat deadpan as several victim impact statements were read from family, friends and colleagues. Many highlighted Lisa Strang as an attentive, hard-working person, who loved animals, reading and stitching, and became friends with many people she worked with. Some addressed John Strang in the courtroom, referring to the murder as “an act of savage cowardice.”

“I was particularly taken back that Mr. Strang showed more emotion about the disposition of his firearms, potentially, than he did about the victim impact statements and other things that occurred in court today,” Patrick Bundrock, a Sask. Party colleague of Lisa’s, told reporters outside the courthouse.

“But something positive that came out of court today through the victim impact statements, was the story of Lisa Strang; about what a kind, gentle person she was, meticulous, determined, and just what a good friend.”

The Crown and defence are jointly requesting a life sentence with no chance of parole for 17 years. The Crown is also asking for a two-year concurrent sentence on the uttering threats charge.

With files from Marney Blunt