Man admits he murdered Brooks teen Ashton Moen

The man accused of murdering a Brooks teen in 2006 pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday as his second-degree murder retrial was set to begin in Medicine Hat Court of Queen’s Bench.

Colin Winsor, 34, became a suspect in the death of Ashton Moen shortly after she was reported missing June 20, 2006, after failing to show up for work the previous day or contact friends or family.

The 17-year-old’s decomposed body was found 12 days later wrapped in a blanket and bound in cable by a man walking his dog south of Brooks.

The girl’s father, Ronan Moen, told the court, "I felt my heart rip out of my chest," when he found out his daughter was dead. "I’m living a parent’s worst nightmare."

Ashton was naked under the blanket, her hands tied together with shoelaces and head and feet covered with garbage bags.

Winsor was charged with murdering the teen on July 13, 2006, found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury in March 2008 and sentenced to life with no eligibility for parole for 18 years. An Alberta Court of Appeal overturned that decision in 2009 after finding fault with the judge’s instruction to the jury and a retrial was ordered.

Nearly two dozen of Ashton’s friends and family packed one side of the courtroom as Winsor’s parents sat on the other.

Winsor was attentive for much of the proceedings, but hung his head almost to his knees during the six victim impact statements.

The girl’s father told the court he has been hospitalized due to the strain and was instructed by doctors to find a release for his stress. "This is an impossible task," said Moen. "She will never be forgotten."

During the first trial, the court heard a string of contradictions in the evidence provided by Winsor, who admitted to killing Ashton but said it was in self-defence.

Autopsy results presented at trial were inconclusive as to the cause of death.

After Tuesday’s plea to manslaughter, Ashton’s uncle Harold Wutzke said he disagreed with the reduction of the charge. "I still think it was murder. I don’t think it ever should have gone to manslaughter," said Wutzke, outside court. "He should serve the life sentence."

Crown prosecutor Andrea Dolan told reporters the prosecutor’s office had consulted with Ashton’s parents about the reduction of the charge.

"After the successful appeal of the second-degree murder conviction, the evidence we had left with was that to support a charge of manslaughter," said Dolan, who is seeking a 12-year global sentence for both manslaughter and indecent interference with human remains.

Winsor has been credited with serving a two-year sentence on the second charge. He will be given two-for-one credit for time served in pretrial custody amounting to at least five years and eight months.

Defence lawyer Laura Stevens is arguing the interference offence run concurrently with a 10-year sentence for manslaughter.

Madam Justice Beth Hughes will render her decision this morning.