Article content continued

The prosecution alleged Malley killed Shachtay because he wanted to “cut his losses” after losing almost the entire amount and giving her $44,000 of his own money.

The courtroom remained quiet as the foreman of the eight-woman, four-man jury delivered the guilty verdict. Shachtay’s stepfather, Rick Bercier, flashed a silent thumbs-up sign at relatives lining two rows at the rear of the courtroom.

Malley, dressed in a suit in the prisoner’s box, showed no emotion as the foreman repeated guilty three times: one conviction for murder and further convictions on causing an explosion and delivering an explosive device.

Sisson imposed concurrent, two-year terms for each of the two lesser counts. Malley will not be eligible for parole until he is 82.

For Shachtay’s family, the suffering and punishment has been ongoing since 2011, her brother Vincent said in a victim impact statement he delivered to the court following the verdict.

The crime left their father, Victor Shachtay, a “broken” man, Vincent said.

“I hope that now he has some closure and can begin to heal,” he said.

Victor Shachtay, father of murder victim Victoria Shachtay, was at the trial of Brian Malley in Red Deer on Thursday February 12, 2015. Malley was accused of murdering her with a pipe bomb.

The defence had argued Shachtay’s own profligate spending, along with an economic downturn, depleted the value of her investments — and that Malley had given her some of his own money out of kindness and had no motive to kill her.

Much of the case against Malley centred around purchases he made prior to the crime. While the Crown alleged receipts and items seized at Malley’s home showed he was assembling the components of a pipe bomb, the defence countered the articles were used for innocuous purposes.

Defence lawyer Bob Aloneissi acknowledged receipts showed Malley bought gunpowder, steel pipe and light bulbs — but said they were for purposes such as hunting (in the case of the gunpowder) and home renovations.

Aloneissi did not comment following the verdict.