Dean Penney found guilty of murdering his estranged wife
Listen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A primal shriek cut through the silence in the room as the family of Jennifer Hillier-Penney learned the verdict.Dean Penney had been found guilty of first-degree murder.Hillier-Penney's oldest daughter — who has long been a vocal believer in her father's guilt — wailed as she hugged her husband and other family members.Justice Vikas Khaladkar gave them a moment to compose themselves before turning back to the 12-person jury.One by one, the jurors repeated the same word: "guilty." Some held back tears, while others dabbed at their eyes. RCMP officers sitting in the courtroom high-fived and slapped each other on the back, celebrating the culmination of five days of deliberations, eight weeks of a trial, and nearly 10 years of investigative work.“This is your day, Jenny," her brother, Gary Hillier, told reporters afterwards. "You deserve everything."Gary Hillier is the brother of Jennifer Hillier-Penney. He attended every day of proceedings in the two-month-long trial in Corner Brook. (Ryan Cooke/CBC)Hillier sat in the front row every day of the trial, just feet away from the man accused of killing his sister. He could be seen at times gripping the bench beneath him — a strategy, he said, to keep himself from jumping over the railing between them.The family spent years not knowing what was happening, always assured by the RCMP that the investigation was ongoing, but not seeing any results.Unbeknownst to everyone, Penney was in the midst of a covert police investigation that spanned more than four years.The so-called Mr. Big sting ended when Penney confessed — twice — to killing Hillier-Penney at the home they shared in St. Anthony.WATCH | Colleen Connors and Ryan Cooke were inside the courtroom for Dean Penney's verdict:A 12-person jury found Dean Penney guilty of murder in the first degree, bringing an end to a gruelling trial that began on April 1. The CBC’s Colleen Connors was there, and has this report.The Crown contended Penney killed his wife in an act of planned and deliberate murder, angry that she was leaving him and jealous at the thought of her being with anyone else. The defence argued Penney only told the supposed crime boss what he wanted to hear because Penney felt pressured and intimidated by the fake criminal organization. They insisted he made up the details in both confessions.Penney grew close with one of the officers, who became his best friend. The man, who used the pseudonym Vic, testified he wished their investigation would have cleared Penney of all charges and proven that he didn't do it.But that wasn't the case.Mr. Big stings have been controversial, with the Supreme Court of Canada setting out strict guidelines for when they can be ruled admissible in court. It was subject to a lengthy pretrial test, after which Khaladkar ruled the police had stayed within the guidelines and the confessions could be played for the jury.In a news conference Sunday afternoon, RCMP Insp. Adam Palmer said measures were taken to ensure the operation would hold up in court. “Whenever we have a sensitive or highly specialized investigative tool, we make sure that we have guardrails in place,” Palmer said. “That includes getting judicial opinion, speaking to subject matter experts, and looking at previous incidents where this tool has been used to see what the court outcome was and any criticisms or positive outcomes those courts have delivered.”Palmer said extensive resources went into the Penney operation. “I can tell you this is one of the most expensive investigations that we've undertaken in this province,” he said, adding that close to 100 employees of all different ranks were involved.The case was prosecuted by Shawn Patten, front, and Kate Ashton. (Ryan Cooke/CBC)Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Crown prosecutor Shawn Patten commended the police for their work."I think the RCMP did an outstanding job in putting this file together. These are complex investigations that take a lot of time and a lot of resources and human power to put together," Patten said. "Certainly our hat's off to the amount of work that went into putting this investigation together."Penney is now facing a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years. However, a sentencing hearing still has to take place, where victim impact statements will be read into the record. That's been scheduled for November.The Hillier family — who spent eight weeks displaced from their homes on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula to attend the trial in Corner Brook — will now head home with a lighter load."I woke up this morning, left the hotel and I could feel her. I knew it was going to be good news,” Gary Hillier said. “It’s the first chapter of closure."Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
