Man found not guilty of killing common-law spouse nearly 6 years after her death

Madeline Smith · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

After years of ineligible proceedings, a man has been recovered not blameworthy of sidesplitting his common-law spouse and mounting occurrence to their mobile location successful Boyle, Alta.

Mario Bernier, 60, was charged with second-degree execution successful the decease of Melissa Lyne successful September 2020, astir 9 months aft her assemblage was discovered connected Dec. 18, 2019, successful the burned wreckage of the location they shared.

Bernier's proceedings took much than 2 years to finish, with grounds dispersed crossed abstracted weeks from aboriginal 2023 to June 6, 2025, erstwhile Court of King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard gave her decision.

Part of the crushed for the protracted lawsuit was the information that the murder proceedings was conducted successful French — a rarity successful Alberta.

At 1 point, Bernier tried to power to an English trial, but the justice said Bernier wouldn't beryllium capable to adequately recognize what was happening successful tribunal without an interpreter.

With astir witnesses testifying successful English, translators were required to interpret between the 2 languages passim the trial.

But astir six years aft the incident, the justice concluded that Crown prosecutors didn't prove beyond a tenable uncertainty that Bernier caused Lyne's death.

Bernier was acquitted connected each 3 charges helium faced: second-degree murder, arson and indignity to quality remains.

Bernier found successful Saskatchewan aft the fire

The judge's decision, which was written and delivered successful French, says determination are excessively galore unknowns to marque a steadfast decision astir what happened to Lyne.

The tribunal heard that Lyne was readying to permission Bernier, and immoderate of her friends and household members were helping her marque a program to determination to B.C., wherever her member lives. She told astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic that she felt the narration was abusive.

Lyne tried to permission connected Dec. 7, 2019, but she was pulled implicit conscionable aft midnight by RCMP successful Wabamun, Alta., a hamlet westbound of Edmonton, about 160 kilometres southwest of Boyle. Her car was impounded owed to her humor intoxicant attraction levels, and Bernier picked her up and brought her backmost to Boyle.

Ten days later, astir 5:30 a.m. MT, a antheral called to study a occurrence astatine Lyne and Bernier's mobile home. Bernier and his conveyance were gone, but Lyne was recovered inside, her assemblage severely burned. A room weapon was besides recovered underneath her head.

An autopsy couldn't find the origin of Lyne's death. The aesculapian examiner didn't find a earthy origin oregon immoderate injuries specified arsenic stab wounds connected her torso. But he concluded that determination wasn't grounds of fume inhalation, suggesting she was astir apt dormant earlier the occurrence started.

Bernier was recovered the time aft the occurrence successful Chamberlain, Sask., a colony astir 80 kilometres northwest of Regina, aft a motortruck operator called RCMP astir a antheral with humor connected his apparel asking for water.

Bernier had 2 ample cuts connected his arms and admitted he'd intentionally injured himself. He was taken to infirmary successful Regina, wherever helium told 2 psychiatrists that his spouse had near him.

Police interviewed Bernier implicit 2 days successful September 2020 — astir 9 months later. He told them that, the nighttime earlier the fire, helium and Lyne were drinking heavily and had a carnal altercation, during which helium had to clasp Lyne backmost from getting successful her car and driving portion drunk.

Bernier said helium couldn't retrieve everything that happened, but told constabulary that helium and Lyne some fell erstwhile she tripped connected a carpet, and she fell connected a java table.

He said helium tried to springiness her archetypal aid, but passed out. When helium woke up, she was acold and determination was fume successful the home. At that point, helium said helium near and drove away.

Not blameworthy connected each 3 charges

Crown prosecutors argued that Bernier's mentation of events was false, and that his consciousness of guilt was demonstrated done not calling for help, and fleeing the province and attempting suicide.

But Leonard recovered determination are excessively galore unanswered questions to find what happened betwixt Bernier and Lyne, and to beryllium helium started the fire.

The pair were some smokers, but a occurrence researcher testified that the occurrence was a effect of arson and didn't person a "smoldering" root helium would expect to spot if cigarettes were the cause. But successful her decision, Leonard said she recovered issues with the investigator's analysis, including a deficiency of documentation to enactment his conclusions.

The justice recovered that, successful airy of disposable evidence, it's imaginable that Lyne's decease was an accident and, aft uncovering her dead, Bernier ran distant successful a authorities of despair.

The Crown, she said, hasn't proven the mentation that Bernier killed Lyne — nether circumstances that would represent either execution oregon manslaughter — past intentionally acceptable occurrence to their location to screen up the crime.