Calgary man who drove U-Haul over wife sentenced to 15 years

Undated photograph of Melissa Blommaert (Facebook)

WARNING: This article contains graphic details and content that may be disturbing to some readers

A Calgary man who killed his wife in 2020 when he drove over her in a loaded U-Haul has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

Ronald John Candaele killed 33-year-old Melissa Blommaert in 2020.

Though he was found guilty of second-degree murder in a 2021 trial, the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned his conviction and found him guilty of manslaughter instead.

The Crown was asking for a sentence of 15 to 18 years for the manslaughter conviction, while Candaele's lawyer wanted six to 10 years.

"This case is the result of a culmination of domestic violence that ended in a tragic killing," said Justice Blair Nixon in his sentencing decision, released Monday.

"This manslaughter case is as close to murder as one can get without tripping over that line.”

Why manslaughter?

Blommaert died around 4:10 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2020, on 34 Avenue N.W. between 79 and 80 Street N.W.

She was attempting to flee Candaele after an argument when he ran over her in a U-Haul truck.

Candaele then turned around and drove away.

Blommaert's body was found by a passerby at about 6 a.m.

In its decision to overturn Candaele's second-degree murder conviction, the Alberta Court of Appeal said while it was reasonable to infer that Candaele deliberately accelerated towards Blommaert, it does not "necessarily mean that he intended to run her down and kill her," or to cause bodily harm that he knew was likely to cause her death.

Previous domestic violence

Candaele, who was 35 when he killed Blommaert, had been convicted for domestic violence against her prior to her death.

According to court documents, Candaele broke a glass juice bottle on a living room table in early 2018, then held the broken bottle up to Blommaert's throat and asked her if she wanted to die.

He then pushed her to the ground, and, at some point, shoved a washcloth in her mouth. At the time, Blommaert was pregnant with their first child.

The second incident took place less than a month later.

Candaele punched Blommaert in the face several times, then took her car keys and her bank card. She was still pregnant.

Candaele was convicted in 2019 after pleading guilty in April 2018.

He was sentenced to 200 days in prison.

Candaele was still on probation the night Blommaert died and was not supposed to have any contact with her.

Despite this, the pair had married while the no-contact order was in place.

Candaele also helped Blommaert move the day before her death.

In his written decision, Nixon said Blommaert's death was part of a "long and tragic cycle of domestic violence."

Nixon also said Candaele showed a lack of remorse.

In victim impact statements provided during the initial trial, Blommaert's family expressed their anger and profound grief over her death.