Man admits killing partner in Miramichi, hitting a man's head with hammer

WARNING: This story contains details of intimate partner violence.

A New Brunswick man has admitted murdering his intimate partner of more than a decade last year in Miramichi while believing she was sleeping with a man he also struck on the head with a hammer.  

Billy Joe Stewart pleaded guilty on Friday in Miramichi's Court of King's Bench to second-degree murder in the death of 43-year-old Natalie LeBlanc. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and possessing a weapon — bear mace — for a dangerous purpose.

Justice Fred Ferguson said he hopes the plea and sentencing later this summer will help LeBlanc's family begin to heal after the "egregious end" of her life.

Ferguson read an agreed statement of facts, asking Stewart to confirm he was admitting those details. 

According to the agreed facts, Stewart and LeBlanc had been in a relationship for more than 10 years and lived together in Moncton and Miramichi. 

In the time leading up to her death, they had both been homeless. Stewart was living under a tarp near Hennessy Street in Miramichi. 

After Gordon (Joey) Dedam bought breakfast for LeBlanc in May, the agreed facts say, Stewart believed Dedam was in a sexual relationship with LeBlanc.

On May 23 last year, Stewart appeared outside Dedam's tent with a hammer and hit him twice on the head. Dedam and a woman who was also there said Stewart was yelling about Dedam sleeping with LeBlanc.

Dedam walked to a nearby ambulance and was treated in hospital. He had a fractured skull and required six staples to close the wound.

Died of blunt force trauma

On May 23 or 24, Stewart admits using a hacksaw handle to strike LeBlanc and used a cord to strangle her. An autopsy determined she died of blunt force trauma and had injuries to her arms, neck and head.

The judge asked Stewart to confirm how he killed LeBlanc. 

"It's foggy," Stewart responded. 

He attempted to revive her without success, according to the agreed facts. 

He left her body under the tarp at Stewart's campsite. He admitted telling people he killed her.

The agreed facts said LeBlanc's daughter said her mother recently resumed the relationship with Stewart, who had damaged LeBlanc's phone. LeBlanc's mother told police her daughter had expressed a desire to move back to Moncton.

A business owner told police that they had been letting LeBlanc use their phone and that she had recently left a jacket and suitcase, saying she'd return for it, but never did. The business owner told police LeBlanc had a voucher for a bus trip to Moncton. 

Police found LeBlanc's body at Stewart's campsite. He was arrested on May 28, 2024, and confessed to police that he killed LeBlanc. 

The weapon charge related to bear mace he had when he was arrested. 

Sentencing in August

Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 10 years. Ferguson's sentencing decision will largely be about when Stewart should become eligible for parole.

The judge noted that the range is 10 to 25 years, starting from the time of Stewart's arrest last year. Ferguson said Stewart becoming eligible for parole doesn't mean it will be granted by the Parole Board of Canada.

Crown prosecutors and Stewart's defence lawyer are expected to offer a joint recommendation on sentencing, which court rulings have said judges should generally follow.

Sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 11. 

If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

If you're affected by family or intimate partner violence, you can look for help through crisis lines and local support services.