Suffield, Alberta – In a shocking case that has shaken the community, 70-year-old Deborah Belyea was convicted of second-degree murder and indignity to a body for the killing of her husband, 72-year-old Cypress County councillor Alfred Belyea. The details of this gruesome crime, which took place in 2021, have shocked and rattled the small town of Suffield, located 40 kilometers west of Medicine Hat.
The motive behind this heinous act is still unclear, but the Court of King’s Bench Justice Dallas Miller delivered a 34-page conviction decision outlining the gruesome details of the crime. Belyea, who had served as a councillor for six years, was known to be planning to seek another term, according to information discovered during the trial.
Deborah Belyea, her husband’s killer, is described as a largely housebound woman with health issues, including a reliance on an oxygen tank. According to one of her friends, she struggled to carry even a knitting bag, weighing as much as a liter of milk, due to her physical limitations.
The murder occurred over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2021, and the last people to see Alfred Belyea alive were fellow Cypress County councillors who had spent time with him on the golf course. However, during the trial, it was revealed that Deborah had killed, dismembered, and disposed of her husband before drawing a map to his body, leaving the map for their three daughters to find.
As the investigation unfolded, a letter written by Deborah to her daughters was discovered, in which she expressed her love for them and her husband, Alfred. Tragically, the letter also contained hints of despair and a plea for understanding. The situation escalated when one of the daughters discovered a hand-drawn map showing a location in Piapot, Sask., leading to the discovery of Alfred’s body.
Ultimately, this horrific crime has left the community in shock and disbelief, and the sentencing hearing in February will determine the punishment for Deborah Belyea. A second-degree murder conviction carries a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 to 25 years, leaving the community and the victims’ family awaiting justice for this senseless act.