Sentencing hearing to begin for Alberta man who admitted to murdering woman, toddler in Hinton | Globalnews.ca

Warning: The details in this story may be disturbing to some readers.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin Tuesday for a man who admitted to killing a woman and her 16-month-old son in western Alberta.

Robert Major pleaded guilty in May to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Mchale Busch, who was 24, and her son, Noah McConnell.

Major also faced two counts of interfering with human remains, but the prosecution said those charges were withdrawn.

Busch and her son were found dead in an apartment complex in Hinton, about 250 kilometres west of Edmonton, on Sept. 17, 2021.

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Robert Major pleads guilty to 1st-degree murder in deaths of Hinton mother, toddler

The woman and her partner had moved into an apartment next to Major’s three weeks earlier.

The Crown says it isn’t known how Busch ended up in Major’s apartment, but that is where he sexually assaulted her, strangled her and mutilated her body.

Court heard Major then suffocated the child by stuffing a sock in his mouth and putting a plastic bag over his head.