A Calgary woman admitted in a Lethbridge provincial courtroom to stabbing her elderly mother multiple times and throwing her down a flight of stairs in 2016.
On Monday, Lisa Freihaut pleaded guilty to second degree murder in connection with the death of 78-year-old Irene Carter.
Police were called to Carter’s home on Normandy Road South in Lethbridge on January 17, 2016 after family members were unable to contact her. The responding officers located Carter’s body inside the residence and an autopsy confirmed her death was the result of 13 stab wounds to her chest and blunt force trauma.
On April 7, 2017, a tearful Freihaut, who was 51 years old at the time, addressed the media to ask for tips from the public while expressing her gratitude for the support the family received during the search for Carter’s killer. Less than two weeks after the media availability, police charged Freihaut with second degree murder.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Freihaut had a gambling addiction and had accepted responsibility of her mother's finances. The argument between mother and daughter occurred after Carter discover Freihaut had taken out a mortgage on her home without her knowledge.
Freihaut addressed the court on Monday stating that there is nothing that she can say or do that will change what she had done. The convicted killer said she knew forgiveness was not an option and that she will regret her actions for the rest of her life. "I am so sorry for what I have done."
A second degree murder conviction carries an automatic 25-year life sentence. Justice Dallas Miller accepted the joint submission of the Crown and defence and ruled Freihaut would be ineligibile for parole for 11 years.
With files from CTV’s Terry Vogt
