Montreal man sentenced 14 years for fatally beating his girlfriend

A Montreal man who beat his girlfriend to death in 2021 has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Brandon McIntyre, 32 at the time of the killing, was initially charged with the second-degree murder of Rebekah Harry, 29.

But he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter last month, with the courts deeming it impossible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to kill.

McIntyre also pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who witnessed the beating.

According to a joint statement of facts entered into court, in the early morning hours of March 20, 2021, McIntyre severely beat Harry in front of the other woman, who tried to stop the attack.

Harry was hospitalized for three days before succumbing to her injuries.

The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, a pathologist found.

Harry, who had a young son, was one of several women killed by their spouses in 2021. The wave of femicides sparked outrage across the province and led to more preventative investments from the government.