A Meota man charged with killing his wife made his first court appearance March 19.
Michael MacKay, 39, appeared by telephone in North Battleford Provincial Court. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of thirty-eight-year-old Cindy MacKay.
Defence lawyer Nicholas Stooshinoff asked the court for a two-week adjournment saying he hasn’t received disclosure yet. Disclosure consists of the Crown’s case against the accused and usually includes search warrants, the charging document, details of the offence, audio/video and transcribed witness statements, statements from the accused, expert reports, exhibits, private communication intercept authorizations, evidence, and criminal records of witnesses and the accused.
North Battleford Crown prosecutor Oryn Holm didn’t object. Judge Kevin Hill adjourned the matter to April 9.
MacKay was arrested in Warman, Sask., on March 18.
According to police, they launched an investigation after health care professionals raised concerns to RCMP. Cindy MacKay was taken to hospital in medical distress on Feb. 7, 2020. She died on Feb. 12, 2020.
RCMP Major Crime Unit North, RCMP Historical Case Unit North, the Battlefords RCMP, Battlefords RCMP General Investigation Section, and RCMP Forensic Identification worked together on the investigation.Â
According to Cindy’s obituary, she was born in North Battleford in 1981 and grew up on her family’s farm near Meota, Sask. She earned a BSc in agriculture and travelled widely before she married Michael MacKay in July 2005 on the family farm.
Cindy pursued a second career as a registered nurse and worked at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. Cindy and Michael had three children. In 2015 the couple moved back to the farm Cindy grew up on where they pursued their dream of raising cattle.
Meota is a tiny village 43 kilometres northwest of North Battleford.
