Prince Albert, Sask., woman sentenced for role in brutal murder of Saskatoon mother Taya Sinclair

A Prince Albert woman who confessed to her role in the brutal murder of a Saskatoon mother will go to prison.

Stephanie Halkett-Stephenson pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the March 2022 death of Taya Sinclair. Halkett-Stephenson also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment.

He was initially charged with first-degree murder.

Halkett-Stephenson was sentenced to 18 years in prison with no chance of parole for nine years for involuntary manslaughter, prosecutor Michael Pilon said in an interview.

He was also sentenced to four years in prison, with terms to be served concurrently, on charges of aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment.

Specific details about Sinclair’s death cannot be reported due to a court-ordered publication ban. Two of Halkett-Stephenson’s co-defendants are still in court.

Sinclair, 24, was found dead in a snowbank near Alfred Jenkins Field House in Prince Albert on March 15, 2022. His body was burned.

Sinclair’s family said he left behind two young children. They want him to be remembered for his smile.

“Taya was incredibly beautiful. She had the most beautiful smile, the wildest sense of humor, and the wildest spirit,” her aunt, Donna Aubichon, said at a press conference in 2022.

“She was a warm person with a soul, a heart and a voice who were dear to so many people. Life may take us down different paths, but our family wants to remind everyone how important Taya was.”