UPDATED: Leopold Given Seven Years In Jail

A Liverpool man convicted of manslaughter has been sentenced to seven years in prison for killing his fiancee Laura Lee Robertson. A provincial Supreme Court jury found James Leroy Leopold guilty of the charge last month in Bridgewater. In handing down his sentence, Judge Kevin Coady awarded Leopold credit for time already served in jail (one year). Leopold will also have to provide a DNA sample and is prohibited from owning a firearm for the rest of his life. Crown attorney Leigh-Ann Bryson says she is pleased with the sentence.



Leopold told police in a videotaped interview that he hit Robertson because she bit him during a drunken sex act at their apartment in Liverpool on April 13, 2011, and killed her. He said he struck Robertson once in the neck while in bed. He later told police he wrapped Robertson's body in a blanket and took it to the woods near Greenfield. Leopold led police to her remains two weeks later buried under sticks and tires. During an interview with reporters today in Bridgewater, her son, Tim thanked the Queens RCMP detachment and residents of Liverpool for their support.



In March, Leopold offered to enter a guilty plea to manslaughter, however, Crown prosecutors rejected the deal and proceeded to trial on a second degree murder charge.