Article contentAt some point, Pinsky said he also briefly attempted to smother her with pillows, but it “didn’t work.”Article contentAfter his mother was dead, he said he covered her with a blanket.Article contentOn Oct. 9, Pinsky’s manager called Halifax Regional Police to request a wellness check on him. The manager had received a call Oct. 2 saying Pinsky would not be at work due to an emergency and had not been able to reach him since.Article contentThe next day, two officers were let into the condo by the building manager, who had reported an unpleasant smell.Article contentThe upstairs of the unit appeared normal. Upon proceeding down the stairs, the officers noted a large smear of blood.Article contentAn officer opened the door to a storage room and located the body of Lana Pinsky on the floor, tightly wrapped in blankets or sheets.Article contentAn autopsy was conducted Oct. 11 and determined the victim died from a single stab wound to the left side of her neck that went through the voice box and out the opposite side of the neck.Article contentArticle contentThere were a number of broken ribs on the left side, and the body was heavily decomposed.Article contentLater that day, police requested the public’s assistance in finding Pinsky, who they said was a “person of interest.”Article contentPinsky was arrested Oct. 11 at 9:16 p.m., after a co-worker saw him and reported his whereabouts to police. After he was handcuffed, he said the knife was at the bottom of his backpack.Article content Defence lawyer Brian Bailey speaks with reporters outside Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Wednesday after Jonathan William Pinsky’s sentencing for second-degree murder in the Oct. 1, 2024, death of his 71-year-old mother. Photo by Steve BruceArticle contentA presentence report quoted Pinsky as acknowledging he had a bad temper, “but I learned to control it decades ago. I react by saying nothing and walking away.”Article contentPinsky told the author of the report he “absolutely” accepted responsibility for killing his mother.Article content“My mom was kicking me out because I didn’t react quick enough to turn on the subtitles,” Pinsky said. “She was very ill, treated me like a slave, and she reacted to the tiniest imperfections that I had.Article contentArticle content“We had a great relationship until she lost her job and went on stress leave. Her physical and mental health went down in the dumpster. I was the only one there to help her, and she treated me like a slave.Article content“I regret what I did, but that’s what happened.”Article contentCrown attorney Samantha Allen told the court that although Pinsky believes he can control his anger, his actions in this case “call into question that assertion.”Article content“From the Crown’s perspective, this is an area that requires work,” Allen said, noting that Pinsky has expressed a willingness to take part in programming in the federal prison system.Article contentShe said Pinsky’s guilty plea spared his family the ordeal of a trial. One of his brothers and his father were in the gallery Wednesday, but no victim impact statements were filed with the court.Article contentAllen said she did not know a lot about Lana Pinsky but added she was a mother, a sister and her life mattered.
‘Explosive, bizarre and cruel’: Halifax man sentenced for murdering his 71-year-old mother
