Accused killer called 911, saying 'I just killed somebody'

"I just killed somebody."

Those were the words Calvin Andrew Lewis said after calling 911 on May 2, 2020.

"Did you mean to kill someone, or ...?" the operator asked a few seconds later, according to a newly released transcript of the call. 

"Yes, I did," Lewis responded.

Lewis is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his partner, 43-year-old Tina Tingley-McAleer, almost two years ago in their Hillsborough home south of Moncton.

He is scheduled to stand trial starting Tuesday in Moncton.

The transcript was among evidence released to news media this week following a request by the Times & Transcript newspaper and a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

While the case originally was set to be heard by a jury, last month Lewis re-elected to have the case tried by only a judge. That resulted in the loosening of standard pre-trial publication restrictions meant to avoid tainting a jury pool.

When Lewis re-elected on March 28, his defence lawyers and the Crown prosecutors entered an agreed statement of facts into evidence. Crown prosecutors and Lewis's defence team consented to the release of the information. 

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Robert Dysart agreed to release the statement Wednesday as well as the 911 transcript and photos of the murder weapon.

In the agreed statement of facts, signed by defence lawyer Nathan Gorham, Lewis admits he killed Tingley-McAleer.

The trial is expected to focus on his state of mind. 

Lewis's response on the 911 call about whether he meant to kill Tingley-McAleer doesn't appear in the agreed statement of facts.

First-degree murder is one that's planned and deliberate. The mindset of the accused can affect determination of whether a murder charge is supported.

The agreed facts say Lewis and Tingley-McAleer were in a relationship for about two years before her death. It calls their relationship "a volatile one, marked by frequent arguments as well as drug use by both parties."

Tingley-McAleer's family previously told CBC she was a generous, adventurous woman who loved children and the outdoors. She was a mother of three and grandmother of six. 

In the months before her death, Lewis had pleaded guilty to assaulting and threatening her. He was sentenced in April 2020, a month before her death, to three months in jail. However, he was given credit for time already spent in custody and didn't serve any more time. 

Tingley-McAleer's family spoke out following her death, urging those facing domestic violence to seek help. An obituary written by her sister Laura Tingley tells those being mentally or physically abused that "Tina would want to let her message be clear: go get the help you need."

On the day of her death, Tingley-McAleer was at her home on Main Street in Hillsborough with Lewis and his adult son, Shane Brady.

Brady's girlfriend had spent the night and left at about 10 a.m., noting Tingley-McAleer was asleep on a couch in the living room.

Brady woke up around the time his girlfriend left and walked to the living room to find his socks. He saw Tingley-McAleer was awake and sitting on the couch using her phone. He went to the bathroom, crossed paths with Lewis in a hallway,  and they said good morning to each other.

According to the agreed facts, while in the bathroom Brady heard "Help! Help! Help! Help me someone Shane, Daniel, help me, help me, help me."

Brady described hearing a sound like a knife cutting into something.

The agreed facts indicate he wasn't initially concerned by her pleas for help because "those were a common occurrence, in his opinion."

Witness saw Lewis holding knife

After finishing in the bathroom, he walked back toward a bedroom and caught sight of the scene in the living room, where Tingley-McAleer was lying back on the couch covered in blood. Lewis was standing over her with a knife in his right hand.

Lewis turned toward him, causing him to flee the house. Brady ran to a neighbour's house to get them to call 911.

At 10:16 a.m., Lewis called 911 himself, immediately telling the operator he had killed Tingley-McAleer.

Shortly after making the call, he drove away from the scene in Tingley-McAleer's Dodge Caravan. The neighbour who called 911 reported seeing it leave. RCMP Const. Christopher Plomb spotted and stopped the van at about 10:30 a.m. on Petersfield Road in Hillsborough.

Death caused by multiple stab wounds

After getting out of the van, Lewis told the officer "the knife is in the van," and repeated it a few minutes later. He was arrested, and while en route to the police station said: "You know what? The sad part of all of this is that I truly [loved] her. Can I get my wallet?"

According to the agreed statement of facts, an autopsy concluded she was killed by multiple stab wounds to her chest. The autopsy found Tingley-McAleer had 32 wounds, including to her heart and lungs.

The knife found in the van driven by Lewis had blood on it. Testing matched it to Tingley-McAleer's DNA, the agreed facts states. 

The trial that starts Tuesday morning had been scheduled to last four weeks when it was going to be heard by a jury. It's unclear how long it will last given the change to trial by judge alone.