Sentencing hearing to begin for Alberta man who admitted to murdering woman, toddler in Hinton

Warning: The details in this story may be disturbing to some readers.

A sentencing hearing will begin Tuesday for a man who admitted killing a woman and her 16-month-old son in western Alberta.

Robert Major pleaded guilty in May to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Mchale Busch, who was 24, and her son, Noah McConnell.

Major also faced two counts of tampering with human remains, but the prosecutor said those charges were dropped.

Busch and her son were found dead on September 17, 2021, in an apartment complex in Hinton, about 250 kilometers west of Edmonton.

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Robert Major pleads guilty to 1st degree murder in death of Hinton mother, toddler

The woman and her partner had moved into a flat next to Major’s three weeks earlier.

The Crown says it is not known how Busch ended up in Major’s apartment, but that is where he sexually assaulted her, strangled her and mutilated her body.

The court heard Major then suffocated the child by stuffing a sock into his mouth and putting a plastic bag over his head.