Woman pleads guilty to manslaughter in Edmonton fentanyl overdose death
A 41-year-old woman pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Edmonton law courts, after her partner was injected with a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine and died.
On December 22, 2022, 60-year-old Joseph Mercier died after being injected with a mixture of fentanyl and cocaine by his partner, Morgan Churchill. According to an agreed statement of facts, Mercier lost consciousness moments after receiving the lethal injection and later died. Churchill, also under the influence, did not call 911 and left to visit friends.
She returned home several days later and found Mercier's decomposing body, which prompted her to call 911 on December 28, 2022. Police became involved and later re-opened the investigation after a witness provided information. Churchill was arrested in March 2025 and initially charged with second-degree murder. However, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter instead during a trial that was initially planned.
At the sentencing, Justice Steven Mandziuk acknowledged Churchill's personal struggles with addiction and childhood trauma, but emphasized that fentanyl is a "scourge on society." For her plea agreement, remorse, and accountability, Churchill received a sentence of three-and-a-half years in prison, which reduced to 525 days upon sentencing.
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