Frank Elanik Jr. pleads guilty to manslaughter in May Elanik's death

Frank Elanik Jr. had been charged with second-degree murder in the case, but Monday in Yellowknife, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

May Elanik was found beaten on a snowmobile trail in November 2015

CBC News ·
Frank Elanik Jr. in Aklavik, N.W.T., in January 2015 after he pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife in August 2015. (David Thurton/CBC)

Frank Elanik Jr. has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing his partner May Elanik in Aklavik in 2015.

Elanik Jr. had been charged with second-degree murder in the case, but on Monday in Yellowknife, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

May Elanik was found severely beaten on a snowmobile trail on Nov. 11, 2015. She later died in the hospital.

Elanik Jr. has been convicted three times for assaulting his partner, including a guilty plea in January 2016, for an incident that happened before May Elanik's death.

A date for Elanik Jr.'s sentencing hearing will be set on July 30 in Yellowknife. During that appearance, an account of what led to May Elanik's death will be read out in court. His sentencing hearing will be held in Aklavik.