Calgary woman sentenced to 4 1/2 years in death of her abusive boyfriend

Shawn McCormack's body was found in Upper Mount Royal on July 3, 2022, but police say he was killed in Forest Lawn earlier that day.

A Calgary woman, who a judge said was in a “violent and abusive” relationship with the man she played a part in killing, has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.

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Laura Lee Lavorato was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Shawn McCormack, whose body was found in Upper Mount Royal on July 3, 2022.

According to a ruling from the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, released Tuesday, Lavorato conspired with another man, Devon Alfred William Shedrick, to murder McCormack.

Shedrick was previously sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder.

Justice K.D. Yamaguchi said in Lavorato’s sentencing that McCormack was high on drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, when he was shot in the chest by Shedrick.

Yamaguchi said she hatched a plan to bring Shedrick to her home to assault McCormack.

“Ms. Lavorato knew that Mr. Shedrick was going to ‘mess up’ Mr. McCormack by subjecting him to serious bodily injury that was more than merely transient or trifling in nature,” Yamaguchi wrote.

The judge said that Lavorato knew McCormack “would be in a vulnerable position because of his drug use” but disagreed with the Crown’s claim that she planned the murder.

“At best, Ms. Lavorato and Mr. Shedrick ‘planned’ the aggravated assault together. To say that she instigated it would be double counting the planning aspect,” Yamaguchi said.

While Yamaguchi said that Lavorato and McCormack were not in a long-term relationship, it was clear she was in an intimate relationship with him.

“The case at bar is not a classic case of ‘battered women syndrome,’” Yamaguchi said.

“But for Mr. McCormack’s treatment of Ms. Lavorato, she would not have been a part of this crime, so it does play a role.”

With time served, Lavorato’s sentence was reduced to 830 days.