Beaumont man’s guilty verdict in Treasa Oberly murder a relief for her friends, family

Friends and family of an Alberta woman who was killed by her common-law partner in their home are expressing relief at the verdict in the domestic violence murder case.

Beaumont man Kenneth Skelly was convicted late Wednesday of second-degree murder in the death of 40-year-old Treasa Lynn Oberly.

In July 2023, Skelly murdered Oberly in the garage of their home in the bedroom community just south of Edmonton. They were in a relationship and had a young son together.

During the trial, Skelly was heard on video recordings taken by police.

He said on the day of the murder, Oberly was sitting in the garage and called him into it. Skelly said they got into a argument and it became heated. He said she was threatening to ruin his life by taking his children and all of his money.

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Skelly told and showed police how he walked behind her, grabbed a breaker bar and then hit her once in the head. She fell to the ground. He put a tarp on her body.

At the time of Oberly’s death, Skelly’s daughter was in the house, with two other children he was watching at the time.

After he left the garage, he took the kids out, deposited a large settlement check at the bank and a ran a few other errands.

1:33 Defence makes case at 2nd-degree murder trials of Kenneth Skelly

Skelly said he dropped the kids off somewhere else, and then picked up his three-year-old son, took him home, gave him a bath and put him to bed.

Skelly then went back into the garage and he wrapped Oberly’s body in the tarp.

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He hoisted her remains into his truck and left her body overnight. In the morning, he drove to his dad Joseph Skelly’s house and left his truck there with Oberly’s remains in it.

Joseph, who worked as a butcher, dismembered and burned Oberly’s body. He then placed her ashes in a recycling bin.

The next day he drove her remains to a rural property near Whitecourt and dumped them.

Two days after her death, an RCMP officer went to the couple’s Beaumont home, attempting to do a wellness check on Oberly. At that time, the younger Skelly told police she’d gone to the U.S. to see her parents.

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Eight days after the homicide, police found Oberly’s remains and arrested Skelly. He soon confessed to killing her and re-enacted how he did it.

During the jury trial in Wetaskiwin this past week and a half, the defence argued Skelly was not guilty of second-degree murder but manslaughter.

1:51 2nd-degree murder trial begins for man accused of killing Beaumont mom Treasa Oberly

His lawyer asserted Skelly acted in the heat of the moment. The Crown argued Skelly didn’t act in the heat of the moment — he acted on what he was thinking about.

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The jury deliberated for nearly six hours before coming to the second-degree murder verdict.

Zina Hinkley said she became friends with Treasa Oberly after she started cutting her son’s hair.

Their friendship grew quickly but was cut short. Hinkley only knew her friend for a year and a half. She said sitting through the trial was difficult.

“I think the only time he would feel any kind of emotion is when he was speaking about his kids and his dad, but towards Treasa — never,” Hinkley said.

“He hated her.”

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Oberly doesn’t have immediate family in Canada. Her parents were waiting for the decision in the United States. Oberly’s mother Kay Zimath said the verdict was a huge relief.

“It still hasn’t hit me yet,” Zimath said.

“I knew in my heart that he was going to get convicted, because he was guilty.”

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Zimath said Oberly was an amazing person and an angel. Oberly struggled to get pregnant and called her son her miracle baby.

“She was just so attentive to him, and she was so much in love with her baby.

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“She loved him so much.”

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Zimath said Oberly was trying to get back home and told her mother about some concerning incidents of abuse in the family home.

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“She had planned on coming home in October (2023). She said they were having problems. She said ‘Mom, I’ve got (my baby’s) birth certificate and passports, and we’re going to be coming home… Probably to stay.'”

2:11 Community of Beaumont gather to remember the life of slain mother

As for Oberly’s son, he is being taken care of. Friends have stepped up to help, like “Grandma Tracey.”

Tracey McCleave said they do what they can to keep Oberly’s memory alive for the child.

“We celebrate her birthday, I take him to restaurants they use to go to, we have pictures of her and him everywhere,” McCleave said.

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McCleave said she hopes if anyone is experiencing abuse, hearing Oberly’s story can help them leave before it’s too late.

“Treasa had been trying to free herself for almost three years from him. And you know, it’s not as easy as people think,” she said.

“The last thing that we want to ever hear again… another woman has lost her life or another man has lost his life from domestic violence. So never be afraid to speak out.”

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1:56 Domestic abuse survivor asks families to watch for ‘warning signs’ this holiday season

A sentencing date for Skelly still needs to be set.

A second-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for a minimum of 10 years.

His father is already behind bars.

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In March 2024, Joseph Donald Skelly received a two-year conditional sentence for his role in dismembering Oberly’s body.

Twelve months would be served under full house arrest followed by 12 months with a curfew. A 12-month probation period would have followed.

The Crown appealed the conditional sentence and argued prison time was warranted.

In October 2024, the Alberta Court of Appeal agreed and ruled his original sentence wasn’t enough and ordered Joseph to serve a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence, with credit for time already served.

1:54 Man who played role in death of Beaumont mom Treasa Oberly receives harsher sentence