Paula Gallant, 36 Timberlea NS
Born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1969, Paula was 36 years old when she was murdered by her husband.
Paula was a vivacious mother to a baby girl and grade three teacher at Beechville Lakeside Timberlea School. Paula was very active in her school and her community.
Art was one of Paula’s many passions. At the time of her murder, she was attending NSCAD, pursuing her Certificate in Visual Art to enrich her life, and the lives of the students she taught.
Paula’s love of teaching was always evident in the creativity and passion she brought to her job. She displayed fondness and warmth to her students.
Friends and family always appreciated her sense of humor, quick wit and positive outlook on life. In a gathering, people gravitated towards Paula because she was a constant source of entertainment.
Her sisters were her closest friends, with barely a day going by without seeing or talking to each other.
Paula married her husband and in 2005, her life became more enriched with the birth of her beautiful baby girl. Her happiest time in life was spent with her new family the year prior to her death.
Paula often displayed her creativity when taking pictures of her family and the compilations she would share with her family and friends through journals, scrapbooks, and stories she wrote for her daughter.
On December 27, 2005, Paula’s husband contacted the Halifax Regional Police to seek advice, reporting that his wife had failed to return home from shopping.
Family and friends began a search for Paula, going to the school where she taught, walking distance from her home.
On December 28, 2005 at 12:30am, they located her locked vehicle. Paula’s body was found laying in the fetal position in the trunk under a grey blanket, wearing jeans and a black nylon jacket.
An autopsy determined Paula’s cause of death to be asphyxiation by the method of strangulation. Significant findings included marks on her neck, petechial hemorrhaging in both her eyes and a contusion on the back of her head. There were no signs of defensive wounds.
Friends and family members described a loving marriage, with no indication of previous domestic violence, or serious marital discord. Despite this, however, through the extensive investigation, Paula’s husband remained the primary suspect in her murder.
During the investigation it was determined that Paula’s husband hid an on-line gambling debt of $700.00 from her. As well, it was noted that his brother was a source of friction between the couple.
In October 2009, a covert under-cover RCMP operation was undertaken. Through the means of a ruse, Paula’s husband was introduced to an undercover officer who, over time, befriended him and purported to offer him work for a crime syndicate.
An undercover operation began, utilizing several scenarios to gain the trust of her husband. This led to Paula’s husband voluntarily quitting his job in April 2010 to work full-time for the alleged crime syndicate.
On August 17, 2010 Paula’s husband was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
In the Statement of Facts, it was noted that Paula’s husband killed her in their basement on Dec. 27, 2005. The two were fighting over his Visa debt for online gambling.
Paula’s husband grabbed a two-by-four and hit Paula on the back of the head, strangled her with both hands, then wrapped her head in plastic wrap for twenty minutes.
Her husband put Paula’s body in the trunk of her car, parking it near the elementary school where Paula taught.
More than five years after Paula’s murder, her husband pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder. He will not be eligible for parole for 15 years.
Her sister states, “I want people to remember her for the life that she had — not for the fact that she was found in a trunk of a car, dead.”
Years later, Paula’s signature ‘P’ continues to be seen on vehicles; a reminder of the huge impact she had on those she met during her short lifetime.