After nearly 15 years of legal battles, Jacques Delisle, the former judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his wife.

Delisle appeared in the Quebec City courtroom today, Thursday, wearing a mask, approached the bench, and entered the plea.

His lawyer, Jacques Larochelle, said: "Delisle wants everything to end today."

Larochelle said that while they agreed on the plea, the parties differed on the facts, with the Crown asserting that Delisle was actively involved in his wife's death.

Considering that Delisle spent eight years and 310 days in prison, his lawyers agreed to the Crown's request that Delisle serve one more day in jail.

After a break, the judge sentenced Delisle to one day in prison, saying that this ensures that the time he has already served is taken into account in his sentence.

Delisle left the room limping and muttered "Oh no" as the police handcuffed him.

Speaking to reporters, Larochelle explained that although Delisle was sentenced to one day in prison, he will only spend a few hours and will be released later today.

In his first trial in 2012, he was convicted of first-degree murder of his 71-year-old wife, Marie Nicole Renfille, who died in 2009.

Renfille, who was partially paralyzed due to a stroke, died from a gunshot to the head. Delisle’s first trial hinged on detailed forensic analysis on whether she had committed suicide or was murdered.

Delisle, now 88 years old, said he gave her the rifle but denied shooting her. Delisle maintained his innocence.

After spending nearly a decade in jail, he later obtained another trial when federal Justice Minister David Lametti said that a "miscarriage of justice likely occurred," partly because a Crown expert made major errors in the original pathology report that led to Delisle’s conviction.

Delisle’s second trial also suffered delays. He first obtained a stay of proceedings in 2022 from a Quebec Superior Court judge, but was then ordered to proceed with the trial when the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned that decision. He remained free awaiting the outcome of the second trial.

The Supreme Court of Canada was scheduled to decide on Thursday whether to hear the case, but the Supreme Court withdrew the case on Wednesday after a stay notice from Delisle’s team.