On the day of her 18th wedding anniversary Carstairs woman Audra Lynne Symbalisty tried to hire a hit man to kill her husband telling the would-be assassin it was “til death do us part,” court heard Monday.
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Unfortunately for Symbalisty, the “hit man” was actually an undercover cop who she offered $5,000 to end her husband Donald’s life.
Reading from a statement of agreed facts, Crown prosecutor Elaine Ng told Calgary Court of King’s Bench Justice Michele Hollins about Symbalisty’s deadly plot in which she met with the undercover officer on Feb. 24, 2024.
Woman posts ‘Happy anniversary hon’ same day she tried to hire someone to kill husband
That same day, Symbalisty posted on her Facebook page: “18 years. So hard to believe. Happy anniversary hon. Can’t wait for our beautiful supper date Whoot whoot.”
Four days later Symbalisty, now 60, was arrested for counselling the undercover officer to kill her husband.
Hollins accepted a joint submission from defence counsel Allan Fay and co-prosecutor Ryan Ziegler to sentence the offender to five years in prison.
With credit for time already served she’ll have about 41 months left to serve.
Fay said after nearly four decades as a defence lawyer he thought he’d seen it all until he was hired to represent Symbalisty.
The woman’s relationship with her husband soured following the death of her adult daughter in the spring of 2022, Ng said.
The prosecutor said Donald Symbalisty made several cruel comments about the deceased, who had a substance abuse problem.
On Feb. 12, 2024, an acquaintance of the offender went to Didsbury RCMP and provided a statement about multiple conversations he had with Symbalisty in the prior six weeks, triggering an undercover operation by police, Ng said.
“An undercover police officer … posing as a contract killer, was introduced to Symbalisty by text message,” Ng said.
The pair met at a Shell gas station in Carstairs on Feb. 24, 2024, where she told the officer she had a “problem” she needed to get rid of.
Ng said Symbalisty made it clear she wanted her husband dead and agreed to pay the killer $5,000, including a $1,000 deposit she provided the following day.
“She used the euphemism of ’til death do us part,’ to confirm that she wanted the victim dead.”
Not only had the couple bickered over the husband’s cruel comments about Symbalisty’s daughter, but the offender stood to benefit from a life insurance policy her spouse purchased in 2021 worth about $475,000.
Daughter says mother’s actions have left her ‘broken’
Before accepting the joint submission, Hollins heard victim impact statements from Donald Symbalisty and two of the offender’s daughters, who were part of a contingent of about a dozen family members and their supporters in court.
Both daughters, Shayna Anisman and Katrina Lisoway spoke of how betrayed they felt by their mother’s conduct.
“It makes me sad to think you thought you could get away with this,” said Lisoway.
“You’ve changed things forever,” the woman said, adding she feels “empty, broken and sad inside,”
Anisman attempted to read her statement in court, but was so overcome with emotion she had Ziegler read it.
“She could have had a divorce like normal people,” she said.
Before being sentenced, Symbalista also addressed court.
“I’m really sorry to each person who my actions have affected,” she said.
KMartin@postmedia.com
X: @KMartinCourts