HALIFAX — A 41-year-old Halifax man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother after the two argued over the subtitles on a video she was watching.
Jonathan William Pinsky pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in April, admitting he experienced a "fit of rage" when he punched and kicked his 71-year-old mother, before stabbing her neck.
Court heard Pinsky attacked her on Oct. 1 of last year after she told him to leave their shared Halifax apartment for good.
Pinsky later told police he thought his mother might have been angry because she had to “yell too loudly to get (his) attention to turn on the subtitles on her DVD," according to an agreed statement of facts presented to the court.
"After attacking her, he put her in the closet where he believed she was ... probably dying," the statement says. "He retrieved a knife and stabbed her in the neck, still in a rage."
The statement also says Pinsky had, at one point, attempted to smother the woman with pillows.
Court heard that police were conducting a wellness check on Oct. 10, 2024, when they found the body of Delina Pinsky in a downstairs storage closet inside a condominium near Quinpool Road.
The accused confessed to the crime within 12 hours of his arrest on Oct. 11, 2024. He had no criminal record before his conviction.
An obituary for Delina "Lana" Pinsky described her as a “beacon of grace and creativity.” It said her true passion was her work as the reading support coordinator for the North End Public Library in Halifax.
“For over three decades, Lana devoted herself to connecting children with free tutors and mentors, ensuring every young learner had a chance to thrive," the obituary says.
On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Josh Arnold handed Pinsky an automatic life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 10 years — the minimum allowable by law for a second-degree murder conviction. The offender was given credit for time served while awaiting sentencing, which amounts to 265 days.
Crown and defence lawyers had jointly recommended the sentence that was imposed.
A report prepared for the court said Pinsky's parents were divorced when he was five years old and he hadn't had any contact with his father for years. The report says Pinsky and his father had a difficult relationship. But it goes on to suggest Pinsky and his mother enjoyed a "great living arrangement" until she lost her job two years ago.
Before the murder, Pinsky worked full-time as a licensed dispensing optician for more than nine years. A co-worker described him as a diligent employee who was always on time. But the co-worker also described Pinsky as a "quirky" man who was resistant to change and "very childlike."
"(Pinsky) admitted using pot on a daily basis since the age of 16, however, does not view it as problematic," the report says. "Mr. Pinsky advised he 'absolutely' accepted responsibility (for the killing)."
In a brief presented to the court, the Crown said Pinsky lived a "fairly solitary life with his mother in a relationship which appears to have been somewhat codependent."
The Crown's brief suggests Pinsky's decision to kill his mother was spontaneous rather than planned.
"The Offender seems to have limited insight into his anger, however, stating that he 'learned to control it decades ago' by walking away," the brief says.
"The motivation for the murder was the fact that the offender was being removed from Ms. Pinsky’s home due to his inability to turn subtitles on as fast as she wanted. This seems to have been the final straw in a strained relationship rather than the sole cause of the offender’s actions."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.
Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press
