Sentence of former Brampton firefighter in wife’s murder delayed

A former Brampton firefighter is facing a life sentence after confessing to the murder of his wife and trying to throw investigators off his trail.

In June former Brampton Fire and Emergency Services Capt. James Schwalm pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his wife Ashley Milnes, whose lifeless body was discovered in a burned-out SUV in January 2023.

Milnes was found in The Blue Mountains after Schwalm strangled her to death at their Collingwood home on Jan. 26, the court heard. The couple’s two children were asleep inside the home at the time.

Sentencing in the case has been held over until Nov. 25 following a joint request for an adjournment by the crown and Schwalm’s counsel, according to reports.

Former Brampton firefighter James Schwalm (left) pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his wife Ashley Milnes (right).

A Brampton firefighter at the time of the murder, Schwalm was promoted to fire captain in February 2019, according to Brampton Fire and Emergency Services. He was let go once the service was made aware of the charges, the city said in a statement.

The couple’s 10-year marriage was on the rocks at the time of the murder, court heard, and Schwalm had reportedly learned of an affair Milnes had with her boss before starting an extra-marital relationship of his own.

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After killing Milnes, Schwalm dressed her body in hiking clothes before putting her inside the SUV, according to an Agreed Statement of Fact. He then drove the vehicle and crashed it down an embankment before setting the SUV on fire.

Schwalm initially told investigators his wife took the SUV to go hiking, and the court heard he took steps to cover his tracks including sending text messages to himself from his dead wife’s phone and had researched how to start a fire without leaving evidence.

A conviction of second-degree murder carries a minimum life sentence in Canada, according to the Criminal Code.