Sentencing set for man who murdered Mimi Khonsari

CTV Barrie: Accused pleads guilty to lesser charge A man charged with first degree murder in the death of a woman 10 years ago has pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Mike Walker reports.

The man accused of murdering Mimi Khonsari is expected to be sentenced next Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Claire Spiers was originally sentenced to life in prison in 2008 for first degree murder but the verdict was tossed out.

The Ontario Court of Appeal found the Crown in the case had improperly vetted the jury by using police resources to get information on potential jurors. A new trial was order and was scheduled to begin in September, but Spiers pleaded guilty during a pre-trial appearance June 27, CTV News has learned.

He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder and to two counts of kidnapping.

A sentencing hearing has now been scheduled for next Wednesday in Toronto.

Khonsari's strangled and stabbed body was found in a wooded area on Ridge Road in Oro-Medonte in May 2004. Hours before her body was discovered, she was reported missing. Police had found Khonsari's car in a parking lot near the Kozolv Mall. Her then 11-month old granddaughter was found inside the car unharmed.

Khonsari had been abducted with her granddaughter from her Barrie home. She was the wife of a prominent Barrie doctor, the late Homa Khonsari.