Warning: This story contains graphic details.
Cody Chubey says he has no memory of beating Danielle Dobersheck to death, but he admits that he killed her.
The 38-year-old testified in his own defence on Wednesday at his trial in Melfort Court of King’s Bench. He’s charged with first-degree murder.
A key issue in the trial is whether Chubey was able to form the intent to kill Dobersheck — a requirement for proving murder, as opposed to manslaughter.
Dobersheck was 30 years old when Chubey killed her in a Melfort motel room on March 10, 2024. She left behind three children.
Dobersheck’s friends and family say that she was a victim of intimate partner violence and was taking steps to leave Chubey, her long-term partner.
Chubey testified he never hurt Dobersheck before that night and said he didn’t know anything about her plans to leave.
Danielle Dobersheck on March 5, 2024, just five days before she was killed in Melfort, Sask. (Hazel Dobersheck/Facebook)
The trial began in June with three days of testimony by witnesses called by the Crown. They included the police officers who responded to the motel room and found it covered in blood, with Dobersheck dead in the bathroom.
The couple who were staying in the room next door also testified. They called police, and recorded audio of Chubey beating Dobersheck while they waited for officers to arrive.
Chubey said he didn’t remember any of that.
He said his last memory from that night was when he started to drive back to Melfort from Saskatoon, where he and Dobersheck had gone for a “date day.”
They got tattoos of each other’s names on their bodies and planned to stay at a hotel in Saskatoon, but they didn’t have a credit card so they returned to Melfort.
Chubey said he had ingested cocaine and alcohol during the day, and blacked out before they got back to Melfort. He said even though he was more intoxicated than Dobersheck, he was the better driver, so he drove.
Warning: This story contains disturbing details. The Crown has closed its case at the murder trial of Cody Chubey, who admits he killed his ex-partner Danielle Dobersheck but does not admit that he intended to kill her. As Lisa Risom explains, the defence has brought Chubey’s mental health into question.
Crown prosecutor Jennifer Souter asked him during cross-examination why the police officers who dealt with him after his arrest would rate his intoxication on the middle of the scale and not at the high end.
“That’s their judgment, I would suppose,” he said.
He agreed that on the video of him getting booked into detention, while he said he was blacked out, he didn’t appear to have trouble with his physical co-ordination or to be hostile.
During questioning from Souter, Chubey acknowledged he had broken up with Dobersheck earlier that month and she had left their home.
Souter asked Chubey about a statement that Dobersheck’s teenage daughter gave to police, saying she thought her mom was coming back on the day before she died to pick up the kids and leave, but then her dad pushed her mom to stay.
Chubey said he “knew nothing” about Dobersheck’s plan to take the kids and leave.
When Souter asked Chubey if Dobersheck was scared of him when he drank, he responded, “No.”
Souter then asked Chubey how he would know that. He had testified earlier that he got blackout drunk, to the point of having no memory, between 20 and 30 times in the year before Dobersheck’s death.
“We were with each other quite a long time, and if she was, she wouldn’t be there, correct?” Chubey replied.
Souter read from the transcript of the audio recorded in the room next door on the night of the killing, including Chubey saying, “Say another word and I’ll beat you,” and Dobersheck screaming, “Help me.”
“You just said that Danielle wasn’t scared of you when you drink. Do you change that answer?” Souter said.
“That comment, yes,” Chubey responded.
Darris Dobersheck, right, is Danielle Dobersheck’s father. He and his wife Hazel Dobersheck have been attending Cody Chubey’s trial at Melfort Court of King’s Bench, including on its first day on June 8, 2026. (Hannah Spray/CBC)
Outside court on Wednesday, Danielle Dobersheck’s father Darris Dobersheck said he didn’t know Chubey would be testifying until just that morning.
He said it was the first time that he’s been able to look Chubey in the face, as the prisoner’s box is at the front of the courtroom, so Chubey’s back is usually to the gallery.
“At first I was a little nervous, on his testimony with his lawyer, but then once the Crown was able to cross-examine him there, and she was able to poke holes in what he was trying to say, and I think she was getting him a little agitated,” Darris said.
Psychiatrist report
After Chubey testified, his lawyer Peter Abrametz didn’t call any more witnesses.
He did, however, apply to file a report from a psychiatrist as an expert witness.
After a voir dire, or trial within a trial, Justice Sean Sinclair agreed to admit the report, noting that the Crown had consented to the particular parts that he would be considering.
Those include that Chubey was diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, cannabis use disorder and stimulant use disorder.
The report found a lack of evidence of any major mental health disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder or a psychotic process.
It also included information about the general effects of alcohol on individuals, including an increased possibility of violence.
“The issue of intoxication and its impact on whether Mr. Chubey had the requisite intent to sustain a first- or second-degree murder conviction is a live issue,” Sinclair said. “In fact, it is likely the central issue involved in this case.”
The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday afternoon with closing arguments.
If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. If you’re affected by family or intimate partner violence, you can look for help through crisis lines and local support services.
