Edmonton father convicted of manslaughter in infant son's death
George Russell Hulleman found guilty of lesser charge after psychological evaluation found him significantly cognitively impaired.
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An Edmonton father charged with second-degree murder in the death of his infant son has been found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter on Thursday, August 27.
George Russell Hulleman fatally injured his five-week-old son Leviathan Puchalski at his home in west Edmonton in February 2023. The infant was rushed to the Stollery Children's Hospital intensive care unit where he died three days later. An autopsy found the baby died of abusive head trauma.
The Alberta court justice found Hulleman not guilty of the original second-degree murder charge because a psychological evaluation determined he is significantly cognitively impaired. A doctor found Hulleman's intelligence is lower than at least 90 per cent of people and that he may be unable to predict the consequences of his actions under stress.
The judge said that despite Hulleman downplaying to police what he did to his son, and the fact the baby's injuries were caused by "extreme" force to his head, spine and limbs, the psychological testing left the judge with reasonable doubt about his culpability for murder.
Exactly how Hulleman injured his baby was not proven at trial. Sentencing is scheduled for next month.
What sentencing range applies to manslaughter convictions in Alberta, and what will the judge consider in Hulleman's case?
Why did the psychological evaluation conclude reasonable doubt about Hulleman's ability to foresee consequences, given the extreme force used?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
Who was convicted and of what charge?
George Russell Hulleman was found guilty of manslaughter on August 27, 2026, after being charged with second-degree murder in the death of his infant son.
When and how did the infant die?
Hulleman's five-week-old son Leviathan Puchalski was fatally injured in February 2023 at their west Edmonton home. The child was rushed to Stollery Children's Hospital and died three days later from abusive head trauma.
Why was Hulleman not convicted of murder?
A psychological evaluation found Hulleman significantly cognitively impaired, with intelligence lower than at least 90 per cent of people and difficulty predicting consequences of his actions under stress. This created reasonable doubt about his culpability for murder despite the extreme force involved in the injuries.
