Tetlit'Zheh/Fort McPherson
A Fort McPherson man charged in the death of a 32-year-old man last summer has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Darcy Nerysoo, 31, stood before Justice Shannon Smallwood in NWT Supreme Court on April 16, where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter stemming from an incident his lawyer described as a "fight.
Nerysoo was charged with second-degree murder on June 29, the same day Fort McPherson RCMP located the unresponsive victim, Davey Stewart, in the community.
Stewart was later pronounced dead.
The plea agreement, which Crown prosecutor Alex Godfrey said came after consultations with RCMP, the accused and the victim’s family, means Nerysoo has admitted to the "essential elements" of manslaughter.
By pleading guilty to the unlawful killing, Nerysoo, his lawyer Ryan Clements said, admitted "if the fight had not occurred, (Stewart) would not have died."
A homicide that otherwise would be murder, can be reduced to manslaughter if the killing was carried out by someone who did so "in the heat of passion caused by sudden provocation," according to the Criminal Code.
Sentences for manslaughter don’t carry mandatory minimums and generally, are lower than murder sentences. But, depending on the circumstances of a case, sentences for manslaughter can vary greatly. Nerysoo is set to be sentenced in Fort McPherson between June 18 and June 19.