A father and son pleaded guilty in the death of a longtime Yellowknife taxi driver Thursday.
Elias Schiller, 19, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, James Schiller, 49, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to aggravated assault.
Both men were initially charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of Ahmed Mahamud Ali, a veteran City Cab driver who drove on and off for the company for more than two decades.
Ali was found unconscious in his taxi outside Stanton Territorial Hospital in the early morning hours of Nov. 19, 2018.
He was later pronounced dead.
The Schillers saw their murder charges downgraded significantly last week following a preliminary inquiry in May.
Elias Schiller remains in custody. James Schiller has been out on bail since March.
A no contact order between Elias and James was lifted Thursday.
The death of Ali, a well-liked cab driver who earned the affectionate moniker “Uncle Ali” sparked outrage from Yellowknife taxi drives and led to increased security measures in City Cab vehicles.
In what’s become a common sight at court appearances for the Schillers, many friends and former colleagues of Ali sat in on Thursday’s proceedings in a show of solidarity.
Including Shirley McGrath, City Cab's general manager.
Outside the Yellowknife courthouse, McGrath told Yellowknifer “it’s a relief they’ve pleaded guilty.”
She said it will be interesting to see how sentencing plays out.
“But even the fact that they pleaded guilty brings some closure,” said McGrath.
Sentencing hearings have been set for Jan. 27 and 28.