Yahoo Movies Jury finds Vincent Ward guilty of manslaughter, not guilty of 2nd-degree murder
Vincent Ward has been found guilty of the manslaughter of Vincent Bélanger-Dompierre in April 2018.
Ward had been charged with second-degree murder but a jury found him guilty of the lesser crime of manslaughter.
About 10 of Ward's relatives and supporters were in the court room for the verdict, breaking down in tears when it was read.
Ward will tentatively be sentenced on Jan. 26. Justice Alphonsus Faour will order a presentencing report.
Faour told Ward that while this was not the outcome he would like, Ward had a fair trial.
"There's been good counsel on both sides and I hope that through this, this will be one step to getting your life back on track," Faour said.
Ward, his lawyers and the Crown all declined to comment on the decision.
The decision, delivered in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court late Tuesday afternoon, comes after a month-long trial and one day of deliberations.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Bélanger-Dompierre's body was found at a home on Pine Avenue early in the morning of April 26, 2018, along with a large amount of drugs, money and four firearms. Both Ward and Bélanger-Dompierre had cocaine and methamphetamine in their systems.
During closing arguments on Monday, the Crown and defence counsel portrayed two different versions of the night when Ward shot Bélanger-Dompierre to death in Labrador City.
Prosecutor Tina Simms said Ward's actions were deliberate and unlawful.
In a police interview, Ward said Bélanger-Dompierre warned him that he would be killed by people who blamed him for a missing kilogram of cocaine. Ward said he went home and grabbed a pair of firearms, a .22 and .270 — but could only find the ammunition for the .270, which he later used to kill Bélanger-Dompierre.
Defence counsel Mark Gruchy argued Ward acted in self-defence after Bélanger-Dompierre turned on him. Gruchy said the upward trajectory of the bullet showed his decision was a reaction, rather than purposeful.
