A Nanaimo man avoided a more serious murder charge, but was found guilty of a lesser one in a B.C. Supreme Court trial last Thursday.
Leo Ronald Touchie, 24, was charged in the July 2013 death of Harry Glen Bickle, and while a jury acquitted Touchie of second-degree murder, he was found guilty of manslaughter.
A sentencing date has not yet been determined, but it is expected to take place in the fall.
Stephen Taylor, Touchie’s legal counsel, called the verdict appropriate, but said his client “is not free from jeopardy” as there is a likelihood there will be jail time. He said he will ask for four to six years, while he expects the Crown to ask for eight to 10.
During the trial, the court heard that Touchie and a group of people had been drinking and after what appeared to be a sexual assault of a woman in the group, Touchie attacked Bickle.
Judge Robin Baird granted Crown counsel Scott Van Alstine’s request for a pre-sentence report, including victim impact information from Bickle’s family and a report from a psychiatrist on Touchie.
Van Alstine didn’t want to comment until after sentencing.