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Vernon  

Manslaughter plea expected

A man who was accused of murder in Polson Park is expected to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter later this month.

Tal Kalum La Riviere, 30, was originally charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of Jason Hardy, whose body was discovered near the lawn bowling clubhouse on Aug. 26, 2015. At one point, two teenage males were also charged with Hardy's murder although the charges were later dropped.

Hardy was 42 at the time he died.

“The BC Prosecution Service anticipates resolving this case by accepting a plea by the accused to the lesser included offence of manslaughter,” said Dan McLaughlin, of the Criminal Justice Branch. “To facilitate this resolution, the Crown has sworn a new indictment charging the accused with one count of manslaughter.”

The accused has re-elected to be tried by a provincial court judge and the matter has been adjourned to Oct. 23 in Vernon for plea and sentencing.



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