A Cape Breton man has pleaded guilty in the death of Laura Jessome, 21, whose body was found inside a hockey bag in the Mira River in 2012.
Thursday, Morgan James McNeil, 25, plead guilty in Supreme Court to manslaughter.
He was originally charged with second-degree murder in the case but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after a plea bargain was reached.
Pat MacEwen, McNeil’s lawyer, tells Global News that his client has “maintained throughout he did not kill Laura Jessome” and is doing fine after entering the plea.
“I don’t know if anyone would be thrilled, but he’s happy the murder charge is no longer on the table,” said MacEwen.
An agreed statement of facts entered in Sydney court say his co-accused, not McNeil, was responsible for Jessome’s death. There was a publication ban placed on the co-accused’s case during the preliminary hearing, so we cannot identify the individual.
Despite reaching a plea agreement, MacEwen says he and the Crown are not in agreement with regards to sentencing for McNeil.
The Crown attorney’s office would not say what sentence they are looking for, but say they will be presenting arguments at the next court appearance.
There is no minimum sentence requirement for a manslaughter conviction. The maximum sentence is life in prison.
A judge has scheduled sentencing for Nov. 18.