A Saskatoon man charged with manslaughter in the death of Zachary Straughan, 25, in a Manitoba bowling alley has had his court case put over.
Justin Leslie Bird, 29, was charged after a violent assault on Sept. 24 in the Valley Bowling Lanes in Winkler, Man.
Bird was initially charged with aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance. On Sept. 30, the Winkler Police Service said the assault charge had been upgraded to manslaughter after direction from the Crown’s attorney office.
Bird appeared in court on Tuesday on the manslaughter charge. His case was put over to Nov. 24.
READ MORE: Charges upgraded to manslaughter after southern Manitoba bowling alley attack
On Sept. 24, an argument erupted over a small unpaid debt between Bird and Straughan, who are both from Saskatoon. The argument turned violent and Straughan was struck several times with a pool cue, which left him unconscious.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Winnipeg and died of his injuries on Sept. 26 at the Health Sciences Centre.
Ashley Hague, Straughan’s common-law partner, said Straughan was in the community working a construction job. She also said she learned the argument was over $16.
READ MORE: Saskatoon woman calls common-law partner’s death ‘senseless’
Straughan leaves behind three children from a previous marriage and Hague said the two had just discovered they were also expecting a child. GoFundMe pages have been set up to cover funeral costs and provide support for Straughan’s children.
With files from The Canadian Press
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