A man has pleaded guilty to charges related to an Edmonton house fire that left a five-month-old boy dead.
Bronson Woycenko, 20, pleaded guilty Dec. 7 to arson and two counts of mischief to property in the August 2017 fire that killed Hunter Brown.
At the time, investigators said outdoor patio furniture was set on fire near the front door of the southwest Edmonton home. The flames spread quickly, trapping the child and his mother, 29-year-old Angie Tang. They were rescued by firefighters.
Hunter died a short time later from smoke inhalation and Tang was taken to hospital in serious condition.
Victim impact statements from Tang and Hunter’s father, Cordell Brown, were read in court, as well as a poem Tang wrote for her son.
“This was a very emotionally taxing experience for all of us as we relived the events of the fire,” Tang’s sister-in-law Judith Lam Tang said in an email.
“We continue to suffer emotionally and psychologically from the trauma and grief of the fire and the loss of Hunter and his two puppies.”
Watch below: Ongoing Global News coverage of the fatal house fire
Woycenko was originally charged with second-degree murder in Hunter’s death, which was ruled a homicide. However, that charge was later withdrawn. Alberta Justice said the Crown determined that the evidence did not meet the prosecution standard of “reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
Jessica Tammerand was also charged in connection with the incident, with arson: disregard for human life and mischief under $5,000. Both of those charges were later dropped.
After the fire, Brown said Tammerand and Woycenko had rented a room in the home for about a month in early 2017, before being evicted. Brown said in total, the pair was evicted three times from various properties he owned.
Woycenko is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 17 for a sentencing hearing.