Trial will continue for youth accused in Fort Liard girl's death, judge rules

A judge has ruled that the the manslaughter trial of a youth accused of killing a girl in Fort Liard, N.W.T., will continue.

The male youth was charged in 2017, after the girl was found dead on a riverbank in the community in October 2015.

The youth has already pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault causing bodily harm laid against him in connection with the same incident.

The youth's trial began in Fort Liard in February. The prosecution team presented its case over three days. When they finished, the youth's lawyer asked for the charge to be dismissed, saying no reasonable person would convict his client based on the evidence that had been presented.

But in a ruling released late last week, the judge disagreed, saying a conviction waspossible.

In his decision, Judge Robert Gorin details some of the evidence the crown presented, including the testimony of another young person who said he was with the accused and the victim that day.

That witness said the accused youth gave the girl hard liquor until she passed out. The witness said he suggested they get help for the girl, but instead the accused youth allegedlyraped her.

The young witness said they left the unconscious girl in the secluded spot on the riverbank where they had been drinking. The witness testified he returned the next day to find the girl had died.

According to the decision, a doctor testified the girl died from alcohol poisoning. The doctor said she had four times the legal limit allowed for driving.

The trial is scheduled to continue in Yellowknife May 1. The accused youth will be sentenced on the sexual assault charge after the trial.

There are bans on publication of any information that could identify either the accused youth or the victim.