Calgary man pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2014 death of Colton Crowshoe

A Calgary man accused in the 2014 killing of 18-year-old Colton Crowshoe pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday following negotiations between Crown and defence lawyers.

Wiley Su Provost, 29, was committed to stand trial on a charge of second-degree murder. He was arrested without incident in July 2022, just a couple of weeks after Crowshoe's family members and homicide detectives pleaded with the public for answers.

"What Wiley did today, he did not just do to Colton, he did it to all of us," said Nicole Johnston, Colton Crowshoe's aunt.

"Colton was a very, very kind and generous, loving person. He would never hurt anybody. He made us laugh all the time. He would go into a room and he would light it up. He would always make you smile in the darkest of times because that's who he was."

Other family members like Lillian Crowshoe, however, are frustrated by the guilty plea for manslaughter, noting that the lesser charge feels more like a slap on the wrist.

"We are ready to heal now, but you know, I'm not happy at all. I'm not," she said.

"We all missed out on everything -- his vibrant life, his dreams, his goals."

Trying to hold back tears, Crowshoe's grandmother added that her family has been shattered by this incident for nearly a decade.

"We want justice. We still want to get justice for Colton. We're working very hard to meet halfway, but the Creator, he's our judge."

Colton Crowshoe's family was at court in Calgary on Wednesday as Wiley Su Provost pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 18-year-old's death.

AGREED STATEMENT OF FACTS DETAILS CROWSHOE'S DEATH

Crowshoe went missing after leaving a house party in the northeast Calgary community of Abbeydale on July 4, 2014.

His body was found three weeks later in a water retention pond near Stoney Trail and 16th Avenue N.E.

His death was determined to be a homicide from compression of the neck by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

For eight years, the case remained unsolved.

On Wednesday, an agreed statement of facts was signed by Provost and defence lawyer Gloria Froese, as well as Crown prosecutor Doug Taylor and Justice George Gaschler.

Court heard that Provost and Crowshoe had known each other since they were teenagers and both had ran from the party that evening when police showed up for reports of a domestic dispute.

"The allegation did not involve Wiley, nor Colton," said Taylor.

The police presence, however, prompted both of them to leave the party together. Both were said to have been intoxicated due to heavy alcohol consumption.

According to the agreed-upon facts, Provost and Crowshoe had sat down in a grassy area together near the retention pond. They then removed their shirts to sit down on, as the grass was wet.

Provost admitted to getting into a disagreement with Crowshoe, prompting a physical altercation and for Crowshoe to run away.

Taylor stated in court that as Crowshoe attempted to put his shirt back on, Provost attacked.

"When Wiley reached Colton, he was in the process of putting his shirt back on his body," Taylor said.

"Wiley seized hold of Colton using his hands. While Colton struggled, Wiley pulled on the shirt that was, at that point, wrapped around Colton's neck. Colton eventually went limp and Wiley ceased the assault."

It was reported in court that the bone in front of his neck was fractured, as was the cartilage on both sides of his neck.

Following the assault, Provost proceeded to submerge Crowshoe's body in the retention pond.

Colton Crowshoe's family was at court in Calgary on Wednesday as Wiley Su Provost pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 18-year-old's death.

PROVOST ADMITTED GUILT TO STEPMOTHER

The agreed statement of facts read aloud on Wednesday confirmed that Provost's stepmother Lisa Parker was pulled over by police during a traffic stop on April 16, 2022.

"During this traffic stop, Parker stated that Wiley had told her that he had killed Colton," Taylor stated in court.

Just a couple of months later, in June 2022, Calgary Police Service (CPS) Det. Rey Bangloy interviewed Parker's son, Steven Vielle.

In that interview, Vielle said that in 2015 or 2016, Provost told him, "I will kill you like Colton," or, "I will kill you like I did Colton."

Provost's jury trial in the Court of King's Bench was originally set to run for three weeks beginning Oct. 30, but his admission of guilt now ends that process.

A Gladue report (pre-sentencing report) is now set to be ordered for Provost. These reports take about four months.

Provost will remain in custody as a result. He is due back in court on Dec. 6 to determine that the report has been started and to schedule a date for sentencing.