Blaine Manywounds has been found not guilty of manslaughter in connection with the 2014 death of 35-year-old Brian Blackkettle and the victim’s family is struggling to come to terms with the verdict.
On July 27, 2014, Blackkettle was found unconscious in Century Gardens Park, near the intersection of 8 Street and 7 Avenue Southwest, and transported to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy deemed Blackkettle’s deaths a homicide.
Police determined Blackkettle had been struck by another man and Blaine Manywounds, who said he had remained in the park and cooperated with the police investigation, was identified as a suspect. Further investigation resulted in the arrest of Manywounds and the laying of a manslaughter charge in connection with Blackkettle’s death.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old was found not guilty of manslaughter.
"Today, (the presiding judge) assessed the evidence the Crown presented in this case and decided it wasn't sufficient to find Mr. Manywound's guilty of the offence," said Jim Lutz, Manywounds' defence attorney. "She looked at the forensic evidence as well as the eyewitness evidence and said there are too many gaps in the evidence to be satisfied that he's the person that caused the death of Mr. Blackkettle."
"If you factor in witnesses' recollection based on intoxication, the court just said I can't be satisfied that that's enough."
Manywounds says the accusations and the three years he spent in custody took its toll.
“It’s a lot of weight off my chest because it's taken a lot from my life,” said Manywounds through tears after being set free. “I've been waiting for this day for almost three years now. In that time I've lost a lot of things. It’s ruined my marriage completely and a lot of my family members, people from my reserve and people that know me, they just think very low of me.”
The 28-year-old expressed his condolences to the family of Brian Blackkettle. “I do apologize and I am very sorry for your guys' loss and I pray for them and I pray for myself.”
Manywounds maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and hopes to reconnect with his children who are now 12 and six years old.
Mariah Scalplock-Blackkettle, the 19-year-old daughter of Brian Blackkettle, said the verdict left her ‘pretty wrecked’.
“I’m really upset about nobody getting convicted for killing my dad and this has been really hard on me and my family, especially my (four younger) brothers,” said a tearful Mariah Scalplock-Blackkettle. "I feel so lost and letdown."
“There’s evidence he did it but it’s not good enough.”
According to Scalplock-Blackkettle, other people were involved in her father's death but the Crown Prosecutor has told her convictions of unlikely.
“It breaks my heart. My dad was such an amazing person. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did.”
