Man pleads guilty to manslaughter after fatal stabbing in Fort Good Hope, N.W.T.

A man from Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing another resident this past summer.

Floyd Kakfwi, 53, was charged with second-degree murder in late July, more than a month after stabbing Harley Pierrot, who died from his injuries.

In Yellowknife Friday, Kakfwi's defence lawyer, Evan McIntyre, told the court that by pleading guilty to manslaughter, Kakfwi was waiving his right to a trial and acknowledging that the conviction would be added to his criminal record.

An agreed statement of facts, read into the court record by prosecutor Brendan Green, said Kakfwi and Pierrot were drinking at Kakfwi's house on June 15. They got into an argument, which led to an altercation when Pierrot refused to leave. Kakfwi then stabbed Pierrot with a kitchen knife.

Pierrot died in hospital on June 28.

At the time of the stabbing, RCMP charged Kakfwi with aggravated assault. However, that same day, a nearby wildfire triggered the evacuation of Fort Good Hope.

Family members later told CBC they were concerned the evacuation may have interfered with the police investigation.

Green told CBC the Crown had carefully reviewed the evidence and reached a reasonable resolution — a plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter, which the defence accepted.

Manslaughter only has a minimum sentence if a firearm is used. The maximum sentence is life in prison.

The court will reconvene in June 2025 in Fort Good Hope for sentencing.