Morgan McNeil pleads guilty to manslaughter in Laura Jessome's death
Cassie Williams | CBC News | Posted: September 15, 2016 1:47 PM | Last Updated: September 15, 2016
Laura Jessome's remains were found in a hockey bag in the Mira River in May 2012
A man accused of second-degree murder in the death of a Cape Breton woman whose remains were found in a hockey bag in the Mira River four years ago has accepted a plea deal for a lesser charge.
Morgan James McNeil, 25, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Laura Jessome, whose remains were found in May 2012.
He will be back in court on Nov. 18 for sentencing.
Last year, a co-accused named Robert Edwin Matheson was sentenced to 3½ years in prison for helping to dispose of Jessome's body.
A third man is charged with second-degree murder in the case. He will be in court Monday to present an application for "state-funded" counsel to have the province pay for a lawyer to represent him. No trial date will be set for the co-accused until he has a lawyer.
Crown concedes McNeil did not cause death
In an agreed statement of facts, McNeil said that third man was the one who initially made contact with Jessome. McNeil said Jessome became angry when his co-accused refused to supply her with drugs and she "stormed out of the apartment."
McNeil said his co-accused then "ordered" him to bring her back to the apartment.
Once back in the apartment, according to McNeil's statement, the co-accused allegedly grabbed Jessome and "strangled her to death with a ligature."
According to the agreed statement of facts, the Crown conceded that McNeil did not cause Jessome's death, nor did he know his co-accused intended to kill her.
"As read in court today, the role Mr. McNeil played in Laura Jessome's death was essentially that of preventing her from leaving the premises where she ultimately died," said Crown attorney Diane McGrath.
"Mr. McNeil has accepted responsibility for the role that he played in the events that unfolded on that day and has been accountable for the role that he did play."
McNeil's lawyer, Patrick MacEwen, said his client is "pleased" he didn't have to go through a trial.
"This has been hanging over his head for a period of time now. He is happy to be moving things forward and getting this behind him. He has accepted that he played a minor role in the death of Ms. Jessome but was not the individual who took her life," said MacEwen.
There is no minimum sentence for manslaughter. The maximum is life.