Decision expected in second-degree murder case

A Lethbridge man accused of killing a baby last year will finally learn if he’s to stand trial for second-degree murder.

Tyler Brian Hogan has been waiting for the judge’s decision since mid-August when his preliminary hearing in Lethbridge provincial court concluded. The matter has been repeatedly adjourned so the lawyers and judge can find a mutually agreeable date when they can meet and a courtroom is available.

During a brief hearing Friday an agent for Hogan’s lawyers said the judge is expected to give his decision Dec. 13.

Hogan is charged with the murder of Austin Lucas Wright, who died from blunt force trauma April 28, 2016.

Lethbridge EMS went to a residence in the 600 block of 17 Street North after receiving a report that a baby boy was in medical distress. The baby was not breathing and was in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived, and he was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police allege the baby’s mother had left her boyfriend to care for the baby while she was at work. The child began crying and was assaulted. Police reported the man, who is not the baby’s biological father, initially said the baby had just stopped breathing.

The case is being tried by a Calgary Crown prosecutor and heard by a judge from another jurisdiction to avoid any conflict of interest or perceived prejudice since the accused is the son of a retired Lethbridge provincial court judge.

A preliminary hearing, to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial, began April 20, but was adjourned after only three days so lawyers could receive medical evidence connected with the case. When the case returned to court May 8, the preliminary hearing was adjourned again, and finally resumed Aug. 14 for two days before the Crown presented the last of its evidence.

A court-ordered ban prohibits the publication of any evidence presented during the preliminary hearing.

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