Lobster boat captain pleads guilty to manslaughter
PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. The captain of a lobster boat pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter, admitting that he rammed the speedboat of another fisherman who he suspected was tampering with his lobster traps off the coast of Nova Scotia before the man was dragged out to sea and never seen again.
Dwayne Matthew Samson of D’Escousse, N.S., was originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of 43-year-old Phillip Boudreau on June 1, 2013.
He entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Port Hawkesbury, where a sentencing hearing is scheduled for two days in August.
Crown prosecutor Shane Russell said he will seek a sentence in the “double digits” for Samson, while defence lawyer Nash Brogan said he will argue for a sentence between seven and nine years.
Samson was one of four people charged in the case.
Samson’s wife Carla, who owns the lobster boat the Twin Maggies, and Craig Landry are both facing a charge of accessory after the fact.
In January, James Landry was given a 14-year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter, although he was charged with second-degree murder. He has filed an appeal of the sentence.
Russell said Landry’s mans laughter conviction influenced Samson’s case. “A jury got to hear all of those facts and from the Crown’s standpoint, that was the stronger (case) of the two accused,” Russell said outside court. “The Crown respects the original jury decision.”
Brogan said he will call a psychiatrist during the sentencing hearing as an expert witness.