The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Plea deal reached on manslaughter charge
A Dartmouth senior is expected to plead guilty to manslaughter in the death of a longtime friend three years ago.
Joseph Noel Landry, 71, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the April 16, 2018, killing of Darren Clyde Reid, 52, in an apartment above a pizza shop on Portland Street in downtown Dartmouth.
Landry was scheduled to have a jury trial on the murder charge in Nova Scotia Supreme Court next month, but the Crown filed a new indictment for manslaughter last week.
During an appearance in Supreme Court in Halifax on April 6, defence lawyer Tony Amoud said counsel had reached a resolution on the new charge.
Based on that, Justice James Chipman called off the jury and released the trial dates.
The guilty plea could come as soon as Monday, when Landry appears in court again.
In an interview Thursday, Crown attorney Eric Taylor said the expectation is that Landry will enter the plea and a date will be set for sentencing.
“We’d probably want to have a presentence report, and there are victim impact statements that have to be prepared,” Taylor told The Chronicle Herald.
Lawyers are still working on an agreed statement of facts surrounding the homicide and will have a joint sentencing recommendation for the judge, he said.
The prosecutor said Reid’s family is aware of the plea bargain.
“We had a meeting with them, laid out our thoughts and got their input,” Taylor said. “So they’re in the loop, for sure.”
Landry was arrested the night of the killing and has not applied for bail. He’s in custody at the Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Pictou County.
A preliminary inquiry was held in Dartmouth provincial court in January 2019. Landry consented to go to trial after hearing evidence from four police officers and three civilians.