Sault Ste. Marie police chief slams prosecutors, demands review in murder plea deal
Anger has boiled over in a northern Ontario city following a plea deal that will allow three men who decapitated and dismembered a friend at a wild drug-fuelled house party to walk free within two years.
Ronald Mitchell, Dylan Jocko and Eric Mearow pleaded guilty in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., earlier this week to manslaughter and offering an indignity to a human body despite the police chief’s insistence that his force brought forward a comprehensive case that culminated in first-degree murder charges.
A crowd of about 100 protesters gathered outside the Sault courthouse on Thursday following the court hearing. The victim’s tearful mother and police Chief Robert Keetch were among those outraged by the developments.
“The results of this case in no way reflect the work done by police,” Keetch told the media as he attempted to assure the city his force had no part in the deal in the death of Wesley Hallam, who was stabbed to death on Jan. 7, 2011 before being decapitated and dismembered.