Preliminary inquiry in manslaughter charge going ahead

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on February 11, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A preliminary inquiry set for later this spring for a Lethbridge man charged with manslaughter will not have to be adjourned, after all, but it will run on different days than previously scheduled.

The preliminary inquiry for Sheldon Nicholas LePage was set to run April 27 and 28, but Friday during a hearing in Lethbridge provincial court, the dates were changed to accommodate the accused’s lawyer, who replaced LePage’s first lawyer in December.

Calgary lawyer Tonii Roulston had been given until Friday to determine if she would need to adjourn the inquiry if she believed she wouldn’t have enough time to prepare for it. But on Friday an agent for Roulston said the inquiry would proceed, but on April 28 and May 5.

A preliminary hearing is typically held to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant holding a trial.

LePage, who remains in custody at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre and was not required to attend court, is charged with one count of manslaughter, as well as single counts of failing to comply with release conditions and probation. The accused previously chose to be tried by a Court of King’s Bench judge.

The manslaughter charge relates to an incident at about 8:30 p.m. on May 5 of this year when the victim, Amber Bahadur Khadka, was approached by a man near the intersection of 8 Street and 2 Avenue North.

During an argument, the man struck 44-year-old Khadka , knocking him down and causing him to strike his head on the ground. The assailant left the area, but was found by police and arrested later in the day.

Police said the two men knew each other and the victim had been targeted by his assailant.

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