Man who threw trailer hitch at Indigenous woman found guilty of manslaughter

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — A man who threw a trailer hitch at an Indigenous woman in Thunder Bay, Ont., has been found guilty of manslaughter in her death.

Justice Helen M. Pierce says the Crown proved Brayden Bushby knew he would seriously injure Barbara Kentner when he threw the hitch at her from a moving car in January 2017.

Pierce says the Crown also proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Kentner’s injuries from the assault accelerated her death, which took place in July 2017.

The trial heard from a forensic pathologist who testified that complications from an abdominal injury — caused by the hitch assault — were the main cause of Kentner’s death.

Bushby admitted throwing the hitch and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, but not guilty to manslaughter.

A sentencing hearing will be held on Feb. 9.

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