Cara Shepherd

Chris Vagenos pleaded guilty to five offences, including possession of psilocybin for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and breach of an undertaking.

The offences stemmed from his employment at a store selling magic mushrooms, and he breached his undertaking by returning to work there shortly after his initial arrest.

The Crown sought a conditional sentence, while the defence sought a conditional discharge.

The court granted a conditional discharge with a 30-month probation order, a lifetime weapons prohibition, and a DNA order, emphasizing rehabilitation and finding the discharge not contrary to the public interest despite the breach of undertaking.

This criminal trial concerned a charge of manslaughter against the defendant, Jacob Norn, following the death of Tyler Ginn from combined fentanyl and etizolam toxicity.

Norn had pleaded guilty to trafficking fentanyl to Ginn.

The central issues were whether the fentanyl supplied by Norn was a significant contributing cause of Ginn's death and whether Norn's warning to Ginn not to use too much fentanyl broke the chain of causation.

The court found that the fentanyl supplied by Norn was a significant contributing cause of death and that the warning did not sever the chain of causation, leading to a finding of guilt for manslaughter.

The accused, an inmate and server in a detention facility, distributed a fentanyl/carfentanil mixture to other inmates, leading to the fatal overdose of one inmate and overdoses in others.

The accused was charged with trafficking and unlawful act manslaughter.

The defence argued that the accused acted as an 'agent for the purchaser' or 'co-purchaser' and that his actions were induced by duress from the inmate hierarchy.

For the manslaughter charge, the defence claimed a lack of factual or legal causation due to alleged intervening acts (suicide, correctional authorities' failure, additional drug intake, voluntary consumption).

The court found the accused guilty of trafficking, rejecting the 'agent for the purchaser' and duress defences, as his actions were voluntary and he had safe avenues of escape.

The court also found him guilty of unlawful act manslaughter, concluding his actions were a significant contributing cause of death, and rejected all alleged intervening acts.