Ron Ward is now a free man.
In September 2011, Ward was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years.
A jury determined that he was guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 12, 2010 death of Scott Hayes.
At the time, it was reported that Hayes’ death represented the first murder on record in Wingham.
Court heard at the time that Ward drove a truck into Hayes, killing him, following an altercation between Hayes and Ward’s brother.
Ward appealed his conviction, and the Ontario Court of Appeal has come down in favour of his appeal.
In its recently released decision, the appeal court says the judge assigned to the case erred by not letting jurors consider the possibility that Ward driving into Hayes was an accident.
As a result, the court overturned the conviction of second-degree murder, convicted Ward of manslaughter, and sentenced him to time already served.
The appeal court’s full decision can be found here.
With files from CTV London
