A man who killed an acquaintance during a fight about missing property was sentenced Wednesday to 3.5 years in prison.
The sentence was handed down in a Kitchener courtroom on the same day Edward Bush pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of Dylan Debreau.
On June 26, court heard, Bush was outside a Lancaster Street variety store when he noticed Debreau making his way to the same shop.
The two knew each other through their girlfriends, and had previously argued about the missing item in question.
Court heard that Bush walked up to Debreau, called him a “liar” and punched him. Debreau fell to the ground, hitting his head on the pavement.
The 23-year-old suffered a fractured skull and other injuries, and died in hospital six days later.
He left behind a young son, whom he had recently moved to Kitchener to be closer to.
In court, Lisa Levesque – Debreau’s mother – said her grandson Dalton would be the person most affected by Debreau’s death.
“(He will have) no memories to recall, no special occasions to reflect on, only stories told,” she said.
Before the sentence was read out, Bush stood up in the courtroom and apologized to Debreau’s family.
“I never meant for this to happen,” he said.
“I am really sorry.”
Defence lawyer David McCarthy noted outside court that Bush had been remorseful throughout his court process, wanting to spare Debreau’s family from having to endure a trial.
“From the very beginning, he’s taken the position that he’s responsible for it and he’s going to get what he’s going to get,” he said.
With credit for time already spent in custody, Bush has slightly less than two years of his sentence to serve.
