A 29-year-old man with previous guilty pleas in separate manslaughter and assault cases is now charged in connection with another incident.
Justin Primmer pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2004 in connection with the death of Stratford resident Bill “Bonesy” Welch, who was known around town as a part-time bootlegger.
Court heard that Primmer, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, stabbed Welch five times.
After his release from prison, Primmer was charged with and pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm after Desiree Gallagher fell seven stories from the balcony of a London apartment.
What happened on that May 2013 night to cause Gallagher’s fall has never come out publicly, but investigators found that she had been injured before falling from the balcony.
Photos of Gallagher’s badly beaten face were found on Primmer’s phone.
Gallagher, 22, remains in hospital with significant injuries.
“We still don’t know … if she’ll ever walk, if she’ll get any of her sight back,” says her mother, Susan Gerth.
“There are so many days she’s in so much pain. It’s horrible to even watch her go through it.”
Now, following a six-month prison sentence, Primmer faces charges of assault and failure to comply with a probation order in connection with an incident earlier this month in Huntsville.
Huntsville OPP say he was living in that city at the time of his arrest.
Gerth says she’s not surprised to hear Primmer found himself accused of another violent crime.
“I feel bad for the other victim. It’s too bad it’s had to happen again,” she says.
Primmer appeared in a Bracebridge court Friday in connection with the Huntsville charges, and was remanded into custody until a Jan. 21 court appearance.
A publication ban is in place regarding details of Friday’s proceedings.