Verdict expected Monday in trial for Tsiigehtchic man charged with killing his son

Tsiigehtchic photo courtesy of GNWT

A verdict is expected Monday in the trial of a man from the Beaufort Delta community of Tsiigehtchic who is charged with manslaughter in the death of his son.

The trial for Wayne McDonald, 57, was held this past week in Inuvik.

He is charged in connection with the April, 2016 asphyxiation death of Gary McDonald, 28.

Crown prosecutor Alex Godfrey called it a tragic case made even more traumatic due to the emotional testimony from Nellie McDonald, Gary’s mother and Wayne’s wife.

She described the night Gary died recalling that he and his dad had been in a physical altercation at their home.

It’s believed the trial, being presided over by Supreme Court Judge Andrew Mahar, was moved to Inuvik from Yellowknife after the accused elected to have a judge alone decide his fate, rather than a jury.

About the Author

John McFadden
John has been in the broadcast journalism industry since the 1980s. He has been a reporter in Yellowknife since 2012 and joined CKLB in January of 2018. John covers the crime and court beat as well as reporting on other areas including politics, business, entertainment and sports. He won seven national community newspaper awards while he was a journalist with Northern News Services Limited (NNSL). John worked in Ontario before coming North including stints as a TV sportscaster in Peterborough and senior news writer for CBC and CTV in downtown Toronto.