By paNOW

Widow disappointed after accessory charge stayed

Nov 16, 2017 | 6:00 PM

The charges against an 18-year-old accused of acting as an accessory to a violent murder were stayed this morning in a La Ronge courtroom.

The charge stemmed from the April murder of well-known restauranteur Simon Grant, 64. Grant was attacked by masked men after-hours at his restaurant Louisiana’s Bar-B-Que. Grant was airlifted to Saskatoon for medical treatment, but later succumbed to his injuries.

Austin Bird, 18, and two male youths who cannot be named under the young offender’s act, were charged with murder by the RCMP. Matthew Nagy-Charles, 18, was later charged as an accessory after the fact. Bird has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years, and the two youths are still making their way through the courts, with one pre-trial set to begin in January.

This morning, the accessory charge against Nagy-Charles was stayed, or not pursued, by the Crown. Prosecutor Daniel Forbes could not provide specific details of the case, but said the charge was stayed because “there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.”

“My family and I were disappointed when we heard about this development,” Grant’s widow Cora Laich told paNOW.

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Although she said it was frustrating to see the charge stayed, Laich said she understands the Crown can revisit the charge within 12 months, and said she will push to see it restored. She said she will continue fighting to see justice done for her late husband, and to see anyone involved held accountable for their actions.

Laich said she is now living in her hometown of Eatonia along with her 14-year-old daughter. Despite the tragic loss and frustrations of the justice system, Laich said her family continues to draw strength from Grant’s memory.

“My daughter and I gained a lot of strength from Simon, just because of the person that he was,” she said. “The things he said and did when he was alive have really impacted us and helped us move on.”

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews