P.A. Man Gets Manslaughter for Killing Northerner

P.A. Man Gets Manslaughter for Killing Northerner

Monday, December 13, 2004 at 17:12

After two days of deliberations a jury has found a Prince Albert man guilty in the death of a northerner. 49 year-old John Buesnel expressed disappointment with the verdict, which was handed down Saturday afternoon in Prince Albert Court of Queen’s bench. Buesnel was charged with the second-degree murder of 44 year-old Vincent Ballantyne, a former resident of Pelican Narrows. However in the end jurors convicted him on the lesser count of manslaughter. The news upset members of the victim’s family who had been present throughout the proceedings. One of them stated publicly Buesnel should have been found guilty of the more serious count of murder. For the past three weeks jurors heard Buesnel admit numerous times to striking Ballantyne over the head with a baseball bat as he was laying down with his eyes closed. According to Ballantyne however, the act was one of self-defense because the victim had threatened his life earlier with a knife. A pre-sentence report is now expected to be delivered before Buesnel is sentenced next year.