TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR WHEN YOU GO TO SLEEP ON SATURDAY NIGHT (NOV. 2)
DE K A M L O O P S
Marty Hastings and the gridiron gang Page A20
THURSDAY
Thursday, October 31, 2013 X Volume 26 No. 87
Kamloops, B.C., Canada X 30 cents at Newsstands
THIS WEEK
Flu-shot/ mask ruling upheld Page B1 Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
HALLOWEEN KISS Posing for group photo before heading to a school dance at McGowan elementary are Halloween enthusiasts Andy and Sarah Muzio (top left) and Tracy and Bob Berrevoets and their children. The families have won Best Group Family Prize for costume for the past five years and this year was no exception as they dressed up as the rock band KISS, with the kids attired as the band’s groupies. For KTW readers looking for some haunted thrills tonight, here are some places to visit: • 638 Alberni Ave. (behind Canadian Tire on the North Shore) features Dwayne and Trish’s Zombie Apocalypse Haunted House, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Halloween night. • 1365 Columbia St. in downtown Kamloops is also taking donations for the Western Karate Academy Christmas Cheer Fund between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. • Sixth Avenue and Pine Street in South Kamloops. • 633 and 649 Brentwood Ave. in North Kamloops (behind Safeway). • 1124 Schreiner St. in Brocklehurst. • 1321 Ottawa Place in North Kamloops features a haunted house and graveyard, until 9:30 p.m. • 4938 Uplands Dr. in Barnhartvale from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for the Kamloops Food Bank. Dave Eagles/KTW
Murder trial ends with plea to manslaughter By Tim Petruk STAFF REPORTER
tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
Emotions ran high on the fifth floor of the Kamloops Law Courts on Wednesday, Oct. 30, as the second-degree murder trial of Torbin Alec came to an abrupt end with a plea bargain. Alec, 30, was charged with second-degree murder following the stabbing death last summer of Jesse Seymour. Following the surprise guilty plea — to the lesser charge of manslaughter — Seymour’s family held a tearful 30-person prayer circle outside Courtroom 5C. “It’s tough,” said Fred Seymour, Jesse’s father, choking back tears.
“You can never trust your brother. My son died at the hands of his so-called brother. “If we can look each other in the eyes, we’ve got to call ourselves family. “But, we know there’s people out there — we know there’s bad ones.” Seymour died following a fight with Alec in the early-morning hours of July 15, 2012, outside a house party at 746 Columbia St. Court has heard the two were close friends who were arguing about Alec’s chances with a girl. The Crown’s case turned largely on three points — the testimony of two Crown witnesses and a broken bottle found at the scene.
Nicole Jones-Dodginghorse, one of two people who witnessed the altercation that led to Seymour’s death, said under questioning from prosecutor Rob Bruneau that the fight was a fair one. However, under cross-examination from defence lawyer Jeremy Jensen, she acknowledged a statement made to police two hours after the fight. “They got close, they started rumbling,” she told an officer. “Like, Jesse was hitting him. I think he [Torbin] might have pulled out the knife when he was getting beat up pretty good there for a bit.” Jones-Dodginghorse said Seymour dropped a bottle of tequila he had been holding prior to the
fight. She said the bottle smashed on the concrete steps on which she and Seymour had been sitting. However, according to a photo entered as evidence on the first day of the trial, the bottle’s jagged neck, on which there were drops of blood, was found near the area where the two fought, not on the steps. Another photo showed a threeinch cut on Alec’s forearm — something the defence theorized was a defensive wound. The last witness to give evidence prior to the guilty plea was Shawn Bottle, who told a story different than that of JonesDodginghorse. He also witnessed the fight, but
described it as largely a one-sided affair in Alec’s favour. Court heard Crown and defence will present a joint sentencing position, but its terms are not yet known. However, speaking outside the courtroom, Fred Seymour said he was told by Bruneau it was six years. “A so-called brother getting six years less time served,” he said. “Is that justice in our eyes? I don’t think so. Look at our family. “I’m not proud of today, what happened today. These are things we’re going to carry for life. “We have to stay strong.” Alec will return to court on Nov. 30 to set a date for sentencing.
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