The Bridgewater Provincial Courthouse. Photo: NS Justice Department.
A Lunenburg County man who was initially accused of second-degree murder in relation to the death of Keneth Savory, entered a guilty plea to the charge of manslaughter today at the Bridgewater Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
Savory died after he was hit by Terry Richard Johnson’s pick-up truck on the night of June 17, 2021, and the RCMP statement on the incident claimed Savory was run over multiple times by Johnson at a home in Dublin Shore.
Initially, the crown was pursuing second-degree murder charges but a plea deal was reached between the prosecution and defense to the lesser charge, which is still is a charge that can result in sentencing of imprisonment for life.
Senior Crown Attorney Leigh Anne Bryson spoke with reporters following the hearing and explained why the crown agreed to this deal, “manslaughter is a form of culpable homicide, so through this plea, the defendant is acknowledging he caused the death of Kenneth Savory and that he caused it by an unlawful act, in this case, dangerous driving behavior with a motor vehicle,”.
The agreed-upon deal and relevant statement of facts were submitted and accepted by Associate Chief Justice Patrick Duncan who indicated they would be read in full at the October 4, sentencing hearing for Johnson. During the sentencing victim impact statements will also be presented.
Johnson’s attornies requested he be moved from the Central Nova correctional facilities in Burnside and be transferred to the Southwest Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Yarmouth so he could be closer to his legal team for consultations as they await sentencing. Justice Duncan agreed to endorse the request but noted it would ultimately be the Correctional Department who make that decision.
