By Canadian Press

Calgary judge to deliver verdict in case of Stampeder player killed at nightclub

Mar 11, 2019 | 5:37 AM

CALGARY — A judge is expected to deliver a verdict today in the trial of a man accused of killing a football player with the Calgary Stampeders.

Nelson Lugela, who is 21, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Mylan Hicks outside the Marquee Beer Market in Calgary in September 2016.

The trial heard that several Stampeders, including Hicks, were celebrating a victory over Winnipeg in a CFL game hours earlier.

A disagreement over a spilled drink in the bar intensified after closing time in the parking lot.

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Witnesses testified that after some pushing and shoving, a person who appeared to be holding a handgun opened fire at Hicks as he was running for cover.

The 23-year-old was hit twice, in the abdomen and chest, and died in hospital.

Court heard the shooter and two other young men jumped into an SUV and sped away. Police said they arrested three people about 45 minutes later when they returned to the scene.

Several witnesses identified Lugela as the man holding the gun. But one, a server at the bar, testified it was another person from the group who pulled the trigger.

During final arguments, Lugela’s lawyer, Alain Hepner, told Justice Keith Yamauchi that the case highlights the dangers of eyewitness identification and who to believe.

He said if Yamauchi is satisfied Lugela fired the weapon, then the judge needs to determine if Lugela’s level of intoxication warrants reducing a murder conviction to manslaughter.

The Crown argued that the forensic evidence, along with eyewitness accounts, proves Lugela’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Hicks, who was on Calgary’s practice roster, was from Detroit. He played college football at Michigan State.

— Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press