Escorted by a Deputy Sheriff, Marissa Bird leaves Prince Albert Court of King's Bench on Thursday. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

The verdict

Manslaughter verdict for woman playing with gun

Sep 8, 2022 | 3:00 PM

A woman who shot her victim in the head after failing to check if the safety was on, has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Marissa Bird appeared Thursday morning at Court of King’s Bench in Prince Albert.

The case dates back to Aug. 2017, when Duane Brett Ledoux was shot and killed at a house in Prince Albert’s west flat neighbourhood.

Bird had initially been charged with first-degree murder, but Madame Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown explained the Crown failed to meet the burden of proof, so instead found Bird guilty of the lesser charge.

The trial was held in February of last year.

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According to testimony from witnesses, Ledoux, had gone to a house to receive a minute, a term used by street gangs when a member breaks the rules and receives a one-minute beating.

In this case, Ledoux had kissed another member’s ex-girlfriend which was forbidden and is termed “dirty macking.” He had also been accused of robbery and continuing to wear street gang colours despite being stripped off them.

Brett Ledoux would have turned 30 last month. (Facebook)

As many as 20 people had gathered at the house that night for a meeting, including a number of street gang members from Saskatoon. After the assault, people at the house were observed playing with a gun, joking “safety on and “safety off” and it was Bird who was holding it when Ledoux was shot. In a statement to police, she confessed to what happened.

“It did just go off then I got so scared I just ran,” she had explained. “It popped before I even knew it.”

Ledoux’s mother Carla Pedersen was in court for Thursday’s hearing.

“I know she will do some time but she’s not expected to do as much time as I thought. But at least there’s justice,” she said.

Prior to going to the house where the gang members, Ledoux and his girlfriend had stopped by his mother’s house to pick up some laundry.

“His last words were I love you mom, I’ll always love you. And I miss him and I cry for him,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen noted her son left behind two young children, a girl and a boy, who are now growing up and struggling without their father.

A sentencing date for Bird will be set next week. Typically the range for manslaughter is four to 15 years.

The three co-accused all entered guilty pleas at separate hearings in 2020.

Lenny Daniels received an eight-year sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Boden Umpherville and William Chaboyer received three-year sentences for their respective roles. The two men pleaded guilty to charges of assault and participation in a criminal organization.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell