R v AR
Case Type: Homicide - First Degree Murder
Outcome: Guilty plea to manslaughter
Date: 2026
Defended by: Robert LaValley
Client was charged with first degree murder of a child in her care. After the preliminary inquiry, the charges were downgraded to second degree murder due to holes that were exposed in the Crown’s case. Further negotiations took place which eventually led to the Crown Prosecutor offering to resolve the matter by way of a guilty plea to manslaughter which was accepted by the client. A couple of days before the guilty plea, the police service wrote a letter to the deputy minister in an effort to have the Crown Prosecutor reneg on the deal. The inappropriateness of this letter was highlighted by Mr. LaValley and the Judge reduced the client’s sentence as a result.
