A jury has found a Vanderhoof man guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the shooting death of his fiance slightly more than five years ago.
Kayne Penner Sabbe, now 29, faces at least four years in prison for a Dec. 20, 2012 incident that led to the death of April Johnson, 18.
The 11-person jury - it was reduced by one last week - reached its verdict Monday after it began deliberations midday. It also found Penner guilty of the lesser charge of careless use of a firearm.
Jury members are prohibited from saying publicly what was discussed during deliberations.
Their decisions came after hearing testimony from nine witnesses as well as a video-recorded statement Penner gave to RCMP two days after the incident.
One of those witnesses was Richard Gunnar Borne, who owned the gun Penner was holding when it went off. Johnson was a short distance away inside Borne's Vanderhoof-area mobile home whenthe bullet from the .22-calbre semiautomatic rifle struck her in the stomach and she died early the next morning.
Borne continues to face charges of careless use of a firearm, improper storage and unauthorized possession of a firearm. A trial on those counts is schedule for May in Vanderhoof provincial court.
A sentencing hearing for Penner is tentatively scheduled for May 1 at the Prince George courthouse.
