Jason Charles Gourlay, 41, has elected to be tried by a Supreme Court judge alone on charges in connection to a fatal hit and run in Kamloops last year.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Facebook
June 15, 2017 - 10:19 AM
KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops man charged in connection to a fatal hit and run in 2016 that claimed the life of a teenaged girl won't be tried by a jury.
Jason Gourlay, 41, made a brief video appearance in Kamloops Provincial Court today, June 15, where his defence lawyer elected a Supreme Court judge alone trial for the charges Gourlay is facing.
Gourlay has been in custody for nearly two months, after being charged with breaching his bail conditions shortly after his release from pre-trial custody. He was allegedly assaulted in prison the night before his release.
Lawyers will reconvene on June 26 to fix a date for Gourlay's trial. According to court documents, he's charged with failing to stop at an accident causing bodily harm, possession of a controlled substance, and attempting to pervert, defeat or obstruct justice.
None of the allegations against Gourlay have been proven in court.
Gourlay is also expected to go to trial for his breach of bail conditions charge.
He's charged in connection to 16-year-old Jennifer Gatey's hit and run death, which happened across the street from her Aberdeen home in November 2016.
After a four-month investigation into Gatey's death, Kamloops RCMP announced Gourlay would be facing charges. If convicted, the maximum penalty for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death is life imprisonment.
Gourlay is also facing an unrelated charge of theft under $5,000.
Get caught up on this case here.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2017