The man charged with a 2021 shooting death in Mayo plead guilty to manslaughter before the Yukon Supreme Court on April 20.
An agreed statement of facts has yet to be filed as Daniel Cashaback-Myra entered his guilty pleas but the court heard a brief summary of events from lawyers on both sides including an assertion that Cashaback-Myra had been provoked into the shooting.
Crown counsel Noel Sinclair told the court, presided over by Chief Justice Suzanne Duncan, that Cashaback-Myra fatally shot Peter Young using a non-restricted nine-milimetre carbine on Jan. 10, 2021 in Mayo. Cashaback-Myra was 22 years old and Young was 38 years old at the time of the shooting.
Cashaback-Myra had been charged with second-degree murder for the killing but plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. His lawyer, Vincent Larochelle, explained to the court that this reduced charge was due to the fact that the killing was a case of “imperfect self defence in response to a perceived threat.”
Larochelle said the victim provoked Cashaback-Myra by breaking into his house.
“What Mr. Cashaback-Myra is admitting is that he used too much force in the face of a provocation which also amounted to an objective threat.”
Cashaback-Myra also entered a guilty plea on a simple drug possession charge related to him being caught with oxycodone in 2020.
The lawyers said they were nearing a resolution regarding agreed facts of the case and that those would be presented to the court at a later date. They also told the judge they planned to enter a joint position on sentencing.
With the guilty pleas received, the case adjourned to June 20 with the possibility of bringing it back sooner to address outstanding issues, including whether sentencing would be held in Whitehorse or in Mayo.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com