SYDNEY, N.S. — A Canadian reservist has been found guilty of criminal negligence causing death in the shooting of a fellow soldier he shared a tent with in Afghanistan.
Cpl. Matthew Wilcox had pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death, and negligent performance of duty in the death of 25-year-old Kevin Megeney of Stellarton, N.S.
He was also found guilty today on the charge of negligent performance of guilty, but the manslaughter charge was stayed by a military jury deliberating on the case in Sydney, N.S.
In his instructions, the military judge, Cmdr. Peter Lamont, told the jurors they should use “common sense” in determining which theory to believe on what happened on March 6, 2007.
The defence has argued that the 24-year-old Wilcox — who is from Glace Bay, N.S. — was acting in self-defence, because he believed Megeney pointed his pistol at his back and readied it to fire.
But prosecutors argued Wilcox was playing a game called quick draw when his pistol was fired, basing its accusation on testimony of several friends Wilcox spoke to after the shooting