Cultural assessment may delay sentencing in murder case

One of two men convicted in the killing of Tylor McInniscould have his sentencing delayed while a cultural assessment is prepared.

Daniel Romeo Downey was found guilty of kidnapping, forcible confinement and being an accessory to murder.

His older brother, Shawntez Neco Downey, was convicted of second-degree murder in McInnis's death.

McInnis's body was found in the trunk of a stolen car in a cemetery in North Preston, N.S., in August 2016.

On Thursday morning, Daniel Downey's lawyerappeared in Nova Scotia Supreme Court to request the assessment.

The Downey brothers are scheduled to be sentenced on July 24.

Justice Ann Smith agreed to the assessment, but kept the sentencing date.

Smith told the lawyers that Shawntez Downey's sentencing will proceed on that date. She said Daniel Downey's sentencing would be postponed if the cultural assessment isn't ready.

The cultural assessment examines whether an individual's cultural background should affect the sentence they should receive.

One such assessment took nearly 10 months to complete.

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