Marc Wabafiyebazu, Canadian diplomat's son, pleads no contest to reduced Florida murder charges

The teenaged son of a Canadian diplomat pleaded no contest Fridayto reduced charges of third-degree felony murder related to a doublekilling in Miami even though he had no part in the gunplay thatleft his older brother dead.

In exchange for his plea, 15-year-old Marc Wabafiyebazuof Ottawawillhave to serve six months in a boot camp starting next week, followedby 10 months of modified house arrest and a maximum eight years'probation.

If he completes the sentence without incident, the teen will haveno criminal conviction registered against him.

"Marc has his future," his mother Roxanne Dub, Canada's formerconsul general in Miami, told The Canadian Press. "He's going to besaved."

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Wabafiyebazuhas been in custody since March 30, 2015,when he was arrested outside a Miami apartment inwhichhis 18-year-old brother, Jean Wabafiyebazu, and another teen were shotdead.

Prosecutors did not allege the younger sibling had any directrole in the bloodshed, apparently the result of his brother's
attempt to rob a drug dealer of 800 grams of marijuana. However,they maintained Wabafiyebazu had known of the scheme when they drovein their mom's car to what police called the "drug den."

As a result, under Florida's felony law, they charged the teen asan adult with multiple offences, including felony first-degreemurder, which carries a minimum 40 years in prison.

'Paying the price'

Under the plea deal approved by the state attorney, however, theprosecution made a rare concession to reduce the two main charges hefaced to third-degree murder. Wabafiyebazu also pleaded no contestto a reduced charge of aggravated battery and attempted armedrobbery.

"Essentially, he is paying the price for Jean," Dubsaid. "Heis also pleading to the murder of his own brother."

While a "no contest" plea has the same basic effect as a guiltyplea, the accused doesn't actually admit guilt.

Wabafiyebazu's two co-accused, including the drug dealer who fledthe scene with his drugs and a handgun, were granted bail soon afteralso being charged with lesser felony-murder crimes.

Last fall, both co-accused pleaded guilty to minor drug chargesand were sentenced to boot camp, house arrest and probation which,if successfully completed, would also mean no conviction.

Much of the prosecution's case against Wabafiyebazu rested on aspontaneous confession a rookie police officer said the youth hadmade from the back seat of a cruiser as he was taken to a detentionfacility. Police had denied his requests to call his mother and didnot warn him that anything he said could be used against him.

No previous trouble with law

"This is one of the most serious cases I've had in this divisionin a long time," Circuit Court Judge Teresa Pooler said in
approving the plea deal.

Dubstepped down last August as consul general, a post she hadtaken up less than two months before the deadly encounter.

In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, she talkedextensively of the struggle to cope with the death of her older sonwhile trying to support his devastated younger brother, who foundhimself behind bars and facing the prospect of a lengthy prisonterm.

The teen, whom she described as the son every mother would want,had never been in trouble with the law.