Man convicted of manslaughter in Regina Halloween death had 'real hard-luck life'

A Regina man who shotanother man six times following a 2013 Halloween party has been convicted of manslaughter.

The jury in the trial of Elijah Noname reached a verdict Wednesday night after deliberating for about six hours.

Noname was on trial for the death of 18-year-old Nolen Tanner.

During the two-and-a-half-week trial, the defence did not dispute Noname shot Tanner, but part of its case was that Noname had been stabbed before that happened.

• Teen shot 6 times at 2013 Halloween party, Regina murder trial hears

The jury could have acquitted Noname or found him guilty of second-degree murder, which would come with an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for 10 years.

He's very sorry for his actions and how things ended up that night.- NoahEvanchuk, defence lawyer

Instead, the jurors opted to find him guilty of manslaughter, which generally results in a lesser sentence.

"We thought we had a very solid second-degree murder case but the jury felt otherwise," Crown prosecutor Kim Jones said Thursday. "And as I indicated last night, the jurysystem is a foundation of our justice system and I respect their decision."

Prosecutor Derek Maher said the Crown is now getting ready for sentencing arguments.

"People need to understand that we take gun violenceseriouslyand so should the community, and larger,lengthiersentences are certainly what we'll be seeking, and hopefully his lordship will agree," he said.

Noname'slawyer, Noah Evanchuk, said he will be filing a Gladuereport,which will examine Noname's Indigenous background.

"This is a young man who had a real hard-luck life," Evanchuk said. "He's been on the streets since he was 13 years old. He hasn't had any of the advantages that someone like myself has."

Evanchuk saidNonamealso wanted to express his "remorse and sadness" to Tanner's family.

"He's very sorry for his actions and how things ended up that night," Evanchuk said.

Queen's Bench Justice FredKovachadjourned sentencing arguments to Feb. 28.