Eleven jurors find man guilty of murder after juror with COVID-19 symptoms excused

WINNIPEG — A 23-year-old man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a Winnipeg foster home manager.

An eleven-person jury reached the verdict against Kane Moar for the fatal Dec. 17, 2018, attack on Ricardo Hibi.

Hibi, who was 34, was stabbed to death inside the foster home he ran for boys in the city.

Deliberations were to begin Wednesday but were delayed after one juror was turned away at the courthouse and went to be tested for COVID-19.

The other jurors were sent home and advised to self-isolate until the man’s test results are complete.

But Queen’s Bench Justice Vic Toews told the jury Thursday he received advice from public health that it was safe and prudent for them to continue.

Toews had said that even if the one juror tested positive, it didn’t mean the remaining jurors would need to self-isolate given the steps taken in court, which include physical distancing.

Jury trials were suspended across the country in the spring as the justice system grappled with how to handle the pandemic.

They resumed in Manitoba earlier this month with Moar’s trial.

The court put several protocols in place. Jury selections have been held in a large convention centre, there has been physical distancing in courtrooms and masks became mandatory after an employee at the Winnipeg courthouse tested positive for the novel coronavirus. (CTV Winnipeg, The Canadian Press)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2020.

The Canadian Press