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Court hears fight led to 68-year-old Spanish man’s death as accused pleads to manslaughter

Jonathon Michael Jobin has also admitted to being part of a notorious jailhouse riot
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The Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse is pictured in this file photo.

SAULT STE. MARIE - An hour before a jury was to be selected for his homicide trial, Jonathon Michael Jobin pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter in the death of a 68-year-old man in the town of Spanish two years ago.

He had faced a charge of second-degree murder, but the Crown accepted a plea to the lesser included offence of manslaughter in connection with the July 4, 2017 homicide.

George Chapman, who was also known as Pops, died following an argument with the then 25-year-old accused, the court heard during a brief recital of the facts.

Prosecutor David Kirk said the two men had moved to the Spanish area prior to the death and "more or less got along."

They got into arguments over minor things about the property they were cleaning up, the assistant Crown attorney told Superior Court Justice Michael Varpio.

"This night they began to argue to the point Jobin called Pops out to fight," Kirk said.

Jobin went for a walk and Pops called a friend.

He assaulted the older man, and Chapman died as a result of severe blunt force trauma.

Sentencing was put over until Oct. 21, at which time Kirk said the prosecution will provide a more fulsome picture about what occurred in the 12 hours before and 12 hours after the incident.

Toronto defence lawyer Daniel Brodsky indicated that he and the Crown will have a joint sentencing submission.

Jobin also pleaded guilty to taking part in a Jan. 27 riot at the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre.

The court will hear about his role in that matter at the sentencing hearing.

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About the Author: Linda Richardson

Linda Richardson is a freelance journalist who has been covering Sault Ste. Marie's courts and other local news for more than 45 years.
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