Guilty on all charges: Colin Tweedie convicted in hit-and-run death of 10-year-old Cape Breton girl
Nearly five years after the hit-and-run death of a 10-year-old Cape Breton girl who was riding her bicycle on a rural road, the driver who struck Talia Forrest was found guilty on all three charges against him at Sydney Supreme Court on Friday.
Justice Kevin Coady convicted 32-year-old Colin Tweedie on counts of dangerous driving causing death, impaired driving causing death and leaving the scene of an accident.
At his first trial in March 2022, Tweedie was initially found not guilty on all three charges. The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal overturned that decision in January 2023, and a new trial was ordered.
“Oh, my God, thank the Lord, justice got served today,” said Leahann Arsenault, Forrest’s aunt, as she and a large crowd of family members and supporters walked out of the court room after the decision was handed down.
“It’s been a while – almost five years of fighting for justice for Talia — and we just got it,” said Halen Williams, Forrest’s cousin.
Forrest and a friend were riding their bikes on the Black Rock Road in Black Rock, N.S., on the night of July 11, 2019 when Forrest was struck by a 2004 Nissan XTerra driven by Tweedie.
The court was told that the vehicle continued on, dragging the bicycle underneath it for approximately 1.15 kilometers.
Tweedie initially told RCMP investigators that he thought he had hit a deer.
Two breath samples were taken from Tweedie several hours later at the Baddeck, N.S., RCMP detachment. Both times, the reading was slightly below Nova Scotia’s legal limit of 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
Justice Coady’s oral decision on Friday found the Crown had proven its cases beyond a reasonable doubt on all three charges.
“The strongest message is, ‘Don’t drink and drive,’” said Crown attorney Darcy MacPherson, who added it was too early to speculate what kind of sentence the Crown might seek. “Because that’s what happened here, was somebody drank and drove and somebody died and it could happen to anybody.”
The second trial took place over five days in March, and roughly a dozen witnesses testified.
In delivering his decision, Justice Coady said what happened on the night of the crash left “an indelible scar on otherwise bucolic lives” in the community where it took place.
In reaching a verdict, Coady said Tweedie’s explanations to RCMP investigators didn’t stack up against the evidence.
“Well, obviously we’re disappointed,” said defence lawyer Tony Mozvik. “We didn’t expect it would go this way, we were hoping it was going to be similar to last time.”
When asked whether he might appeal the decision, Mozvik didn’t rule out the possibility.
“We’re going to think about it. When the decision was being read out, there was a couple of issues that caught my attention,” Mozvik said. “But again, until we get the full version of the decision we wouldn’t be making that decision.”
Tweedie has been released on conditions, and will return to Sydney Supreme Court for sentencing July 26 at 9:30 a.m.
Family members who spoke with CTV Atlantic said while Friday’s guilty verdicts came as a relief, their fight is not over.
“Closure, but (we can’t) move on yet until he’s in jail and is held accountable for what he’s done because he’s still living freely right now,” Williams said.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies at 65
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, who helped the provincial NDP come to power after 16 years on the sidelines, has died.
What consumers need to know if Canada Post workers strike ahead of a busy holiday season
Canada's postal workers could walk off the job or the company could lock them out as soon as 12:01 a.m. ET Friday if the union and the company don't reach an agreement. Here are tips for shoppers and businesses.
FAA prohibits U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after a Florida Spirit flight was shot by gangs
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot a Spirit Airlines flight.
BREAKING Feds move to end work stoppages at ports, order binding arbitration
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says he is intervening to end the work stoppages at ports in both British Columbia and Montreal.
Ottawa high school principal apologizes for song played during Remembrance Day assembly
The principal of an Ottawa high school is apologizing to students, parents and guardians after an Arabic-language song was played during the school's Remembrance Day service. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is conducting a "thorough investigation" to ensure it "is addressed appropriately and meaningfully."
Body found in Montreal park identified as cryptocurrency influencer
The body of a man that was found in a park in the Ahunstic-Cartierville borough last month has been identified as cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
LIVE B.C. teen with first human case of avian influenza in critical condition, Dr. Bonnie Henry says
The teenager who contracted Canada’s first-ever human case of avian influenza is in hospital in critical condition, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
23 arrested after at least 100 shots fired in exchange of gunfire outside Toronto recording studio: police
Police say 23 people are in custody after at least 100 shots were fired in an exchange of gunfire outside a West Queen West recording studio on Monday night.
Black market butter: What's behind the recent string of dairy thefts?
The case of the missing butter remains a mystery, but some have ideas on what's behind the unusual crimes.