One Nunavut man has been found not guilty of killing another at a cabin on Roaches Line in June of 2021.
It took the jury just a few hours to decide Patrick Sulurayok was innocent of second-degree murder in the death of Bernard Otuk at Hillside Cottages almost four years ago.
The two, from the same community, were with others at a cabin after a month at sea, celebrating their return to dry land.
No one disputed that Otuk got very drunk and was the aggressor or instigator that night, going at the accused several times.
But it was the third fight that proved fatal, with an autopsy concluding Sulurayok’s efforts to calm down and restrain Otuk cut off blood flow to the brain.
The defence argued it was self-defence while the Crown said it went above and beyond that, to murder.
But in the end, the jury decided there was no intent to kill, or even that Sulurayok inadvertently caused the death, ruling out the lesser offence of manslaughter.
Parents of the victim, Bernard Otuk, outside Supreme Court. (VOCM News)
The victim’s mother, meanwhile, cried out in anguish as the verdict was read, shouting “what if it was your son?” as the jury, some visibly upset, filed out of the courtroom.
She had more to say outside.
“Justice wasn’t served, my son is dead, and he’s going scot-free? My son is six feet under while he’s free? Free to roam around in our community. It’s not fair, not fair at all.”
The Crown said today it’s too early to determine if they will appeal.
