THUNDER BAY - A 21-year-old Thunder Bay man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the day his trial was scheduled to begin on the charge of second-degree murder for his role in the 2020 death of 18-year-old Austin Peter Robinson.
Cody Echum appeared before Justice Bruce Fitzpatrick on Wednesday to stand trial on second-degree murder, but before proceedings began, Crown attorney Shari Frenette and defense counsel David Pierce informed the court that the matter had been resolved.
Echum pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder but guilty to the lesser included charge of manslaughter and to one count of robbery.
The pleas were accepted by Justice Fitzpatrick. No facts were read into the record and a pre-sentence report and Gladue report were ordered by the defense.
The incident took place on Jan. 9, 2020 when officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service were called to a Syndicate Avenue North residence just before 3 a.m. and discovered an 18-year-old male who had been the victim of an assault.
The male, identified as Austin Robinson, was transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre where he died from his injuries several days later.
Police launched a homicide investigation and Echum, who was 19 years old at the time, was arrested on Jan. 15, 2020 and initially charged with first-degree murder, as well as break and enter, two counts of assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, and disguise with intent.
A 14-year-old youth was also arrested in connection to Robinson’s death and charged with first-degree murder, break and enter, disguise with intent, aggravated assault, and breach of undertaking. The youth is expected to appear in court later this month on the charges.
The youth was arrested again in August 2020 and charged with one count of arson in connection to a John Street fire on Aug. 10.
Echum’s case has been adjourned to April 25, 2022 to set a date for sentencing.
