'It was never meant to happen': Saskatoon woman speaks after charge stayed in nightclub death
CBC
Warning: This story contains graphic details.
Paige Theriault-Fisher said it was "surreal" to find out that Crown prosecutors were no longer forging ahead with the charge against her in the death of Hodan Hashi.
"I still haven't fully accepted it or understood it yet … but I'm relieved," she told reporters in a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Theriault-Fisher, 22, was initially charged with second-degree murder in the 23-year-old's death after the pair got into a fight at a Saskatoon nightclub last November. That charge was reduced to manslaughter later that day.
Videos widely circulated on social media show Hashi and Theriault-Fisher wrestling on the dance floor of Lit Nightclub, located above the Crazy Cactus Restaurant and Lounge, shortly before Hashi's death.
Theriault-Fisher is seen repeatedly striking Hashi in the face and neck area. A pool of blood suddenly appears beneath Hashi, blossoming out across the floor. The women are separated, then Hashi stands and staggers a few steps before collapsing.
On Tuesday, Crown prosecutors announced the manslaughter charge was stayed, stating the fight was mutual and no weapons were used.
"During the fight, the two women went to the ground and, tragically, Hodan Hashi was cut by a broken glass lying on the floor. Based on the evidence, that cut was the fatal injury that caused Ms. Hashi's death," the Ministry of Justice said in a statement.
"After careful consideration, Public Prosecutions has concluded that the fatal injury resulted from an accident; there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction for the charge of manslaughter or any other criminal charge."
According to Nicholas Stooshinoff, the lawyer handling the $1-million civil lawsuit put forward by Hashi's family, her loved ones are "profoundly disappointed" with the Crown's decision.
Stooshinoff said the family felt there was "ample evidence there was an unlawful act" in the death.
The Ottawa-raised woman's sister, Fartun Hashi, also posted on Twitter, saying that she was "sad, angry and outraged" by the decision.
"[Theriault-Fisher] is walking away a free woman while my sister is buried six feet. Not a murder charge, not a manslaughter charge, not even an aggravated assault charge, not one thing. This is the value of Black life in Canada," she wrote in a subsequent post.
On Wednesday, Theriault-Fisher was advised by her lawyer, Sharon Fox, not to delve into the details of that night, due to a connected civil court case.
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