Manslaughter charges dropped in death of Brandon Leftault

Diane Leftault knew what the outcome of her son's death would be before the charges were laid, let alone dropped.

"She didn't believe she could live through the investigation. She told us from the beginning that nobody would be found responsible," said Leftault's cousin, Mallory Ward.

"Someway, somehow she knew and didn't want to put herself through it."

Crown attorney Nicole Hurley told a provincial court room Tuesday afternoon that she wouldn't be proceeding with the case against three people accused of killing Brandon Leftault.

Hurley said the 20-year-old man's death was the tragic result of two groups of teenagers fighting over marijuana. Brandon Leftault was stabbed in the leg, and died later in hospital.

The stabbing happened around Sunset Street in the Goulds neighbourhood of St. John's, on the evening of April 2, 2020. 

Two 18-year-old men and Jonathan Mathioudakis, 19, were charged with manslaughter and robbery almost a year after Leftault's death.

Hurley commended the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, saying the officers "investigated thoroughly" and that COVID-19 added an extra layer of complexity.

The police only need probable cause for grounds to lay a charge. However, Hurley said, after a lengthy examination of the file, it was determined that there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction. 

"Witnesses had inconsistencies in their statements. It was very emotional even the boys who were with Brandon that night," said Brandon and Diane Leftault's cousin, Elaine Ward.

"[There were] too many holes in the stories that couldn't be answered. The murder weapon … it was never established who had brought it, it was never found."

Elaine and Mallory Ward are thankful for the police and the Crown's office for their work on the file, despite the outcome.

The tragedy of Brandon Leftault's death is much deeper because of the death of his mother, Diane, 58, four months later. She died, her cousins say, because she didn't want to live without her son. She died by suicide in August 2020.

"She actually wrote her victim impact statement before she passed. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to read it for her," Mallory Ward said.