Man accused in deaths of two boys killed by python elects for jury trial

By The Canadian Press

CAMPBELLTON, N.B. – A man accused in the deaths of two boys killed by a python in New Brunswick has elected to be tried by a jury.

Jean Claude Savoie is charged with criminal negligence causing death after the two young brothers were asphyxiated by an African rock python in Campbellton.

Lawyer Leslie Matchim appeared in provincial court today on Savoie’s behalf, where he told the court his client elects to be tried by judge and jury in the Court of Queen’s Bench.

Four-year-old Noah Barthe and his six-year-old brother Connor were found dead on Aug. 5, 2013, after the snake escaped its enclosure inside Savoie’s apartment in Campbellton, where they were staying for a sleepover.

The RCMP alleged at the time that the 45-kilogram snake escaped a glass tank through a vent and slithered through a ventilation pipe, but its weight caused the pipe to collapse and it fell into the living room where the boys were sleeping.

Savoie’s preliminary hearing has been set for Nov. 24-27.

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