Miramichi man pleads guilty to killing Brandon Martin in 2019
CBC
A Miramichi man has pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the killing of 21-year-old Brandon Martin in 2019.
Ethen James Harnish of Grand Falls faced a charge of first-degree murder but entered the guilty plea to the lesser charge during an appearance by video in Miramichi's Court of Queen's Bench on Thursday.
"I plead guilty, your honour," Harnish said to Justice Fred Ferguson.
Martin's mother, Natacha Daigle, wiped away tears as Harnish changed his plea.
Harnish, according to the agreed facts Ferguson read, admitted he was friends with Martin and blamed him for a burglary where drugs were stolen at 1330 Water St. in Miramichi about a month before the murder.
During an argument about it May 22, Harnish shot Martin twice in the back of his head. He enlisted his friend Daniel Dube to help hide the body in a remote area in central New Brunswick.
First-degree murder is a homicide that's planned and deliberate, while second-degree generally occurs without planning. Second-degree murder carries a minimum of life in prison with no parole for 10 years.
Harnish had been scheduled to stand trial May 2 to May 20, 2022. The change in plea took place during a week when voir dires were scheduled.
A voir dire is a legal proceeding to determine whether evidence can be admitted during a trial.
Martin had been missing for a year before his remains were found in a location on Route 108, commonly known as the Plaster Rock-Renous highway in May 2020.
The father of a young girl, Martin was last seen in Miramichi on May 22, 2019, and his disappearance was deemed "suspicious" by the Miramichi Police Force.
In September 2021, Dube was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to being an accessory to murder in the death of Martin.
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