Stay of manslaughter charges in Dale Culver case
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PRINCE GEORGE — The BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) said Friday that there is no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction regarding charges that had been previously approved against two Prince George RCMP officers involved in the arrest of Dale Culver in Prince George on July 18, 2017. As a result, the charges against constables Paul Ste-Marie and Jean Francois Monette have been stayed.
An investigation was conducted by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) who determined that there were reasonable grounds to believe the officers may have committed offences and submitted a report to the BC Prosecution Service.
“The charge assessment was conducted by ad hoc Crown Counsel, who determined that the exceptional charge assessment standard of reasonable prospect of conviction was satisfied based on the evidence available at the time, including an autopsy report by a pathologist,” says the BC Prosecution Service.
“On February 1, 2023, Cst. Paul Ste Marie and Cst. Jean Francois Monette were charged with the manslaughter of Mr. Culver. During preparation for the preliminary inquiry ad hoc Crown Counsel was unable to resolve questions about the evidence of cause of death with the pathologist. A decision was made to seek an independent opinion from another pathologist. The reviewing pathologist found the cause of death to be acute and chronic adverse effects of methamphetamine following a struggle. The mechanism of death was sudden cardiac (arrhythmic) death.”
