Sault man found guilty of manslaughter, not murder, in 2020 stabbing

An undated image of the Ministry of the Attorney General Court House sign in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. (Cory Nordstrom/CTV News Northern Ontario)

A man in Sault Ste. Marie was found guilty Friday of a reduced charge of manslaughter in a 2020 stabbing death in the city.

Justice Alexander Kurke delivered the verdict in front of a packed courtroom, finding Montana Lewis, 22, guilty of the lesser charge and not of first-degree murder that the Crown had sought.

The family of the victim, Samuel Graham Junior, screamed in anger as Kurke read his decision.

Hurled insults

The victim’s relatives also hurled insults toward Lewis and his family.

The incident took place on Nov. 12, 2020. In what the judge viewed as vengeance for an earlier fight, Lewis attacked Graham, who was 19, with a knife outside the Lewis family’s Muriel Drive residence.

A stab wound punctured Graham’s aorta and led to his death.

Kurke outlined what was necessary to convict someone on a first-degree murder charge. While ruling that Lewis did commit an unlawful act, he did not mean to cause the death of Graham, who was his sister’s boyfriend.

Sentencing in the case will take some time. Pre-sentence and Gladu reports have both been ordered.

This matter returns to the Sault courthouse Feb. 25.