By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Jury finds Daniel Newsham not guilty of manslaughter

Dec 18, 2018 | 10:24 AM

A jury has found Daniel Wayne Newsham not guilty of manslaughter. 

The 48-year-old Delburne man was charged in the August 14, 2016 crash near Lousana that claimed the life of 32-year-old Stanley Dick. 

The verdict announced Tuesday morning in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench came after about six hours of deliberations by the seven-man, five-woman jury. 

The jury heard during the trial that Newsham and friend Karl Raniseth came across Dick near Newsham’s work compound in Delburne late that evening. Suspicious of why Dick was there, the pair tried to get the license plate number of the black Dodge Dakota he was driving when Dick fled the area. Newsham and Raniseth started following him in Newsham’s orange, lifted one-ton Dodge Ram.

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After calling the plate number into police, Newsham ignored RCMP warnings not to pursue.

Dick ended up driving onto a private property where he crashed into a fuel bulk tank. Dick then stole a nearby Ford F-150 and crashed into the SUV of a neighbour who’d come to investigate before leaving westbound.

Newsham and Raniseth were joined by the owner of the Ford as they continued following Dick on Highway 42. Court heard Dick slammed on the brakes when Newsham attempted to pass him just before 11:30 p.m. Both trucks swerved right before the front left side of Newsham’s truck and the back right side of Dick’s truck made contact. Dick’s truck entered the ditch before rolling and tossing him onto the highway. Dick later died from his injuries.

At issue was whether Newsham’s driving behaviour caused Dick’s death, or whether Dick died as a result of his own actions.

“We’re relieved, very relieved with the verdict,” said Balfour Der, Newsham’s lawyer.

“All of the eyewitnesses, including an independent person, agreed with the version that Mr. Newsham said had happened – that it was his vehicle that was cut off by the deceased.”

Der said Newsham regrets that Dick died as a result of what happened that night.

“Right from the get-go, when he first retained me, that was something he said, that this was just so unfortunate. He’s relieved on one hand, but on the other hand he’s always maintained that’s he’s just so sorry that this incident happened and that someone lost their life.

“I don’t know if regret for his actions is the right word, but it’s close to the right word because as he said, even to a policeman right at the scene, he never, ever would do anything like that again. It’s funny what happens to people in the heat of the moment.”

Der said he can see why Newsham did what he did that night.

“You can understand it from his perspective, or any of these rural business people. There are (also) farmers who are out there who are the victim of all these crimes and it’s so hard for the police to get there to catch anyone. So you can understand them doing what they think they can do to help, which may not be helpful. And as I said to the jury, it may have been ill-advised or foolish, but certainly what he was doing wasn’t wrongful.”