Calgary Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter

0:00A Calgary man dodged a full murder trial this week by pleading guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing death of his friend. Hans Hemenes-Berella admitted to unlawfully killing Jose Gutierrez-Polanco back on January 28, 2024, using a pair of, scissors as the weapon. The body turned up more than two weeks later on February 14, and in the northeast Calgary home on Greer Avenue, cops pieced it together from hours of CCTV footage and neighborhood checks before charging Verella with second-degree murder. Fourteen jurors got sent home after his lawyer dropped the plea news, skipping what was said to be a two-week trial. Verella was hammered drunk at the time, which messed with his intent for murder, leading straight to the manslaughter call. Prosecutors laid out 12 stab wounds as the cause, and the judge bought it as solid for guilt. No joint sentencing plan from the lawyers, so they kicked it to criminal court this Friday. They might need two full days to hash out punishment, but Verella stays locked up until

1:00then, wrapping this twist in Calgary's court beat. That's your update from Canada News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.