Woman found not guilty of manslaughter in Brandon man's 2020 overdose death

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 11:16 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

A pistillate accused of selling the drugs that killed a Brandon antheral astir 5 years agone has been recovered not blameworthy pursuing her proceedings for manslaughter successful the southwestern Manitoba city.

Hailey Lepine, 25, had pleaded not blameworthy to charges of manslaughter, transgression negligence and unlawfully trafficking a controlled substance successful transportation with the 2020 overdose decease of 30-year-old Michael Crede. 

Justice Elliot Leven, who presided implicit the judge-only March 25 to 27 trial at the Court of King's Bench successful Brandon, acquitted Lepine successful an April 16 decision, ruling the Crown had not proved her guilt beyond a tenable doubt.

Crede died connected July 25, 2020, aft splitting a gram of MDMA, besides known arsenic ecstasy oregon molly, with his 33-year-old girlfriend, Chrissy Nepinak (who testified astatine the proceedings but is not identified by sanction successful Leven's decision).

In her March 25 testimony, Nepinak said Crede shook and foamed astatine the rima aft taking the drugs, and aboriginal became unresponsive. 

A toxicologist testified that Crede had "very, very, precise high" levels of MDA in his blood. The assemblage breaks down MDMA into MDA, a related substance wrong the amphetamine household that tin person greater hallucinogenic and stimulant effects.

There were nary different evident causes of death, Leven wrote, and the pathologist told tribunal Crede's origin of decease was a cause overdose.

Nepinak testified she bought the drugs from Lepine, claiming Lepine knew the drugs to beryllium unsafe but sold them anyway. 

Lepine told the tribunal that ne'er happened. 

"Have I ever sold a cause to anyone? No," Lepine said connected the past time of her trial. 

In his decision, Leven wrote helium did not find Nepinak to beryllium a "credible oregon reliable witness," adding she demonstrated "extremely mediocre judgment" by not calling 911 oregon driving Crede to the hospital. 

Leven questioned Nepinak's claims that she arranged to bargain the drugs from Lepine utilizing Facebook Messenger, noting determination was "no carnal grounds (e.g. substance messages) contradicting thing [Lepine] said."

Lepine told tribunal she occasionally utilized substance messages to bargain drugs herself, but claimed she didn't person immoderate messages from 2020. She said she ne'er texted oregon saw Nepinak the time Crede died. 

Nepinak told the tribunal she deleted the messages astir buying drugs out of habit. 

Leven also noted Lepine freely admitted to utilizing marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms, which "bolstered her credibility to immoderate extent."

In his decision, Leven wrote helium recovered Nepinak to beryllium "dishonest" erstwhile she initially told constabulary the drugs had travel from a "friend of a friend," a response helium wrote was "calculated to fell thing from the police."

She testified she didn't initially privation to give police a name, but changed her caput erstwhile they told her she could assistance forestall much deaths by telling them wherever the drugs came from.

Leven's decision, though, said "a much plausible mentation is that, erstwhile she realized that the constabulary were intent connected pursuing the subject, [Nepinak] realized that her 'friend of a friend' answer would nary longer beryllium sufficient, and she had to supply a name. 

"The archetypal sanction that came to caput was that of the accused."

Leven's determination noted that Lepine had dated Nepinak's member but they had a atrocious breakup successful mid-2020. Lepine claimed helium had sold drugs astatine the time, and that she had antecedently shared drugs with him and Nepinak. 

"Providing the sanction of the accused was a convenient solution to a hard problem," Leven wrote. 

"Considering the credible grounds of the accused on with the little credible grounds of [Nepinak], determination is evidently a tenable uncertainty astir the guilt of the accused," helium ruled, acquitting Levine of the charges.