deadmonton 2004 - bryce nealon
Bryce Nealon, 18, was beaten to death August 12th, 2004.
Brett McLean, 22, was charged with aggravated assault, later upgraded to manslaughter.
Bryce Nealon (left) was enjoying a summer evening with friends at the Palomino Saloon in Sherwood Park, located just southeast of Edmonton.
At some time during the night Nealon was asked to leave the establishment and while in the bar's parking lot he got involved in a fight. Nealon was knocked down and died two days later.
Sherwood Park RCMP first charged Brett McLean, 22, with aggravated assault, but upgraded the charge to manslaughter when Nealon died.
McLean's trial began on January 17th, 2006 with testimony from Brittany Baltimore, a friend of Nealon's younger sister.
Baltimore stated she saw Nealon knocked out with a single punch and that he appeared to be "out" before he hit the pavement. Baltimore said Nealon fell backwards and "It (Nealon's head) bounced."
The medical examiner's report stated Nealon suffered a fractured skull and bleeding around the brain as a result of blunt cranial trauma.
Video surveillance from three nearby digital security cameras captured the confrontation. Both the defense and the Crown agreed that the two men seen squaring off against each other in the footage were Brett McLean (left) and Nealon.
A former Palomino staffer testified that she asked a bouncer to remove a hostile patron upset over drink prices just after 10 p.m. The Crown stated Nealon hung around outside the bar asking staff and patrons to fight.
Video images shown to the jury appear to show Nealon talking and making arm gestures at patrons outside the bar's entrance. Toxicology tests indicated Nealon had a blood alcohol level of .13, almost twice the legal driving limit.
A Palomino bouncer recalled that Nealon challenged about 30 people outside the bar all the while claiming to be a boxer.
The Crown stated that McLean accepted the challenge and delivered a single punch to Nealon's head with a closed fist. The bouncer said the sound of Nealon's head hitting the ground was like a wooden board snapping in half. "There was a loud crack."
Testimony from the Palomino's general manager suggested that more than just alcohol affected Nealon's behaviour. In addition to dancing jigs, he said Nealon claimed to be a police officer giving his badge number as "4141."
Nealon had also tried to re-enter the bar after changing his clothes and wearing a baseball cap to disguise his appearance.
On January 24th, 2006 the case went to jury.
After a half-day of deliberation, Brett McLean was found not guilty of the charge of manslaughter in connection with Nealon's death.