Manslaughter And Criminal Negligence Convictions Upheld

Ontario's Court of Appeal has upheld the convictions of a man from Uxbridge who was found criminally responsible for the deaths of his mother and sister. Kevin Plein's manslaughter and criminal negligence convictions stand, however, his 18-year sentence was reduced to 14 on the basis of new evidence about what the court called "cognitive challenges" of the accused. In his ruling, Justice David Pacciocco said, "Mt. Plein should be sentenced as someone who made grossly negligent and irresponsible decisions, and who failed to attend to the needs of his sister and mother with the same level of care he used when attending to his own direct interests." The 54-year old was found guilty in the 2014 manslaughter of his mother Erika, and criminal negligence in the death of his sister Cindy; Erika was frail and blind, Cindy had cognitive and physical limitations. His mother died at the age of 72 in April of 2010 of starvation, his sister died in June of 2009 after severe burns she suffered went untreated and became infected.