Jury to decide fate of man charged with negligence in python trial

The trial for a New Brunswick man whose snake killed two young brothers is expected to go to jury Wednesday.

Jean-Claude Savoie is charged with criminal negligence causing death after his African Rock Python escaped its enclosure and suffocated four-year-old Noah Barthe and his six-year old brother Connor in 2013. The brothers were having a sleepover with Savoie’s son in the apartment above his pet store.

It’s believed the snake travelling through a ventilation duct and fell into the room where the boys were sleeping.

Savoie’s lawyer argued that the duct wasn’t covered because Savoie did not believe the large snake could fit through it.

During the trial, a former volunteer at Savoie’s pet store, Ocean Eagles, testified that weeks earlier she had placed a cover over the opening of the duct when Savoie told her the snake had managed to get halfway out before.

RCMP Const. Eric Maillet, one of the first officers on the scene, said he was surprised at how quickly the large snake could move. Maillet said Savoie was able to recapture the snake and return it to its enclosure but the snake appeared aggressive and looked to be trying to escape again.