Father hopes charge in B.C. teen's caught-on-camera overdose will protect other kids from bullies
After learning a young man had been charged in connection with his son's 2019 death, a B.C. father said he felt relieved, and hopeful for the impact the case may have on other teenagers.
Aron Crimeni spoke to CTV News Vancouver from his home in Langley, B.C., after it was announced Thursday that a 20-year-old had been charged with manslaughter.
The accused cannot be named, as he was a minor at the time of 14-year-old Carson Crimeni's death.
"It's been a long time waiting," Aron said, adding that his family had gotten to a point where they were doubtful anyone would be charged in the apparent overdose.
Carson died on Aug. 7, 2019, after being found in medical distress. While results of toxicology tests have not been made public, his family believes the boy overdosed, and claims he was given drugs by a group of teens he'd met up with at a local skate park that day.
Video posted to social media app Snapchat, reportedly captured by a member or members of that group, showed the teen in distress. Police were called to the park by someone who'd seen the video, but could not initially find Carson.
According to Aron, this was because the group he was with saw the officers coming and hid him. Carson was found later and was rushed to hospital, but did not survive.
More than two years after the incident, a single charge was announced in the case. The Langley RCMP announced the manslaughter charge, but did not give any details on the role the accused is alleged to have played on that day, citing a publication ban in the case.
It's a charge the Crimeni family does not feel is severe enough. They believe Carson knew then teens involved, and had been bullied by at least one of them in the past. Aron said he did not know whether the alleged bully is also the accused in the case.
These details have not been confirmed by police, and none of the family's allegations have been proven in court.
According to his sister, who spoke at Carson's funeral, he was the type of teenager who tried to "fit in" and be loved. Speaking directly to her brother that day, she said the massive crowd in attendance at his funeral showed just how loved he was.
Still, Carson's father said he's relieved, and hopeful for what a charge in the case may mean for children and teens dealing with similar situations.
"This isn't going to bring Carson back, this isn't going to make up for what was done to Carson, in my mind, at all. But what we're hoping it will do is prove that this behaviour isn't acceptable," he said.
"We're hoping that the fact that the charges have been pressed in some way helps protect another child in the future."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.