Manslaughter charge laid in case of B.C. 14-year-old's apparent overdose death
Sept. 17 update: Carson Crimeni's father explains how he hopes the case will help other teens in the future.
VANCOUVER -- More than two years after the death of a B.C. teenager, a charge has been approved against someone who was a minor at the time.
Mounties in Langley announced Thursday that a man who is now 20 years old has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Carson Crimeni.
The identity of the accused has not been released, as he was a youth at the time of the 14-year-old's death. Police say a warrant for his arrest was issued by the B.C. Provincial Court.
The accused then turned himself in, when he found out there was a warrant, the Langley RCMP said. He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 20.
Crimeni died in August 2019 of an apparent overdose. According to his family, the autopsy on the boy's body found no obvious cause of death, and toxicology testing was ordered to determine what happened.
The results of that testing have not been made public.
His family members believe he died as a result of peer pressure from other teenagers. They say the other teens pressured Crimeni to take the drugs that led to his overdose at the Walnut Grove skate park.
Police did not provide any further details on what led to the arrest, including what role the accused is alleged to have played in Crimeni's death, beyond the charge itself.
The RCMP said there is a publication ban in place limiting the amount of information that can be released.
The teen's family spoke to CTV News earlier this year, as the two-year anniversary approached, and expressed their frustration that time at the lack of charges.
Crimeni's father said it gave the appearance that the legal system thought, "a child with a lethal amount of drugs is acceptable."
Even at the teen's funeral, an event attended by a large crowd of people who knew the boy, his father and other family members spoke about peer pressure and condemned those who'd been with Crimeni that night.
His sister described him as a good kid who was eager to impress.
"(He was) just trying to fit in and have friends who loved him," she said at his funeral, of her brother's final moments. Speaking to Crimeni, she said she hoped he could see how many people attended – evidence of how many people did love him.
Crimeni was found in the park the day he died after a video was posted to the social media app SnapChat, which appeared to show him in medical distress. Someone who saw the clip called police.
Two officers went to the park, but couldn't find the teen and left. He was found two hours later and rushed to hospital, where he died.
B.C.'s police watchdog was tasked at the time with investigating police actions, but determined the officers were not negligent, and no charges were recommended.
In the days after Crimeni's death, a recovered addict and advocate told CTV News the death was a reminder for parents to talk to their kids, and let them know that what they see online or hear from peers may not be true.
Guy Felicella's advice to parents was to avoid pointed questions, which could be seen as accusations or could end the discussion. Instead, he recommended parents and guardians approach the topic as part of a general conversation, as a way of assessing a child or teen's knowledge and experience.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.