Found Deceased Canada - Cooper Nemeth, 17, Winnipeg, 14 Feb 2016 *Arrest*

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Man accused in Cooper Nemeth murder to go straight to trial - March 31st

The man charged with the second degree murder of Cooper Nemeth is headed straight to trial.

A preliminary inquiry was originally scheduled to take place in July for Nicholas Bell Wright, 23, but he appeared in court Thursday and was directly indicted.

Manitoba Justice granted the indictment at the Crown's request.

"It's a very unique, rare, unusual step; it's not commonly sought," said Scott Newman, spokesperson for the Criminal Defence Lawyers of Manitoba.

Cooper Nemeth's accused killer gets probation over stolen vehicle

Nicholas Bell-Wright was on probation when he was charged in the homicide of 17-year-old Cooper Nemeth. Now, he’s been sentenced to probation again for admitting he was in a stolen vehicle when police found him and arrested him on the second-degree murder charge.

Bell-Wright, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of a motor vehicle obtained by crime. The criminal charge stemmed from the parked and running red Dodge Caravan police found him in just after 4 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2016. It turned out the van had been stolen the day before from the area of McKay Avenue, but there’s no evidence Bell-Wright was the one who stole it.

Bell-Wright received a suspended sentence with 18 months of supervised probation and court-ordered counselling Thursday, but he remains in custody on the second-degree murder charge, which carries an automatic life sentence upon conviction.

The Crown has authorized a direct indictment in the second-degree murder case, moving the case directly to a Court of Queen’s Bench trial. A trial date has not yet been set.

Vigil to remember Cooper Nemeth 1 year after disappearance

 

[JanetElaine]

Has anyone seen any updates on Bell-Wright's trial? I couldn't find any.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/drug-dealer-pleads-guilty-to-cooper-nemeths-murder-455879533.html

A 17-year-old high school hockey player was murdered after he was set up under the guise of a drug deal, court heard Tuesday.

Nicholas Bell-Wright, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the February 2016 death of Cooper Nemeth, admitting to shooting him in the head twice.

Bell-Wright is scheduled to be sentenced after a full-day hearing in January that will give Nemeth’s family and friends time to explain the impact of his death to Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Glenn Joyal.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Number of victim impact statements delays Bell-Wright sentencing hearing in Nemeth death

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/number-of-victim-impact-statements-delays-bell-wright-sentencing-hearing-in-nemeth-death-1.3760265

The hearing for Nicholas Bell-Wright, which got underway Monday morning, has been adjourned until Jan. 22 because of a large number of victim impact statements submitted to the Crown.

The Crown told a packed courtroom Monday it received 96 victim impact statements and that legislation prevents lawyers from making a determination about which ones to include.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

https://globalnews.ca/news/3979538/winnipeg-court-to-hear-victim-impact-statements-in-cooper-nemeth-murder/

After learning that the defence was not opposed to considering all 96 statements, he ruled that all of the statements would be considered admissible in this case, with 16 to be read aloud in court.

“Victims do have a voice, and they will be heard in the victim impact statements,” Justice Joyal said.

The next date in Bell-Wright’s sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

'Cooper wasn't a gangster or a big-time drug dealer. He was a kid,' mother says in victim impact statement

A drug dealer who shot a 17-year-old boy in the head even though the teen "didn't do nothing wrong," has been ordered to spend life in prison with no chance of parole for 16 years.

No matter when or if Nicholas Bell-Wright is released on parole, Court of Queen's Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal said as he imposed the sentence Wednesday, he'll be haunted by his "callous brutality" until his last breath.

"That wasn't who I was raised to be," Bell-Wright said Wednesday, addressing the judge as a few of his relatives sat in the gallery along with Cooper's family and friends, who sat silently.

Cooper "had his whole life ahead of him and I had no right to take that away from him," he said.

Gaylene Nemeth left the courtroom just before her son's killer spoke. Brent Nemeth said he plugged his ears so he wouldn't have to hear him. Both later said they did not care what Bell-Wright had to say.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/bell-wright-ineligible-for-parole-for-16-years-1.3773109

Gaylene Nemeth told court her own thoughts have been "haunting and tormenting" since Cooper's death.

"Every night's consumed of nightmares," she said.

Gaylene said when she thinks about her son she sees him as "a beautiful baby" but then starts to think about what happened to Cooper on Feb. 14, 2016.

"Then I look down and there is my beautiful baby with a gun to his face," she said. "Walked to the gallows by someone claiming to be a friend."

"Mr. Bell-Wright gave Cooper a death sentence, my family a life sentence."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/cooper-nemeth-sentencing-1.4502073

Brent Nemeth looked at Bell-Wright and told him he had tossed his son "in a garbage can like a piece of trash."

"My first-born. My son. Murdered at age 17," he said.

"Parents should never outlive their children."

His friends spoke about how their high school graduation was sombre and filled with sadness without Cooper around to help them celebrate. Some spoke about how they felt guilt, were depressed and struggled with school work after his murder.

Nemeth's good friend Kelsey Schneider said he became "completely numb inside" after the murder.