Tonight, there are 4 deaths making the evening news: 1 murder, a killing that will be treated as manslaughter, a drowning, and what could be a sudden death.
We start first with the killing of 24-year-old Simon Baki, a resident of the Toledo Village of Big Falls. On Saturday night, he was found dead from what appeared to be large cut wounds to the back of his head. Investigators have since arrested and charged his fellow villager, 25-year-old Donicio Pau, with manslaughter.
But the Baki Family are already declaring their displeasure with that outcome. They want police to charge their loved one's accused killer with murder.
The cops say that after they consulted the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, they were advised to charge his alleged assailant with manslaughter instead of murder.
This evening, we spoke via telephone with his sister who told us that her entire family is outraged by this decision. Here's how she explained that while they've lost Simon permanently, his accused killer will get access to bail in the future.
Voice of: Manuela Baki, Sister of Deceased
"My mom said he jumped on the motorcycle and then he went to finish do the plastering. He went to help the guy because he told my mom no one is helping the guy and they don't have tools for the plastering, so he told the guy my dad has tools. Hence the reason they came to pick my dad's tools and they went back. They went back to where they were plastering and a lot of people saw him when they finish plastering and then they were making another tomb, so he decided to go and help the other guys. So he went there again and that was the last time he did not return home. On that day when he finishes plastering, apparently, he started drinking and that was it, we didn't see him. He didn't come home."
"When my dad saw him, my dad said he had like a big wound to his head which apparently seems like a nail. There were signs of bruises on his neck. I think he tried to struggle for his life, but he couldn't make it."
Reporter
"Police have arrested and charge somebody for manslaughter and not murder."
Voice of: Manuela Baki, Sister of Deceased
"I believe it is not right, because they charged him as manslaughter. Actually, he can get bail, but I mean I cannot understand why they didn't charge him for murder, because he actually killed my brother. We cannot bring back his life. He is already dead and so it distresses us because we know he will be back on the streets and our brother we will no longer see anymore. That is what my entire family is not happy about."
The family tells us that Simon Baki had recently received a number of threats on his life, and at least twice, he was chased home by a group of individuals he'd had differences with.
