Saskatchewan Father Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Manslaughter
Reginald Durocher, a 68-year-old resident of Christopher Lake, Saskatchewan, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Ryan Clark, the man previously convicted of killing Durocher’s son. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Durocher had initially faced a second-degree murder charge, and his jury trial was scheduled to begin at the Court of King’s Bench in Prince Albert on Monday. However, he entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge on the first day of proceedings.
Clark, 34, died on April 4, 2023, in the parking lot of Mr. T’s Liquor Store in Northside, Saskatchewan, approximately 165 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
The case is linked to the death of Durocher’s son, Christopher, who was beaten to death inside a recreational vehicle in Christopher Lake in 2016. Clark was convicted of second-degree murder in 2018, but the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the conviction in November 2022 and ordered a new trial. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal had previously upheld the conviction.
Clark was awaiting a new trial when Durocher struck him with his pickup truck. According to facts presented by Crown prosecutor Rob Parker, Durocher accelerated toward Clark at close range, throwing him against a boulder. Surveillance footage captured the incident.
A coroner’s report concluded that Clark died from severe injuries caused by the collision, including blunt-force trauma to his head and neck, a brain haemorrhage, cuts and multiple fractures.
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