Jury Finds Man Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter in Eduardo Balaquit’s Alleged Death – Winnipeg | The Canadian News

A Winnipeg jury has found 35-year-old Kyle Pietz guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the disappearance and presumed death of Eduardo Balaquit, a Winnipeg man who disappeared from his workplace nearly four years ago.

Members of Balaquit’s family gasped as the verdict was read, some hugging.

“In honor of my father, I mean, this person needed to go to jail,” Balaquit’s son, Edward, told reporters outside the courthouse.

“Fairly speaking, we thought (the verdict) was pretty obvious, and luckily the jury saw it the same way.”

The jury reached a verdict shortly after 7 pm on Wednesday night, about six hours after beginning its deliberations.

The Crown alleged that Pietz stole Balaquit’s bank cards and personal identification numbers (PINs) and the latter died during the robbery. Later, the court was told, Pietz put Balaquit’s body in his truck and transported it to a rural area.

Balaquit’s body, about which his son hoped to hear more information, has never been found.

“It’s good that the person responsible for the crimes against my father is finally found guilty,” Edward said.

“Throughout this process, we hoped that the evidence would show where my dad is or if this person would eventually tell us where he is. He didn’t give us that information and that’s the piece we really wanted to know.”

Crown prosecutors had argued that Pietz was facing significant debt and a desperate need for cash when Balaquit disappeared on June 4, 2018 from Westcon Equipment and Rentals, where he worked as a cleaner.

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The court heard that Pietz worked in the same business until a month earlier.

Prosecutors argued that Pietz’s financial situation led him to his former workplace, because he was “an easy target” and “Balaquit was targeted personally or as a means of getting into that building.”

Jurors previously heard that officers found a sticky note with Balaquit’s PIN numbers at Pietz’s home. His accounts were emptied of $700.

Sergeant Wade McDonald of the Winnipeg Police Service homicide unit says the Post-it Note was “critical” evidence.

“We never got the results we wanted,” said Sgt. McDonald, adding that it was a “challenging” investigation.

“We went on for several years and charges were filed, and today: justice for the Balaquit.”

Pietz’s defense said the evidence may be evidence of robbery, but not manslaughter.

“For more than four years, the Winnipeg Police Service has tirelessly investigated the disappearance of Eduardo Balaquit,” Crown Counsel Brent Davidson said outside court.

“For four years, the focus of that investigation was on Kyle Pietz. Based on today’s verdict, the focus now turns to the Balaquit family.”

The crown says it will seek a life sentence. Pietz was taken into custody and had his bond revoked, at the request of prosecutors.

Pietz hugged his attorney and handcuffed him before leaving the courtroom.