Convicted killer Snelson on bail until sentencing this fall

KAMLOOPS – Convicted killer Neil Snelson will spend the rest of his summer living in Lake Country before his sentencing for manslaughter this fall.

Last month, a jury convicted the accused of killing 19-year-old Jennifer Cusworth after the two left a house party in 1993. Cusworth’s body was found on Swamp Road in Kelowna. The case went cold until 2009, when police matched Snelson's DNA to the crime scene. Cusworth died from blunt force trauma to her head.

At a 2011 trial, a jury found Snelson guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. After successfully appealing his conviction, Kamloops Supreme Court retried Snelson's case in June.

Crown prosecutors estimate that Snelson's sentence may be reduced by eight years for time already served in prison. Pre-sentence custody, called "dead time", is often calculated as two days in prison for every day served.

In June 2014, a judge granted him bail. He is currently living with his surety in Lake Country.

Manslaughter has no minimum sentence. It ranges from probation to life imprisonment.

Snelson will return to court September 10 for sentencing.

To read coverage of the trial, click here.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.