Man accused in deaths of two boys killed by python ordered to stand trial

CAMPBELLTON, N.B. – The lawyer for a man accused in the deaths of two boys killed by a python in New Brunswick says his client has been ordered to stand trial.

Jean-Claude Savoie was charged with criminal negligence causing death after the two young brothers were asphyxiated by an African rock python in Campbellton.

Defence lawyer Leslie Matchim says trial dates will likely be set in January.

Four-year-old Noah Barthe and his six-year-old brother Connor were found dead on Aug. 5, 2013, after the snake escaped its enclosure inside Savoie’s apartment in Campbellton, where they were staying for a sleepover.

The RCMP alleged at the time that the 45-kilogram snake escaped a glass tank through a vent and slithered through a ventilation pipe, but its weight caused the pipe to collapse and it fell into the living room where the boys were sleeping.

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