Teenager pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of Penticton man

One of three teenagers charged with the murder of a 22-year-old Penticton man five years ago pleaded guilty to manslaughter Friday.

One of the youths charged pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, Sept. 4, having been charged with the second-degree murder of Taig Savage.

The plea comes almost five years to the day that Savage was found dead.

He was found unresponsive in a school field near Penticton Secondary at about 6 a.m. Sept. 5, 2021 and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

At the time, Penticton RCMP said the killing was not a random act.

In 2024, four people were charged in relation to Savages death, three of them were minors.

Two of the four would have been 15 years old at the time, while another was 17. A mandatory publication ban applies to their names because they are minors.

Isaac Hayes Jack, who was 18 at the time, was also charged. His trial is set for May 2027 and is scheduled to last three months.

One of the other minors is scheduled for their trial to begin Sept. 14.

A court ordered a publication ban is in place, covering all of the circumstances of the offence disclosed in court to make sure the co-accused has a fair trial.