A Port Alberni woman is facing a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting death of her son last year.
Samantha Jesselynn Dittmer was arrested on the evening of Aug. 29 at the home she shared with her son, Jesse McPhee, and charged with careless use of a firearm. The charge was upgraded to manslaughter five days later.
On March 10, Dittmer was charged with second-degree murder. She was released from custody the next day and is to appear in court on Wednesday.
The B.C. Coroners Service is also investigating McPhee’s death.
Under the Criminal Code, first-degree murder is a homicide that is planned and deliberate. It carries an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
Second-degree murder is generally a deliberate killing that occurs without planning. The minimum sentence for second-degree murder is life in prison with no parole for 10 years, but sentences can be as long as life in prison without parole for 25 years.
Manslaughter is a homicide committed without intent, although there may have been an intention to cause harm.
Manslaughter charges can apply when a person commits a crime that unintentionally results in the death of another person.
The charge can also include cases of criminal negligence, when the homicide was the result of an act or a failure to act that showed wanton or reckless disregard for the lives of others.
There is no minimum sentence for manslaughter, except when it is committed with a firearm, in which case the minimum sentence is four years in prison.
