Latest news with #RamaraTownship
CTV News
04-07-2025
- CTV News
Orillia man pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2023 Ramara Twp. stabbing
Orillia man Christopher Scully pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the fatal stabbing of Fabian Crawford in 2023. An Orillia man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing death of an acquaintance outside a rural Ramara Township property. Christopher Scully, 55, pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon in a Barrie courtroom to fatally stabbing Fabian Crawford, 48, following a fist-fight November 11, 2023, outside Crawford's home. Scully, was scheduled to stand trial for second-degree murder starting in January. 'He used too much force in the act of defending himself,' said defence lawyer Chris Hanson. 'It's just a mistake. It's just something that happened in the course of a fight.' As part of an Agreed Statement of Facts read to the court, Crown Attorney Katherine Cinerari said Crawford owned the property along County Road 169 near Monck Road where several men lived in neighbouring homes and trailers. Ramara Township Police believe Christopher Scully murdered Fabian Crawford at the property along County Road 169 near Monck Road in Ramara Township Nov. 11, 2023. (CTV News / Mike Arsalides) One of the tenants on the property had hired Scully to fix the cab on his red pickup truck a year earlier. When Scully arrived to work on the truck that morning, he was confronted by Crawford about having taken too long to fix the truck that was stuck on the property. That is when the court heard Crawford pushed Scully and a fight broke out between the two men. A witness said after the fighting stopped, they separated. Scully was then seen pulling out a six-inch hunting knife and stabbing Crawford once in the gut, piercing his liver. Crawford yelled for help, telling his wife he had been stabbed. The Crown said Crawford died in his wife's arms. Ramara Township Police believe Christopher Scully murdered Fabian Crawford at the property along County Road 169 near Monck Road in Ramara Township Nov. 11, 2023. One witness asked Scully why he used a knife in a fist fight, and he responded, 'I don't know.' Scully was arrested later that day and remains in custody. 'You walk around with a knife on your belt for whatever reason, it's like tap dancing on the edge of a cliff,' said Hanson. 'You don't know what's going to happen and you're putting yourself in jeopardy for something bad to happen.' The court heard Scully hid the knife in his welder's kit and left the property on foot when he was declined a ride home after the stabbing. The Crown told the court Scully discarded a different knife in the grass near the roadway. Two weeks later the knife used to kill Crawford was recovered, tested, and found to have Crawford's DNA on it. Once in custody, Scully told police he had a headache and was taken to hospital in Orillia where he was diagnosed with a concussion. Those who knew Crawford described the father of two teenage girls as a generous and kind soul, respected family man, and business owner who ran a landscaping company. 'Nobody had to lose their life. It's a tragedy that somebody did lose their life,' said Hanson. Scully's sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin in September. Christopher Scully and Fabian Crawford Christopher Scully and Fabian Crawford. (Supplied) Related Articles
CTV News
12-05-2025
- CTV News
Highway 12 traffic stop leads to multiple drug and weapons charges for 3 people
Police display items allegedly seized during a traffic stop in Ramara Township on May 8, 2025. (Source: OPP)
CTV News
11-05-2025
- CTV News
Man accused of impaired driving on Highway 11
An OPP officer holding a breathalyzer in this stock image. (Source / OPP) A driver is facing impaired driving charges after a traffic complaint on Highway 11 Saturday night. According to Orillia police, members of the detachment received a traffic complaint from a local about a vehicle travelling northbound on Highway 11. Officers were dispatched to the area and found the vehicle driving north on Highway 11. Upon further investigation and admitting a breath sample, a 62-year-old man from Ramara Township was charged with operation while impaired by alcohol and operation while impaired by alcohol with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters. The driver's license was suspended for 90-days and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
