Manitoba court news: Prosecutors asked a Portage la Prairie judge to send James Lorne Bayley Hilton to prison for seven years after he pleaded guilty in the crash that killed Kellie Verwey, 28, on Highway 26 in January 2025.
By Maplestime News Desk | Portage la Prairie, Manitoba | November 6, 2026
Sources: CBC Manitoba | Last updated: November 6, 2026
Key Takeaways
- James Lorne Bayley Hilton, now 26, pleaded guilty to driving over the prescribed blood drug concentration causing death and to failing to stay at the scene.
- Kellie Verwey, 28, was killed on Highway 26 in the rural municipality of Portage la Prairie on January 15, 2025.
- Crown attorney Brendan Roziere asked for a total seven year sentence, minus credit for time served.
- Defence lawyer Brett Gladstone asked for two to four years for the driving charge and a consecutive nine to 12 months for leaving the scene.
- A test found about 1,130 nanograms of methamphetamine in Hilton’s blood, which the agreed facts called a very high amount.
- Court of King’s Bench Justice Scott Abel is expected to deliver his sentencing decision next month.
What Prosecutors Are Asking For
Roziere asked for a total seven year sentence, minus credit for time served. Hilton was 25 at the time of the crash and is now 26. He pleaded guilty to driving over the prescribed blood drug concentration causing death and to failing to stay at the scene.
Gladstone asked for a sentence of two to four years for the driving charge and a consecutive nine to 12 months for leaving the scene. The defence position is far below the seven years sought by the Crown.
What the Court Heard
Tears flowed in the Portage la Prairie courtroom on Friday as loved ones of Kellie Verwey told Justice Scott Abel how her death has changed their lives. Her mother, Meechelle Best, read a victim impact statement and said she watched her daughter graduate with honours, fall in love and start a business. Best told the court, “The unfinished future weighs heavy on my heart. When Kellie died, part of me died along with her.”
More than a dozen people submitted victim impact statements. Her aunt Tricia Macdonald told Hilton she forgave him and said, “I pray that you never forget Kellie, and that the price she paid for your choices on January 15, 2025, changes your life for the better.” Hilton replied, “Thank you.”
Hilton read his own statement through tears at times and told Verwey’s family the crash has changed him. “I understand that I’m in no position to ask for sympathy, remorse or forgiveness,” he said. “But with all my heart, I’m deeply sorry.” One person sitting with Verwey’s family was removed from the courtroom after an angry outburst during Hilton’s statement.
An agreed statement of facts read in court said Hilton lost control of the Ford F-150 truck he was driving, causing an oncoming truck to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Verwey’s vehicle hit the other truck, which ended up in a ditch. Tire marks later found at the scene suggested the F-150 had crossed into oncoming traffic before going into a ditch.
RCMP found Verwey unresponsive and bleeding when they arrived minutes later. She was pronounced dead at the scene, with her cause of death later determined to be blunt force injuries from the crash. A collision analyst concluded the crash happened because Hilton lost control of the vehicle he was driving, and Hilton admits his driving was a significant contributing cause of the crash that killed Verwey.
A witness reported seeing Hilton get out of the truck he was in, before getting in another vehicle and leaving the scene, not stopping, providing identifying information or offering help. When police later found and arrested Hilton, he stated words to the effect of, “I didn’t know what to do. That’s why I ran.”
After the crash, police found several drug related items in the truck Hilton was driving and on him when he was later arrested. He was carrying about 10 grams of methamphetamine and told police he had taken drugs. A test later found about 1,130 nanograms of methamphetamine in Hilton’s blood, which the facts said was a very high amount.
The crash pushed Verwey’s family into advocating for changes to Canada’s bail system, after police said Hilton was wanted at the time of the crash for failing to comply with a release order. That intensified after they said they learned Hilton, without permission, left the treatment centre he was released to after the crash. Hilton’s mother, Kristi Hilton, also addressed the court Friday, telling the judge she blames herself for her son’s struggles with drug use, something she has also grappled with.
Related: Five Charged With Manslaughter After Shooting Death in Winnipeg
What Happens Next
The sentencing decision was reserved. Justice Scott Abel is expected to deliver his sentencing decision next month. The court has not yet set out a sentence, so the seven years sought by prosecutors and the shorter sentence sought by the defence remain proposals for the judge to decide.
Maplestime will provide updates from this case as the court process continues.
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