The uncle of a Canadian reservist who was killed in Afghanistan, says despite Thursday's ruling against his nephew's accused shooter, the family has some questions.
"It's our understanding that he (Cpl. Matthew Wilcox) was sent to Camp Aldershot where he was employed as a weapons instructor," George Megeney told CTV Atlantic on Friday. "To my way of thinking, that's nothing short of bizarre."
A military jury on Thursday found the reservist guilty of criminal negligence causing death, in the death of Kevin Megeney, 25, in 2007. Aldershot is a training facility for reserve troops.
The military confirmed that Wilcox worked at Aldershot in the summer of 2007 and at CFB Gagetown in 2008.
"Now I think the family deserves an answer of why that was allowed to happen," George Megeney said.
The military said it would offer no further comment before Wilcox is sentenced.
Kevin Megeney, of Stellarton, N.S., was shot while in the tent he shared with Wilcox at Kandahar Airfield.
Emotionally hard
George Megeney said the trial has been hard on his brother and his family.
"They endured nine weeks of trial testimony, and that has served to bring the sorrow and grief back to the forefront," he told CTV's Canada AM from New Glasgow, N.S.
In addition to the criminal negligence causing death charge, Wilcox was also found guilty of negligent performance of duty. The jury stayed a manslaughter charge.
There was an audible gasp and sobbing in the courtroom Thursday as the verdict was handed down against Wilcox, who is from of Glace Bay, N.S.
The prosecution had argued that Wilcox and Megeney were playing a game called "quick draw" in their tent when Wilcox's pistol discharged on March 6, 2007.
Those accusations were based on testimony by friends who spoke to Wilcox in the wake of the shooting.
But the defence argued that Wilcox was acting in self-defence, firing at Megeney to avoid being shot in the back.
Samson argued the self-defence argument was false since Wilcox admitted he didn't look at Megeney before firing his pistol, and because he agreed he could have fled from any danger he may have felt.
His uncle said he was satisfied with the verdict.
"Everyone is responsible for their actions, in particular when it comes to the use of firearms, and particularly in the military. There is a responsibility for soldiers to handle their weapons in a safe manner. Unfortunately that wasn't the case."
Wilcox has not yet been sentenced, but the charge of criminal negligence causing death comes with a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Serious charge
Military analyst Michelle Drapeau said the ruling matched the crime and that the charges are among the harshest that a soldier can face.
"The fact that this was done (by) his hand, in a camp where ammunition should not have been available and should not have been loaded into a weapon to begin with, all that would have come to the fore and taken into account when the panel fundamentally decided he was guilty of two of the three charges," Drapeau said.
In Halifax, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said of the court-martial: "I can assure you the findings of this court-martial will be examined very closely by the chain of command. If there are further precautionary steps that have to be taken, they will be taken. We take the handling of weapons and firearms very, very seriously in the Canadian Forces."
Megeney described his nephew as a popular and friendly young man who loved his work.
"Kevin was a great young man," he said. "He was very outgoing, he had lots of friends and he really enjoyed the military life. He was a great kid, a good son, a great nephew and just a good citizen."
Wilcox's parents have been unavailable for comment.
Defence lawyer Lt.-Col. Troy Sweet said he is recommending an appeal, in part because of the makeup of the military panel. It had only four members instead of the usual five.
There should have been a fifth member of the same rank as Wilcox, he said.
The defence can launch any prospective appeal within 24 hours of sentence being passed, he said.
With a report from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh and files from The Canadian Press
