Final arguments made in manslaughter trial of one-time MMA fighter
Witness: “The veins were popping out of his neck, his face was beet red and he was sweating even though it was minus 10 outside.”
You did martial arts for a few years as a kid. Then you graduate from high school and study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a three and a half years, and have one amateur MMA fight. You weighed in at 159 for your one fight, and won. Your opponent through was 0-3 at the time, and finished his career 0-5, having seen a ring card girl only once.
You haven’t trained in years but can still handle yourself better than most people. Add one or two supermodel girlfriends and some other gifts, and you’re a typical UGer.
You are standing in a restaurant parking lot and a man suddenly appears, tearing off his jacket and sweater, screaming and swearing, challenging everyone to fight.
I felt something was wrong with him, Trial underway for Kelowna man accused of killing victim with single punch” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>said independent witness Tyson Attwood. The veins were popping out of his neck, his face was beet red and he was sweating even though it was minus 10 outside.
The witness was certain the crazed man was about to throw a punch, when suddenly you step forward and throw one straight right that lands behind the ear. The madman drops.
I guess he must have felt obliged to block us off from this guy and do something about it,” said the witness. If that guy didn’t get punched he was going to punch someone, it was inevitable.”
You are a hero. There’s video of it, maybe it goes a little viral.
Except the guy you dropped hits the pavement hard and never wakes up. Two days later he dies in hospital of a brain bleed. Now you are on trial for manslaughter.
That is what happened to Cory Van Gilder, who is currently on trial for the February 2016 death of Zachary Gaudette, following an altercation in the Cactus Club parking lot in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
The prosecution argues Van Gilder is an overzealous thug, who took advantage of an intoxicated man. The defense argues he’s a hero, protecting those around him from a dangerous threat.
Van Gilder, 26, sobbed loudly on the stand as he recounted his decision to punch Gaudette on February 17, 2016.
As soon as he turned towards me I hit him, Van Gilder told the 12 members of the jury.
Crown prosecutor Andrew Vandersluys asked Van Gilder why he didn’t restrain Gaudette, given his years of Jiu-Jitsu training.
It all happened so quickly, said Van Gilder. My adrenaline was through the roof. He kept moving. He wasn’t slowing down. I did not want to grapple with this guy. I didn’t know if he had a weapon on him.
I didn’t want to hurt the guy. I didn’t think that he was seriously injured. I didn’t know a punch like that could hurt someone so severely.”
Street fights resulting in death from a punch and fall onto concrete or asphalt is unfortunately commonplace worldwide, and is one more reason to avoid fights, and all the more so if you are trained.