A man has pleaded guilty in relation to the death of a woman whose body was found in downtown Nanaimo three years go.
Kyle Gordon Ordway, 39, was charged with manslaughter after Amy Watts, a 27-year-old former outreach worker, was found dead in June 2021 after going missing the previous month.
Ordway entered the plea Wednesday, Aug. 21, at B.C. Supreme Court in Nanaimo in front of justice Jennifer Power and Basil McCormick, Crown counsel, and Bobby Movassaghi, Ordway’s legal representative, made a joint submission.
Citing an agreed statement-of-facts, McCormick said the two were involved in a tumultuous relationship that included violence and drug use.
Watts was last seen on the evening of May 7, 2021. McCormick said Ordway pushed Watts down a cliff near Nanaimo city hall after the two were fighting. Ordway confessed to an acquaintance that he had pushed her and she was dead.
An autopsy revealed Watts died from extensive head injuries due to blunt-force trauma and the injuries could be consistent from a fall from a significant height.
Nanaimo RCMP previously stated the investigation required significant resources and time, lasting a year and a half.
Watts, from Prince Edward Island originally, had sought help at, and worked for, Nanaimo Youth Services Association and also worked at Samaritan House women's shelter.
Both McCormick and Movassaghi are recommending Ordway be sentenced to four years in prison, minus time served. That would amount to an additional 26 months in jail.
Janice Coady, Watts’s mother, made a victim impact statement in court after the guilty plea, saying that she tries to be thankful for her memories of her daughter. Coady travelled from the Maritimes to attend the sentencing hearing.
During the hearing, it was mentioned that Ordway was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison for assault causing bodily harm to a woman in 2023. Movassaghi told the court that both Watts and Ordway were involved in the offence.
In an e-mail, the B.C. Prosecution Service told the News Bulletin that sentencing hearings are sometimes scheduled without a plea having been entered in advance. This typically happens when the guilty plea is expected on sentencing day.
Addressing the court, Ordway apologized for actions that led to the “horrific freak accident,” turning to face Coady and other members of Watts’s family.
While Power was expected to render a decision on Thursday, Aug. 22, she stated she sought more information in order to fulfill her judicial duties and ordered a pre-sentence report to assist with sentencing.
Court was adjourned and a date for sentencing is expected to be set on Sept. 23.
