A man accused of participating in a mob assault of a homeless person last year in Nelson has been acquitted.
Justus Taylor Bisch had been charged with assault causing bodily harm after he and three other men were arrested on March 16, 2019.
The group had allegedly beat up 59-year-old Murray Poole, who was outside the former Wait’s News location at Ward and Baker Streets.
In his decision on Feb. 28, Judge Phillip Seagram ruled the eye witnesses who testified were credible but inconsistent in their accounts and did not positively identify Bisch as a participating assailant.
Bisch, who also testified last week, admitted to being at the scene.
The case against Bisch was complicated by Poole’s absence. He later died in what police have said is an unrelated incident that is also the subject of an active homicide investigation.
The three other men arrested in the alleged assault cannot be named by the Star because they were under 18 at the time of the incident.
Related: Trial begins after homeless man allegedly swarmed downtown Nelson
tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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