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Coates, 31, died in hospital three days after Ewen plowed into him with his car after losing a fight outside a house party
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An Edmonton man who killed another man with his car after a fight over a Hells Angels hat was wanted by police at the time for severely injuring his girlfriend in a similar incident, a court has heard.
Kevin Christian Ewen, 30, pleaded guilty in Edmonton Court of King’s Bench Thursday to manslaughter for the March 2021 death of Bradley Coates.
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Coates, 31, died in hospital three days after Ewen plowed into him with his car after losing a fight outside a house party.
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Ewen was initially charged with first-degree murder but was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser offence. He remains out on bail pending sentencing and sat in the prisoner box wearing an all-black suit with a red tie.
Coates’ loved ones watched from the gallery and on video conference, one with tears in her eyes.
Ewen previously served 100 days in jail and was banned from driving for a year after running over his then-girlfriend’s leg the year prior, Justice Stephen Hillier heard. He was also given 18 months probation.
Fight over a hat
According to an agreed statement of facts, Ewen and Coates were strangers when they attended a house party at 1640 Rutherford Rd. SW on March 14, 2021.
The two got drunk and came into conflict after Ewen told a story about having been robbed in Saskatchewan.
Coates interjected and said his cousin had been the one who committed the robbery. The two got into a heated argument, which a resident of the home diffused.
A short time later, Coates confronted Ewen again, this time holding a red hat with a Hells Angels insignia on it.
“Coates threw the hat at the accused’s feet and asked, ‘Are you serious? You support this?’” the agreed facts state.
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No additional details about the hat were included.
Eventually, the two men went outside. They spotted one another, and began to fistfight and wrestle in the street. The commotion woke several neighbours, who later said Coates appeared to have the upper hand. The fight ended when Ewen pulled Coates’ sweater over his head and retreated to his Chevy Cruze.
Ewen climbed in, pulled a three point turn and sped toward Coates, who was walking through a T-intersection back toward the house.
The Chevy hit Coates travelling 39 km/h, lifting him onto the hood. Ewen accelerated, sending Coates flying 16 metres, where he hit his head on the pavement.
Ewen then drove off. Neighbours who witnessed the hit and run hurried to help Coates, who was lying in a pool of blood.
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Ewen later told his girlfriend he had hit someone with his car. “I think I killed the kid,” he said. He later instructed the girlfriend to move the Chevy away from his home.
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He eventually drove the vehicle to the auto detailer in Nisku where he worked, where police arrested him on March 25, 2021. Investigators seized the car, which had minor front-end damage.
Ewen pleaded guilty that October to failing to remain at the scene of a collision for the January 2020 hit and run involving his ex. According to an agreed statement of facts in that case, he and the girlfriend started punching each other after a drunken argument about the location of his vape.
Ewen threatened to “smash” her vehicle and left the residence, climbing behind the wheel of his Ford Ranger. The girlfriend grabbed the door of the truck as Ewen attempted to smash into her car, but lost her grip and fell, her leg crushed as Ewen reversed.
Ewen then drove off, leaving her lying in the alley, screaming in pain.
Ewen’s guilty plea in that case did not require him to admit “what his state of knowledge was about (the girlfriend’s) injury as he left the scene,” the facts state.
Ewen’s case is next in court Sept. 28 for sentencing. Manslaughter has no minimum sentence and carries a maximum of life in prison. He also pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge.
jwakefield@postmedia.com
twitter.com/jonnywakefield
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