Manslaughter plea in C-Train death

A woman who pushed a Calgary teen into the path of a C-Train has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Natalie Pasqua, 28, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge in the death of Gage Prevost on Monday morning, several months after an appeal court overturned her second-degree murder conviction.

"She is getting away with manslaughter and she will be out in six months or a year," said the victim's younger brother Foster outside court. "I just think it's appalling that the criminals get everything they want and the victims don't get anything. No justice."

Crown prosecutor Brian Graff consented to the Monday morning plea, and asked for several pre-sentence reports.

Pasqua has been in custody since August 2007 and her lawyer Christopher Nowlin will ask for time served. Graff said he will ask for a longer sentence, but couldn't specify how long.

Gage Prevost died on Aug. 1, 2007, after he was pushed off the platform of a downtown C-Train station and fell between two train cars.

Pasqua was convicted of second-degree murder in February 2008. A jury believed that she purposely pushed the teen and she was sentenced to life in prison without parole for a minimum of 12 years.

This June, Pasqua won a new trial when the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that she received an unfair trial due to a combination of errors made by the original trial judge.

Pair clashed over drug deal

During her trial, court heard that Prevost and Pasqua were fighting over a $10 drug deal in front of rush-hour commuters on the Eighth Street S.W. C-Train platform.

The teen pushed Pasqua onto the tracks. She climbed back on the platform and struggled with Prevost before pushing him twice towards the oncoming train, witnesses testified.

Pasqua told the court the deadly shoving match was an accident and she never intended to kill the teen. She admitted she was a cocaine addict, but wasn't under the influence at the time of the incident.