Man pleads guilty to charges linked to death of Whitehorse cyclist

The man facing charges related to the death of a cyclist last summer in Whitehorse has pleaded guilty.

Appearing in a Whitehorse courtroom Monday morning wearing blue clothes, tattoos and a beard, Adam Lougheed kept his eyes cast downward.

On the morning of June 13th last year, Joseph Morrison was killed in a hit-and-run near Rabbit's Foot Canyon along the Alaska Highway. The case has ignited calls to improve road safety for cyclists across the city.

Relying on leads from Yukoners, including dashcam footage and witness statements, RCMP officers were able to close in on Lougheed, who drove a black Chrysler 300 vehicle, with a damaged front end.

Last year, hundreds of people took part in a memorial bike ride in Morrison's honour. Tonight, they will do the same, riding from the Holy Family school to the Canada Games Centre. 

Lougheed, who's in his 40s, faces a rash of charges linked to the collision, including driving while prohibited, dangerous driving causing death and failing to remain at the scene of a fatal crash.

Lougheed pleaded guilty to each count in the courtroom, where about 12 people sat in the gallery.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Morrison was struck from behind with such force he was thrown through the air, landing in a roadside ditch. Lougheed didn't stop. He kept driving and did not contact first responders. 

Another motorist stopped and called in the emergency. Paramedics found Morrison still breathing but unconscious. At the Whitehorse hospital, Morrison eventually succumbed to multiple blunt force injuries to his internal organs.

The case is next in court on June 26, when a date for sentencing is expected to be chosen and the defence will provide a Gladue report to the judge, as Lougheed is Indigenous. The Crown prosecutor on the case said it's unlikely Lougheed will be sentenced before September.