Arrest in Boat Crash Case Brings Complicated Response

Jemma Dooreleyer | Nov 06, 2024

On Wednesday, October 30, at 10:30am, national and regional media reporters stood in a clump in front of the pop-up tent/microphone podium at the Frontenac OPP Detachment office, located next to Atkinson Home Hardware in Hartington. Behind the reporters stood a small group of “the public.” The parking lot was full of news vans, and vehicles lined the road.

Everyone was there for a media conference. They were waiting for the first concrete news about the police investigation into the Bobs Lake boat crash that claimed the lives of Riley Orr, Kaila Bearman and Julliette Cote, in the over five months since the tragedy. 

As soon as Sergeant Marty McConnel, said “Matthew Splinter” murmurs of “knew it” and “took them long enough” fluttered behind the reporters. When the charges (three counts each of dangerous Operation Causing Injury, Dangerous Operation Causing Death, Impaired Operation Causing Death and Impaired Operation Causing Injury) were announced, there was some surprise in the cluster. 

McConnel said that he hoped this would bring some “resolution” to the victims and their families.   

The scrum lingered and the national reporters asked members of the public for a quote, or to go on camera, before they took down their gear and headed off.

When the news hit social media that afternoon, there was an immediate reaction, much like the one at the media conference, tumbling into the comment section on Reddit. There seemed to be a trend: people were glad there was an arrest, disgruntled that the investigation went on so long with little to no updates from the OPP, and disappointed and confused at the lack of “more severe” manslaughter charges.

However, the charges that were laid may help the prosecution secure a conviction in the case, and could also carry substantial penalties and automatic driving prohibitions.

Stephen Hebscher is a senior counsel at the Criminal Law Team in Toronto.  Although he is not familiar with the details in this case, he said that “it is always a matter of prosecution discretion as to what charges are laid. 

“Usually, in these types of cases, whether it is on a road or on the water, the charges laid are dangerous and impaired [operation] causing bodily harm or death. The jail sentence should be substantial if the Crown secures a conviction. I don’t ever recall seeing manslaughter charges in these types of cases … the convictions for the conveyance offences would also result in automatic driving prohibitions under the Criminal Code, whereas for manslaughter I don’t think it is available.”

From the Frontenac County community and perhaps the entire rural/cottage country population of Ontario, there is a very strong sense of protectiveness towards these victims and their close circles. 

Grief was felt by everyone who enjoyed a boat ride with  their favourite people this past summer. Grief was felt by parents, grandparents, cousins, siblings, best friends and couples. Grief was  felt by anyone who remembers being in their early 20s, right before their life took off. The anger and disappointment and the general disgruntlement in the commentary surrounding this incident is a reflection of this grief. 

I spoke to a witness of the crash, a relative and friend to the victims on the day that the charges were laid, about his complicated feelings on the day that the charges were laid.  

It was the evening after the press conference and he was still in his work clothes.  He sat down on a tweed couch in the middle of the room, took his ball cap off, flattened his hair under his hand, returned his cap and looked up with a small smile. He hadn’t been at the press conference but he received play-by-play updates. 

“It’s been a long day,” he said. 

This was his first time being the subject of an interview and he paused, fiddling with a thread on his sweater. 

“Today has been hard,” he said after some time. “It’s good that he [Splinter] was charged with all of those charges, but then the news brings along another thing I wasn’t expecting. 

“I was expecting closure but it is just bringing everything back up again.” 

For the past five months, he has been processing the tragedy and trying to keep himself occupied and around the people he loves. 

“There hasn’t been a day since that, I haven’t thought about everything, so it is still definitely still with me and it will probably always be with me,” he said while looking around the room. “It’s not something most people will ever go through in their life so it’s …” 

He trailed off and motioned to the air. There are no words for what “it” is so he circled back. 

“Even though it is bringing it up all over again, knowing the exact charges he was charged with after such a long investigation does bring closure in a way.

“There’s nothing that is going to make any of this better, that’s just a fact but at least there is some sort of justice coming from it.” 

He has has seen the community’s reaction to the charges and says it’s a great example of what it is like to grow up in a rural community. 

“The community has been so good. That’s the nice thing about being from such a small tight-knit community. Everyone has been so supportive.

“But this has been a hard day.”

(Editors note - The subject of the interview quoted in the passages above did not request that his name be withheld, but we offered to show him the article before it was published to make sure he was comfortable with us publishing his thoughts. He did not respond to on Tuesday, after receiving the article. Because we felt that his perspective is important, and what he said does not reveal anything that could have implications for the upcoming court case, we decided to publish his statements, without identifying him at this time)