Trial of Fox Harbour man charged with fatal 2024 hit and run concludes today
Mark Duke, a Fox Harbour man who was charged with impaired operation causing death and then fleeing the scene of the crime, was back before a judge provincial court today.
The incident happened August 7, 2024. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says Duke, who was 37-years-old at the time, was impaired by drugs when he struck and killed 61-year-old Hubert Noftall near the intersection of Freshwater Road and Hamel Street in St. John’s.
When police arrived at the scene, Noftall was seriously injured and unresponsive. He was rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
Witnesses say Noftall was walking on the sidewalk near a crosswalk when a grey Dodge Ram pickup truck hit him and sped off. Throughout closing submissions, neither the Crown nor defence argued that it was Duke’s truck involved in the fatal hit and run, but the defence did argue who was driving it.
The defence did name possible suspects, but said they didn’t know for certain if any of those people were driving the pickup during the time of the accident. However, defence lawyer Robert Hoskins did argue that it cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Duke was the one driving the truck either.
Based on the description of the vehicle, officers were able to track it down in the George Street West area not long after. Duke was not inside the pickup, but he was nearby and arrested. Duke was charged with impaired operation causing death, failure to stop after an accident that resulted in death, and failure to comply with a condition of a release order.
In the Crown’s final submissions, they argued that there is an overwhelming amount of circumstantial evidence that Duke was the driver, including a witness who claimed that Duke was the operator of the truck not long after the accident. That witness said Duke stopped the vehicle on Brazil street, got out, and then got back into the truck, and was seen driving off.
The judge said there is so much evidence in this case, that she’ll need more time to come to a decision. That decision is supposed to come down Monday, September 14, at Provincial Court in St. John’s. NTV News will be there, and bring you the latest then.
Full story on the conclusion of Mark Duke’s ten day impaired operation causing death trial coming up tonight on NTV’s First Edition and the NTV Evening Newshour.
Related Articles
