Second-degree murder charges have been laid in the death of an Ottawa-area man who died from fatal injuries he received when he was beaten up at a Peterborough strip club.
Stephenson Auguste, 41, died days after suffering severe head trauma in a bar fight at Thursday's strip club three weeks ago.
Although he was rushed to hospital in Peterborough and later transferred to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, he died two days later.
Police describe the fight as a large disturbance, involving several people. When police arrived at the scene, a man was already lying unconscious on the floor.
Peterborough police charged Justin Boyer, 20, with second-degree murder on Tuesday.
Police say the Peterborough man was arrested after officers gathered information from several witnesses.
"Investigators interviewed several witnesses and several people within the establishment that were present that night," said Sgt. Walter DiClemente of the Peterborough-Lakefield Community Police.
He said there were at least 25 people identified as being in the bar that night, including bar staff, dancers, and patrons.
Of course, the difficulty for investigators was pinpointing each person's involvement, said DiClemente.
Auguste was from St. Lucia. However, he had been living in the Ottawa-area on a work visa and was employed with a scaffolding company. He was in Peterborough working on a contract with that company at the time of the beating.
Police say their investigation into the circumstances leading up to the fight is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Peterborough police at 705-876-1122.
