A judge has convicted a St. Catharines drug trafficker of manslaughter in the overdose death of Niagara social justice activist Liam Coward.

Judge Cameron Watson announced his conviction of Thomas Kormendy, 46, in an Ontario Court of Justice on Thursday. Coward was 28.

Watson told Kormendy, his attorney Mark Evans and assistant Crown attorney Stephanie Ford that he is still editing his written decision, which runs about 80 pages.

“I was off on a vacation, and I spent every day working on this decision, something I swore I would never do again,” Watson said. “It is one of the more complicated decisions I’ve had to write in eight years as a judge.”

Watson added that he wanted the written version ready before he issued his verdict, but needed the extra time because of “its importance for

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