Following the execution of his friend with a headlock, a guy from Calgary who has now turned his life around will be permitted to serve his sentence from the comfort of his own home.
In March of 2022, Scott Midford, who was 32 years old at the time, was found guilty of manslaughter over the death of his buddy Austin Harris, who was 27 years old.
During the altercation that took place at Harris’s residence, both of the guys were “extremely intoxicated” at the time.
Putting Harris in a reverse headlock was Midford’s move. Harris was released after what was described as a “quick scuffle,” and he fell backwards, banging his head on the floor beneath him.
“Very tragically, [this] caused his death,” Justice Christopher Simard of the Court of King’s Bench stated in his sentence decision that was given.
In the hospital, Austin Harris passed away!
Midford and another friend who was there at the time felt that Harris had passed out as a result of drinking, but they did not call 911 for approximately forty minutes. There was evidence presented in court that demonstrated this belief.
In the hospital, Harris passed away approximately nine hours later.
Cory Wilson, Simard’s defence attorney, concurred with Simard’s assessment that a conditional sentence order was the most suitable response to the situation.
Under certain circumstances, a person who is granted a conditional sentence order is permitted to serve their sentence in the community. However, this comes with several
restrictions. They will be sent to jail to serve the remainder of their term in detention if they violate any of the conditions that they have agreed to.
Alterations beneficial to one’s health
In his statement, Simard stated that Midford has the “potential to contribute positively in society.”
A curfew, 240 hours of community service, addiction counselling, and the necessity that Midford continue to work are some of the restrictions that are tied to the order from the law enforcement agency.
After reviewing the facts surrounding Midford’s childhood, the court observed that he had been abused as a youngster and that he had been placed in foster care when he was 11 years old. The majority of his teenage years were spent living on the streets and in group homes, where he consumed alcohol and narcotics.
Following Harris’s passing, Midford decided to quit drinking and has been attending addiction counselling ever since.
Austin Harris is an incomparable individual
A judge made the observation that Midford has made “positive and healthy changes” in his life. He is also a “hard worker” who has been employed on a constant basis and is regarded as having a low chance of committing another offence.
“I’m encouraged you’ve been motivated by this terrible tragedy to stop using alcohol and drugs,” remarked Simard to reporters.
Midford apologised to the family of his victim at the sentencing hearing, expressing what the court referred to as “genuine remorse” for his actions.
According to a victim impact statement that was written by Harris’s family, he was a “kind and compassionate young man.”
In order to address members of Harris’s family who were present in court to hear the judgement of the sentence, the judge took a brief moment to speak.
Family Identifies Austin Harris Reportedly Killed in Beltline Fall
After an argument that took place in the Beltline last week, the family of a man who passed away in Calgary has been identified.
Austin Harris, the victim, was apparently hurt in a fall, and he was taken to the hospital on Friday afternoon after being hurried there. The next day, he passed away.
According to a statement released by the Calgary Police Department on Monday, the homicide unit began investigating the death of Harris because of “several inconsistencies in the man’s injuries.” Later, after analysing the evidence, the unit came to the conclusion that Harris “was involved in an altercation prior to his death.”
The event took place at Harris’ flat, which was located on the 28th floor of the 100 block of 10 Avenue South-east, according to his family, who told CTV News there.
In the next month, Austin would have turned 28 years old, according to his parents, Brian and Patty Harris.
“The love, passion, and kindness that Austin possessed touched a great number of people, and he will be sorely missed.” We will miss you, Auzzie, and a significant portion of our lives will be different as a result,” stated Brian Harris in a message on Facebook.
According to a post that Patty Harris made on Facebook, she expressed her regret that she had not reacted to all of the people who had reached out to her by calling, texting, or sending flowers. Please be aware that the words you have spoken have provided me and my family with a great deal of comfort. In all honesty, I am at a loss for words; I have finally understood what it is to be heartbroken. Our gorgeous and delightful son, may you rest in peace.
Scott Midford, 31, has since been charged with manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in court.
“The victim and the accused were known to each other, and not related to the earlier random attack in the same area,” according to police reports on Monday.
Manslaughter Trial Reveals 40-Minute Delay in Calling Ambulance
In a manslaughter trial that took place on Tuesday, a city man waited almost forty minutes before calling for medical assistance because he believed that his companion who was unconscious was “okay.”
It was reported by Trent Fay that Austin Harris lost consciousness after banging his head on the floor during an incident with a third man named Scott Midford that took place inside the residence of the deceased man located at 10 Avenue South West.
During the first day of Midford’s manslaughter trial, which lasted for four days, Fay told Crown prosecutor Gianna Argento, “We thought he was okay.”
Fay, on the other hand, stated that he got concerned about his friend after he went to a local convenience shop and then a booze outlet and returned “probably forty minutes” later.
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It was stated by the witness that “He was still out.”
I told Midford that I needed to call an ambulance, and he agreed with me.
Manslaughter charges have been brought against Midford, who is 31 years old, in connection with the murder of Harris, who was pronounced dead at Foothills Medical Centre just after midnight the following day.
‘Confrontational’ disposition before death: witness at the scene
At approximately noon, Fay awoke to discover his friend and Midford drinking in the living room of Harris’s apartment. Fay stated that he had been staying over at Harris’ flat.
According to him, both of the males appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
When Midford was playing music on the television at an excessively loud volume, Harris grew enraged at one point.
Another accusation that Midford made was that Harris had taken more than his fair share of the bottle of whisky that they were sharing, according to Fay.
Argento inquired, “What was the atmosphere similar to?”
The witness stated that the situation was violent and that Scott and Austin were arguing with each other.
At one point, Harris requested that his guest go because Midford was getting “aggressive (and) loud.” At that moment, the accused approached Harris and asked him to leave.
Austin was choking when Scott grabbed him by the neck and began to choke him, according to Fay.
“With a snappy bang”
Midford then led Harris backwards towards the television while holding him in a headlock, and then he spun around and dropped the deceased person on his rear, according to the witness.
This is what Fay had to say about him: “He went down with Austin, he snapped his neck back, and he got his head on the floor.”
“I just heard the sound of his head hitting the ground,” the interviewer said. An instantaneous jolt.”
Are you aware of any injuries that Austin sustained as a result of his head hitting the floor? Argento inquired about it.
“Yes, the back of his head started bleeding,” the witness confirmed. “He was bleeding from the head.”
“He was not fully conscious.”
Fay, however, stated that he was uncertain about how Harris’ head came to make contact with the floor when being questioned by defence attorney Cory Wilson.
Indeed, he acknowledged that Midford’s position prevented him from observing the disease.
On the other hand, he stated to Wilson that he did not witness his client punching, pushing, or kicking Harris before the victim falling backwards and hitting his head.
Involuntary Manslaughter Case: The Turning Point We Must Not Overlook
Volume of Involuntary Manslaughter Cases
Reliable national figures for involuntary manslaughter from law enforcement (e.g., FBI’s UCR) aren’t frequently broken down into that specific category. However, we know that “negligent manslaughter”—another term for involuntary manslaughter—is included within broader violent-crime statistics. In 2023, the FBI reported that “murder and nonnegligent manslaughter” offenses declined by approximately 11.6%, though they don’t separately list negligent cases.
Sentencing & Time Served
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2018, individuals convicted of involuntary (negligent) manslaughter in state prisons received an average sentence of 10.2 years, serving roughly 54.3% of that before release—typically around 5.5 years.
Federal Sentencing Trends
Federal court data (via the U.S. Sentencing Commission) shows ongoing monitoring of involuntary manslaughter, but these cases are relatively rare at the federal level, often tied to workplace or federal facility deaths. While specific numbers for FY 2022–2023 aren’t separated publicly, these trends are captured in annual sentencing reports .
Underreporting & Classification Issues
A key challenge is that many involuntary manslaughter cases are not distinguished clearly in crime data—they may be reported as negligent homicide, vehicular homicide, or grouped under general violent crime categories . This makes it difficult to track exact case volumes over time.
Summary Highlights
- Negligent manslaughter is incorporated into broader violent-crime stats; exact case counts are not usually broken out.
- In 2018, state prisoners convicted for negligent manslaughter served on average 5.5 years of a 10.2-year sentence.
- FBI UCR data shows violent crime and murder rates trending downward in 2023, but does not separately report involuntary manslaughter figures.
- Federal involuntary manslaughter remains uncommon, though systematically recorded in sentencing commission data
