Toronto man pleads guilty in death of CBC producer

A Toronto man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a former CBC producer who was pushed to the ground while walking in Toronto’s east end last year.

Robert Robin Cropearedwolf, 45, pleaded guilty in a Toronto court on Thursday in connection with the death of Douglas Michael Finlay, 73, on January 24, 2023.

Finlay, a former radio producer, was walking along Danforth Avenue near Jones Avenue in the middle of the afternoon when he was allegedly pushed to the ground and seriously injured. Toronto police described the attack as “random” at the time.

A week later, on January 31, he died after his health deteriorated as a result of the injuries he suffered.

“Michael will be remembered as an exceptional storyteller, documentarian and editor,” CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said in a statement after his death. Finlay spent 31 years at the public broadcaster before retiring in 2010.

“He traveled the world producing radio documentaries for various programmes, but especially for Sunday Morning. “If you worked on a documentary with Michael, you were experiencing the pinnacle of the craft.”

A month later, Cropearedwolf turned himself in to authorities after police issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.

Police have previously said Finlay and Cropearedwolf did not know each other.