Race pleads not guilty to murder

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
Staff Writer

August 22, 2007 07:33 am

— PLATTSBURGH — Two days after Darcy Manor’s family and friends held a golf benefit in his memory, his accused killer pleaded not guilty to murdering the volunteer firefighter.
Shackled, bound and surrounded by heavy security, Glen D. Race faced a seven-count indictment during his arraignment before Judge Kevin Ryan Tuesday afternoon.
The Nova Scotia man kept his eyes squinted shut during most of the arraignment. But, when the not-guilty plea was entered, he briefly opened his eyes, kicked the table and looked sharply at his attorney, Daniel Gaudreau.
Manor’s family and friends sat quietly inside the courtroom when the judge announced a grand jury’s indictment of Race on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, third-degree burglary and three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny. Manor was shot May 10 near a rural camp on Drown Road in Mooers.
During the brief court proceeding, District Attorney Andrew Wylie requested that the 26-year-old be sent to Clinton County Jail without bail, which Ryan granted.

ALLEGED CRIMES
Race has been held at the local jail since June 7, when he was returned to New York from Texas, where he was allegedly found in possession of the stolen .44-caliber Remington rifle that authorities believed was used to kill Manor.
The indictment accuses Race of intentionally shooting the married father of two in the back after allegedly attempting to rob the Churubusco Lodge camp, which Manor was maintaining for the owners.
Race is also accused of stealing Manor’s F-250 truck and VISA credit card when he fled the Mooers area with the rifle, which he allegedly stole from the camp.
About five days after the murder, a Border Patrol agent found Race near the Mexican border carrying the rifle. After a brief struggle, Race was taken into custody.
Manor’s truck was later recovered from the Houston area.
By then, Canadian authorities were looking into Race as the prime suspect in the murders of two men, Trevor Charles Brewster and Michael Paul Knott, only days before Manor was killed.
According to Wylie, Race could be sentenced to life without parole if convicted on the charges.
The defense has 45 days to file any motions, and Race is expected to return to court for a preliminary conference Oct. 31.

WANTED GUILTY PLEA
After the court appearance, Manor’s family members said they were satisfied by the charges in the indictment but wished Race would have pleaded guilty and saved them from further court proceedings.
“It was something we all had hoped for,” said Manor’s uncle Alan Cardin. “We’ll come back and have to go through it again. But it’s just something we’ll have to live with.”
Cardin said it was strange to see Race again and that it brought back many painful memories for the family as they continue to cope with Manor’s death.
He said the golf tournament helped raise a substantial amount of money for Manor’s wife and two young sons, but the positive memories from the benefit two days ago were now overshadowed by Race’s not-guilty plea.
“It just prolongs the whole thing,” he later added. “But we’ll go on; we’ll survive.”

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:
avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com

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