The man charged in a stabbing at the Shambhala Music Festival last year is now expected to enter a guilty plea.
Taio Forest Cote, who was born in 2000, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon following the incident on July 22, 2022. He initially pleaded not guilty and elected to be tried by judge alone.
However, online court records now indicate he intends to admit to the crimes when he makes his next court appearance in Nelson on June 20.
Although police described the injuries as non-life-threatening, the victim’s mother told Vista Radio her son was stabbed in the neck and nearly died in a “random act of violence.”
And while police said Cote knew the victim, the mother said they only knew each other as children in school and were not friends.
Cote was released on conditions.