A day after Deborah Titus was laid to rest, the woman accused in the deadly hit-and-run that claimed the 64-year-old woman's life was back in London court.
Brittany Boyce appeared by video from the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre on Wednesday. Boyce had her hair tied in two braids and said only her name during the brief appearance. The 29-year-old's defence lawyer, Jim Dean, asked that the case be put over for one week to December 13 to set a date for a resolution meeting. That meeting with the Crown could set the stage for Boyce to plead guilty to a less serious charge.
Photo of Brittany Lynn Boyce provided by London police.
She was charged with manslaughter and assault with a weapon after Titus was hit by an SUV on Dundas St. and Ashland Ave. just before 2pm on November 21. Titus had been trying to get her stolen purse back from the vehicle when the driver pulled away, hitting her. A bystander who had come to Titus' aid was dragged a short distance by the vehicle, suffering minor injuries.
An arrest warrant was issued for Boyce in the days that followed the fatal hit-and-run. She spent one week on the run before London police arrested her at a home on Florence St. November 28.
Titus' brother Bob Chemney and daughter Donna Titus were in court on Wednesday.
"I wanted to come here to face her (Boyce)," said Chemney. "I'll be back in court next week when she is back."
A funeral for Titus was held Tuesday. Chemney said family and friends shared many fond memories of the London woman who was a sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
"Debbie was very friendly, very nice and always had a smile on her face. You couldn't ask for a better woman than Debbie," said Chemney, who added closure won't come until the court proceedings are completed.