A New Brunswick man has been found not guilty of criminal negligence causing death after his python killed two young brothers.

Four-year-old Noah Barthe and his 6-year-old brother Connor were suffocated by the python after it escaped its enclosure. It’s believed the snake traveled through a ventilation duct and fell into the room where the boys were sleeping.

During the trial, the boys mother said she had no reservations about leaving her sons for a sleepover at Jean-Claude Savoie’s apartment. She described Savoie as a close friend and said her sons were best friends with Savoie’s son.

Crown prosecutor Pierre Roussel argued that Savoie showed disregard for others’ safety by failing to cover the opening. The snake had tried to escape weeks earlier, making it halfway through the duct.

Savoie’s lawyer argued that the duct wasn’t covered because Savoie did not believe the large snake could fit through it.

Roussel said it was too soon to consider an appeal.