(Vancouver, British Columbia) A 19 year old man charged with manslaughter in the 2001 murder of Aaron Webster was granted bail by a Vancouver court Wednesday.

The suspect was 17 at the time of the murder, and under Canada's Young Offenders Law cannot be named. Prosecutors argued that because of the severity of the crime, and because at least two other suspects remain at large, he should remain in custody.

After a day of hearing arguments from both prosecutors and defense attorneys the judge ordered him released on a $100,000 surety, and imposed a series of tough restrictions on him. He is ordered to remain at his parents' home under virtual house arrest. He is permitted out to go to school or work only if he is driven by his father.

He will be back in court May 5 for an application by the prosecution to move the case to adult court. His lawyer has vowed to fight the application.

If convicted, he could face a sentence of life in prison. His chances of parole could be diminished if prosecutors press for hate-crime enhancements at the time of sentencing.

Webster's naked body was found in a pool of blood on a footpath near a public parking lot in a gay cruising area of Vancouver's Stanley Park in November 2001. An autopsy showed he had been beaten to death with a blunt instrument, probably a baseball bat.

The suspect was arrested after a tip to police following the broadcast of a reenactment of the murder on a local crime-stoppers show earlier this month.