Crown says witness 'uncooperative' in Saskatoon murder trial

SASKATOON -

The woman who allegedly texted the person who pulled the trigger the night Winston Littlecrow died in 2019 took the stand in court on Wednesday.

However, the Crown said during court that Eriyn Straightnose was being “uncooperative.”

Winston Littlecrow, 35, was shot in the back on Dec. 7, 2019 in the 200 block of Ave. X North. He later died in hospital.

The accused was 17 at the time and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

In February, Straightnose pleaded guilty to manslaughter in relation to Littlecrow’s death and is facing a nine-year sentence.

According to previous testimony, Straightnose angrily sent a text message to a person with a gun the night Littlecrow died.

On Wednesday, the Crown prosecutor told Straightnose it was understood she didn’t want to be in court.

Throughout the day, Straightnose was “uncooperative” when it came to answering questions regarding the day Littlecrow was shot, the prosecutor said.

A video of Straightnose being questioned by police on Jan. 11, 2020 was played in the courtroom to “refresh her memory” as she says she couldn’t remember speaking to police that day.

As the video played, Straightnose was seen crying and upset during certain parts and looking up at the ceiling.

She declined to read a transcript of the video even though she said she found it difficult to hear the video in the courtroom.

Under cross-examination, she responded to questions by saying “I don’t know” or “I can’t remember.”

Earlier in her testimony, Straightnose said she didn’t remember police questioning her but later said she did.

She admitted to “picking and choosing” during the cross examination when confronted by the defense.

The defense pointed out Straightnose was crying while looking at her mother during the cross examination.

She told the courtroom that after her sentencing she didn’t think she would be testifying in court and felt pressured to answer questions.

Several months before Littlecrow’s death, Straightnose was assaulted with a machete by an Indian Posse member.

Court previously heard Straightnose was a member of the Terror Squad gang during the shooting and Littlecrow was part of the rival Indian Posse gang.