Former forensic officer testifies in murder trial of Prince Albert man

Court of Queen's Bench in Prince Albert

A former forensic officer testified on Wednesday in the trial of Bruce Allan Napope, accused of killing a Prince Albert man in his jail cell.

Napope was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Tyson Lafonde.

Lafonde was assaulted in January of 2020 and died from his injuries a year later.

Two men were charged in Lafonde’s death.

Kyle Bear pleaded guilty to manslaughter, while a stay of proceedings was granted for George Samuel Custer.

A stay of proceedings means the Crown has essentially dropped the charges against Custer, but the prosecutor can relaunch legal action within a year.

A retired officer for the Prince Albert Police Service’s forensic unit testified he sent Lafonde’s blood sample, a pair of shoes, and Napope’s pants to a blood spatter analyst for testing.

“It was the scene of a violent event,” the officer said.

Court heard three nurses responded to a “code blue” call and found Lafonde laying in his jail cell.

“He was laying on the floor of the cell with blood pooling all around him,” a nurse testified.

According to a witness, Lafonde was not verbally responsive but was conscious. He was making moaning sounds and moving his arms.

The trial is set to resume Tuesday morning at the Prince Albert Court of King’s Bench.