Shaylin Sutherland-Kayseas bragged about killing Dylan Phillips, testified a witness who says she was friends, and smoked methamphetamine, with the woman.
Sutherland-Kayseas, 20, is on trial for first-degree murder, committing murder for the benefit of the Terror Squad gang and two counts of assault with a weapon.
Phillips died of a gunshot wound in his home on Avenue G North in Oct. 2016.
The Crown’s first witness, Kathleen Belanger, testified Monday at Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench that she was in car with a group of people when she heard Sutherland-Kayseas talk about the murder.
“She was basically almost bragging that she bodied somebody,” Belanger told court, confirming “bodied” means killing.
Belanger said the car she was in was used on the night of the murder and that she saw clothes in black plastic bags in the trunk of the car.
Under cross-examination court heard Belanger was addicted to meth at the time and admitted it made her memory foggy.
She testified she got dropped off at a friend’s home and saw a story on the evening news about police looking for suspects in the murder of Phillips. Belanger told her friend and friend’s mom she knew Sutherland-Kayseas committed the murder.
The next day a group of women, including Sutherland-Kayseas, showed up at the home, according to Belanger. She testified she thought they were going to hang out and smoke meth, but instead the group kidnapped her, tied her up and beat her.
“I should have kept my mouth shut,” Belanger said in court.
She said she was taken to her basement cellar and the beating only stopped when she told the group she was related to a high-ranking member of the Terror Squad gang.
She said she was then placed on “probation,” meaning she had to be with the women 24-7 to ensure she didn’t tell anyone else about the murder.
Belanger said she was eventually taken to a hotel where she called her sister before police came to rescue her.
Crown Prosecutor Melodi Kujawa said in her opening statement that Phillips and his mom went to the door on the night of Oct. 14, 2016 and when they opened it, Sutherland-Kayseas was pointing a gun at them with another man behind her.
“’Get the s---,’” Kujawa said Sutherland-Kayseas ordered before pulling the trigger. A fight then broke out, according to the lawyer.
Sgt. Richard Bueckart was the first officer on scene and testified he saw Phillips lying on the kitchen floor with his mom lying near his head sobbing. He said Phillips had a hole in his chest and a shell casing, fence board and a gun was found at the scene.
Trent Southwind and a youth were also charged with first-degree murder in Phillip’s death and both pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
The two, along with Phillip’s parents, are among the witnesses expected to testify in the trial.