Saskatoon murder trial on hold as police investigate new revelations
A Saskatoon murder trial is being adjourned to allow police to follow-up on "significant information" that just came to the Crown prosecutor's attention Wednesday.
Rene Jobe Merasty, 24, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Hailey Belanger-Weeseekase in a bathroom of a Confederation Park apartment suite in July 2020.
After two days of the judge-alone trial in front of Justice Daryl Labach, the case was adjourned after a brief delay Wednesday morning.
Crown prosecutor Carla Dewar said she was not comfortable proceeding with the trial because of new information that police need to investigate. She did not provide any further information.
The defence agreed with Dewar, saying the significant information "affects the fairness of the trial."
"Although it's rare, an important component to properly prosecuting and properly defending a case is making sure that we have all information," defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle said. "It's an appropriate interruption of this trial."
The matter will be back at Court of King's Bench on April 5.
Over the previous two days of the trial, police officers and a key witness presented testimony.
Officers investigating Belanger-Weeseekase's death walked the court through surveillance video of people going in and out of the apartment complex.
A woman, who can't be identified because she was a minor at the time of the murder, presented her testimony as a witness at the apartment that night during Tuesday's trial. According to Pfefferle, she testified that she and Belanger-Weeseekase were members of the Last Kings street gang.
She was 15-years-old at the time of the crime, and was originally charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death.
Pfefferle said "she was appearing careful to not give information" as a way of protecting others in the gang.
"It would seem particularly ironic that you would be promoted after allegedly implicating a person who was involved in the very gang that you've shared membership of," he said.
Pfefferle mentioned other gangs were mentioned "in passing," but wouldn't elaborate any further.
The young witness also described "a horrific crime scene" in the bathroom of the apartment where the alleged attack occurred.
"It was described in very, very graphic terms as well as the surveillance video demonstrating a body being carried out. It was extremely graphic; difficult for the family, no doubt, to observe that stuff," Pfefferle said.
With the trial delayed for at least a week, Pfefferle said his team will continue to "push" his position that Merasty is not guilty.
"This is a case of who done it and who was the person that committed these atrocities against this deceased person," Pfefferle said. "Our position has been, and will be, that Mr. Merasty is not guilty of second degree murder, and that will continue to be our position."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.