Witness says he acquired guns used in Santos shooting; claims Petrin put out $40,000 hit

A Crown witness, who says he acquired the guns and ammunition intended to kill a former White Boy Posse member but which were used in the death of a Saskatoon mother, claims Joshua Petrin put out a $40,000 hit on the former gangster.

Colten Menard testified Thursday at Saskatoon’s Court of Queen’s Bench for day four of Petrin’s first-degree murder trial.

Petrin is charged in the death of Lorry Santos, a 34-year-old mother who was shot and killed inside her home in Saskatoon’s Westview neighbourhood on Sept. 12, 2012. Police said she was gunned down by members of an Alberta gang called the White Boy Posse, who hit the wrong house.

Menard, who said he sold drugs for Petrin, told court Petrin was angry after a man named TJ Cromartie left the gang.

Petrin put out a $40,000 reward for Cromartie’s death, according to Menard.

Menard was told by Petrin to go to Edmonton to get the guns and ammunition meant to be used to kill Cromartie.

“We need to get this goof,” Menard recalled Petrin saying.

Menard was one of two witnesses who testified Thursday. The second, Chelsey Hart, was the ex-girlfriend of Randy O’Hagan, a man found guilty in 2014 in Santos’ death.

Hart said Petrin told all gang members he wanted Cromartie dead.

Her testimony and Menard’s statements were the second and third times a witness has stated during the trial that Petrin ordered the hit that led to the Santos killing.

A different Crown witness testified Tuesday Petrin ordered the hit on Cromartie.

O’Hagan, who was sentenced to life in prison, has since appealed his conviction. He was arrested alongside Petrin and another man after the shooting. The other man was found guilty in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison.

Petrin’s trial, which began Monday at Saskatoon’s Court of Queen’s Bench, is scheduled to last several weeks but defence lawyers expect the trial to conclude within two weeks. The trial had been delayed by about a year because of a conflict of interest with a previous defence lawyer.

CTV’s Calvin To has been covering the case. He was in court again Thursday: