The mother of a woman killed in 2015 took the stand in her accused killer’s murder trial on Wednesday.
Duran Justin Redwood was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Celeste Yawney.
The trial was scheduled to start in October of 2017 but was postponed.
Her mother, Carla Yawney, took the stand on Wednesday morning.
Yawney said her daughter struggled with alcohol and became more withdrawn after her father's unexpected death, which was around the same time Redwood came into her life.
That night, Celeste called her mother around 1:30 a.m., but Yawney didn't answer. Yawney called and texted Celeste the next morning to no response.
She told court she went to church and afterwards went to Celeste's house to find a police car and yellow tape. She initially wasn't allowed inside the house, but later went in to find the place trashed with holes in the walls and blood splatter.
Also testifying was Claudette Kennedy, whose daughter is the mother of three chidren with Redwood. She said Redwood came to their house immediately after Yawney's death and told her his girlfriend was dead and he didn't know what happened.
Court also heard similar testimony from Kennedy's two daughters, who were at the house at the time.
They testified that Redwood seemed like he has coming off a night of heavy drinking and when he was asked if he killed his girlfriend he replied "I don't know."
The three then took him to the police station, where he was arrested as the investigation into Yawney's death got underway.
Court also heard testimony from two police officers who were part of the initial investigation before adjourning for the day.
The Crown still have over a dozen witnesses left to examine and this trial is expected to take four weeks.
