Tuesday was the second day of testimony in the manslaughter trial of Gerald McDormand at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Regina.
McDormand is accused of manslaughter in the 2017 stabbing death of Blaine Katz.
Forty-one-year-old Steven Paul St. Pierre has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death and received a 12-and-a-half year sentence in July.
During Tuesday’s day in court, the crown called three witnesses to the stand in an attempt to paint the picture of what happened on the night of Aug. 12, 2017.
Tony Cyr testified that he was at home in his apartment at 2105 Cornwall St. on the night of Katz’s death. He stated that he was doing laundry in the basement of the building when he heard a "real horrific shriek." He says he then saw two people leaving the apartment building in a rush moments later.
Another witness, Amber Wood, was arrested at the Sunrise Motel with McDormand and St. Pierre on the morning of Aug. 13.
She testified that she was at the apartment that night, but went to wait in the car during the time that the stabbing allegedly occurred. She says she didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary and didn’t speak to either of the accused about what happened while she waited.
Const. Melissa Carey from the Regina Police Service’s Forensic Unit also testified on Tuesday. She provided DNA evidence during her testimony, stating that Katz’s DNA was found inside the Dodge Caliber that McDormand and St. Pierre were driving, as well as on clothing that McDormand was wearing that night, which was found in a bag behind a fence at the Sunrise Motel.
On Wednesday, the court will hear from the RCMP’s DNA Lab. The statement that Gerald McDormand provided to police following his arrest will also be played in court.
