‘No one was allowed to leave’: Witness testifies in Shawn Douglas murder trial

Crown witness Michael McNab took the stand Thursday, telling the court how a night out drinking took a violent turn.

McNab said his memory was foggy that night, but described for the jury the parts he did remember.

He ran into one of the accused, Dennis Thompson, earlier that day. They both wanted to drink and ended up at a house party located at 1682 Toronto Street in Regina, court heard.

He told the court he was drinking heavily at the Toronto St. house, and often times would either black out or pass out.

After many drinks, he saw a fight break out, with co-accused Johnathon Peepeetch punching an older man.

“That’s when the party took a turn for the worse,” he said.

He said the house was locked down and “no one was allowed to leave”, adding several men were standing by the door.

The Crown then showed McNab a cell phone video. In it, several men are seen moving back and forth between two vehicles parked outside Quebec Street. An earlier witness testified the men were putting a body into the trunk.

McNab identified Thompson, Peepeetch and Joshua Wilson as being in the video. He was also in the video.

The Crown’s theory is the three men, along with others, robbed Shawn Douglas, and beat him with a sledgehammer, crowbar and other tools. They would then move Douglas’ body into the trunk of a car, and then leave his body in bush outside the city.

Court heard McNab was later punched by Peepeetch outside the Quebec St. home.

“I was crying. I was upset,” he said, adding he was bleeding from his nose.

McNab is told to get into the car, and the two vehicles drive away. Peepeetch told him to “man up” and “shake it off” after punching him.

McNab goes on to say he passed out inside the car and was awakened by the sound of a trunk closing and several people getting into the car.

He testified seeing “nothing but a field” adding the “sun had just come up” but he didn’t know what day or time it was.

The Crown showed McNab video surveillance of several men inside and outside a gas station near Davidson, Sask. McNab identified the three accused in the video.

When asked how he knew the three accused, McNab told the court Thompson was his friend, and they knew each other from years before.

As to how he knew Peepeetch, McNab said he had also known him for a number of years now. As for Wilson, he described him as being “pretty intimidating”.

Thompson could be seen crossing his arms, and at times would mutter something under his breath throughout McNab’s testimony. Wilson and Peepeetch occasionally glanced at each other.

McNab would later be arrested for first-degree murder for the Douglas’ death. That charge was later stayed by the Crown.

During cross-examination, the defence picked at McNab’s story. Wilson’s lawyer, Kevin Hill asked McNab if what he remembered was accurate or was the testimony influenced by speaking to police.