The murder trial into the death of Taya Sinclair continued Wednesday with court hearing the accused Michael Smillie’s statement to police.
The video is under a publication ban because of some of the names he references.
Sinclair’s burned remains were found in a snow pile in Prince Albert, Sask., days after the 24-year-old went missing in March 2022. Smillie, 58, is charged with first-degree murder in her death. He has pleaded not guilty.
In the statement, made in July 2023, Smillie confirmed he was involved with the Terror Squad street gang.
He went on to name Chelsey Wilma Crowe, who was charged with manslaughter in Sinclair’s death and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of assault last week, as a high-ranking gang member.
Smillie confirmed that he did have some involvement with the gang but as a lower-level member, rather than a high-ranking member, as stated in other testimony.
He said Crowe was “psycho” and he was scared of her because she had a lot of people under her.
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Smillie told police Kenith Bell, Sinclair’s boyfriend, was held captive for a drug debt at the time.
He confirmed Jessica Caisse’s testimony that Bell was supposed to be brought to the basement of the Avenue C North house where Sinclair was beaten instead of Sinclair, adding he was told Bell blamed the debt on Sinclair.
Smillie admitted to being at the house when Stephanie Helkett-Stevenson arrived with Sinclair but said he was asleep.
He said he found out Sinclair was in the basement when Helkett-Stevenson came up the stairs yelling at him that it was his turn to babysit.
This contradicted Helkett-Stevenson’s testimony that she spoke with Smillie when she got to the house with Sinclair.
Smillie also confirmed prior testimony from Caisse that he went downstairs twice but said he only went far enough down the stairs the first time to see there was a person tied to a pole slumped over.
He said Marie Wolfe, known as Big Mama, went downstairs and told him the person, Sinclair, was dead.
He told police the landlord came into the house and the second time he went downstairs was with him.
He believes Wolfe wrapped Sinclair in plastic and hid her.
Caisse previously testified that no one else was in the house when Sinclair was left there and heard Smillie go downstairs twice; he then told her to go find Helkett-Stevenson to “clean up her mess” within the span of a few hours.
Smillie, however, said he and his daughter were held in the house by members of the gang after Sinclair’s death.
When police confronted him with the conflicting stories, Smillie said he would take a polygraph test and questioned why Caisse would say what she said and that she was supposed to be his friend.
Sgt. Robert Sampson, who administered the interview, said Caisse came to police without facing charges and wanted to clear her conscience because the incident had been weighing on her for a while.
The trial continues with a toxicologist expected to take the stand next.
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