Douglas Hales first-degree murder trial moves to final phase

Watch above: Hales dodges Crown’s questions during his first degree murder trial

WARNING: This post contains language some readers may find offensive. 

SASKATOON – Cross-examination of Douglas Hales is complete. Accused of killing 25-year-old Daleen Bosse in the first degree then offering an indignity to human remains, Hales was grilled by the Crown the entire day on Wednesday in Saskatoon court.

The Crown continued to pick apart the many versions of the story Hales told of how Bosse died.

Court watched the interrogation video from Aug. 10, 2008, after Hales was arrested, in which the accused is talking to his mother.

“My so-called new job was all a charade to get me to confess,” said Hales in the video, “It was in the heat of the moment, I didn’t mean to do it, it happened.”

Hales testified the comment was made in reference to burning Bosse’s body.

During the trial, Hales has claimed during the early morning hours of May 19, 2004, Bosse died of alcohol poisoning while in his company. Too messed up to drive and seek medical care, he testified Monday, he burned Bosse’s body because he thought it was the right thing to do.

Crown prosecutor Matthew Miazga suggested, taking the time to consider his options and gather wood to burn the body, would be anything but the “heat of the moment”. Miazga pointed out the phrase was used by Hales when he told officers he strangled Bosse, later in the interview.

Hales also admitted to lying to interrogating officers about his past drug and alcohol use.

When questioned about threatening one of the undercover officers during the trial, while the witness was testifying, Hales said all he did was hold up his wooden cross and pray for the officer because he was lying.

Crown proceeded to question Hales on an audio recording taken July 23, 2008, by an undercover officer during an RCMP ‘Mr. Big’ sting. Based on the transcripts from that road trip, Hales confessed to the officer than he killed somebody.

*Note: While Hales testifies he was talking about Bosse, she was not a prostitute.

Excerpts from the July 23, 2008 transcript are as follows:

• Hales: “I’ve killed, killed a hooker.”
• Undercover Officer: “You don’t got to f@#&en try to impress me alright.”
• Hales: “I did it the proper way, I did it all myself cause I didn’t want to get caught.”

Crown put to the accused that Hales said he thinks about Daleen Bosse every day and prays.

“Were you thinking about her that day when you insulted her and called her a hooker,” said the Crown.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Were you thinking about her that day when you insulted her and called her a hooker," said the Crown.

Hales testified the only reason he said he killed a woman was because it was a test and he wanted to prove to the criminal organization that he wasn’t a rat.

Hales agreed with the Crown, that during the road trip, it would be the first time he told anyone about Bosse’s death. A hard secret to keep he agreed but couldn’t recall if it was a relief at the time.

Any racist or derogatory language reflected in the transcript was so that he would appear to be a stone-cold killer, said Hales.

Hales also alleged that the officers, at the time, threatened him but there was no recording of it.

“Why would you check the internet if you thought it was a dream,” asked Miazga.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Why would you check the internet if you thought it was a dream," asked Miazga.

“I was second-guessing myself,” said Hales, acknowledging on Wednesday that he now knows it wasn’t.

During Hales meeting with Mr. Big on Aug. 7, 2008, he would tell the undercover agent he thought was “the boss” that he strangled Bosse, describing in-depth how it happened. Including that he put a fridge over her remains.

Excerpts from the transcript Aug. 7, 2008 are as follows:

• Hales: “It’s not here. I don’t know where it is?”
• Undercover officer: “What do you mean you don’t know where it is?”
• Hales: “Whoever found it, moved it.”
• Undercover officer: “Where’d you f#$%ing leave it?”
• Hales: “Right here.”
• Undercover officer: “Are you sure this, f@#*, this the f@#&ing fridge?”
• Hales: “This is, this is what I, ah.”
• Undercover officer: “‘Cause there’s a few other f@#&ing fridges around here. This is the one?”
• Hales: “This is the one, yeah. And I looked, I looked, I lifted it up and I looked for anything. I kicked around the ash. There was nothing.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Hales testified he never placed a fridge over the remains and that he only told that detail to make the story more believable.

On Aug. 7, 2008, when police and forensics processed the scene, Bosse’s remains were found under a fridge; however, Hales claims the fridge had been moved five to 10 feet from the description Hales gave Mr. Big.

The Crown put to Hales that the only people he told about Bosse’s death were those involved in the criminal organization he belonged to because he knew they wouldn’t rat him out.

When the Crown asked why he would burn her body other than to avoid getting caught, Hales had no explanation.

Closing arguments are expected to get underway Thursday morning.