Trial begins for man accused in the killing of Saskatoon mother Lorry Santos

The last of three alleged gang members, Joshua Petrin, accused of killing Lorry Santos began trial in Saskatoon on Monday.

On Sept. 12, 2012, the mother of four was just beginning her day when the doorbell rang. Seconds later, Santos was dying after being shot by gang members police say went to the wrong home in the city.

Family spent the first day of trial in private, celebrating Santos’ life.

“This trial had been set at least twice previously, both of which times were adjourned and by pure happenstance it happened to work out to exactly the fourth anniversary of Lorry Santos’ death,” Senior Crown Prosecutor Matthew Miazga said.

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The trial at Court of Queen’s Bench is being tried by judge alone and at least 23 witnesses are expected to testify. Petrin has pleaded not guilty to both first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

During opening statements, the Crown outlined that at the time the White Boy Posse was on the hunt for an ex-gang member and it was Petrin’s directions to his associates that lead to the wrong address and the death of Santos.

“I really don’t know much about the White Boy Posse other than they are believed to be the criminal organization that was involved in this case and they were setting up a drug phone in Saskatoon around about the time that this happened,” Miazga said.

The former gang member that the co-accused were allegedly looking for has never made a statement to police.

“I think, fortunately, we’ve been able to keep track most of our witnesses. In this case, I believe the case we’re going to present over the next couple weeks will be the same as we would have presented had it gone ahead last fall or the fall before that when it had first been set,” Miazga said.

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On Tuesday, Santos’ husband is expected to take the stand.

The two co-accused in the case – Randy O’Hagan and another man protected by a publication ban – have already been convicted of murder.

Since his arrest, Petrin’s charges have continued to pile on. He was found guilty last June of uttering death threats to a Saskatoon Correctional Centre staff member and faces charges after trying to escape from the facility last month.

The trial is slated to run until Oct. 14.

Meaghan Craig contributed to this story