Crown prosecutors have started to present evidence in the second-degree murder trial of a 26-year-old Saskatoon man who is accused of stabbing a 44-year-old man to death in a motel parking lot almost two years ago.
The Crown alleges that in the early morning hours of April 18, 2015, Alvin Naistus killed William Johnston after a series of events at the Northwoods Inn and Suites.
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In her opening statement, Crown prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczko said the case revolves around “getting mad and getting even.”
“This case is about bravado,” Claxton-Viczko said to the jury of seven men and five women.
Claxton-Viczko stated that Johnston had been in a room at the motel when he became hostile. She alleged that Johnston left the room, but was followed by Naistus and a “back and forth” began between the men.
Both had bladed weapons at the time, according to the Crown, however they allege that Johnston started to retreat as Naistus advanced. In her statement, Claxton-Viczko told the jury that Naistus eventually stabbed Johnston in the head and in the heart.
Johnston died in hospital later that morning, while Naistus was arrested in Saskatoon three days following the incident.
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During the trial’s first day, a woman testified that she was at the motel on the morning of the incident and heard a commotion outside of the room she was in. The woman told the jury that she began recording the incident on her cellphone.
The video was played for the jury. It showed two men in an altercation, while swearing and shouting could be heard.
The jury also heard Monday from a Saskatoon Police Service constable who attended the scene of the incident and testified that the motel was one of the service’s highest call volume areas at the time of the incident.
The Crown stated that they plan to call 22 witnesses during the trial, which is expected to last until mid-April.