Jailhouse video captured homicide: prosecutor

The killing of a Calgary Remand Centre inmate was captured on surveillance video, a prosecutor said Monday.

Crown lawyer Todd Buziak, at the start of the first-degree murder trial of Marlon Rex Ledesma, told court Alvin Clifford Chiniquay died from having the blood supply to his brain cut off.

Ledesma is charged in connection with the Sept. 9, 2016 death of Chiniquay.

Buziak said the deadly encounter, which was shown in evidence, began around 9:16 a.m.

“What makes this case unique ... is that almost the entirety of the case will be contained in the video,” he told Court of Queen’s Bench Justice John McCarthy.

In the video, entered as an exhibit through correctional officer Chris Bannister, it appears as if one individual grabs another in a choke hold before attempting to strangle the victim.

A second correctional official said he received a call from Ledesma from an in-cell call box around 9:30 a.m.

“I asked what he wanted and he

What makes this case unique ... is that almost the entirety of the case will be contained in the video.

replied he was hearing voices at the time,” Denis Mertyn testified.

Mertyn said he couldn’t recall clearly, but Ledesma said he was going to hurt someone, or had done so.

Before Buziak’s opening address, Ledesma, who is representing himself, had the charge read to him and was asked for a plea.

“It was a direct order,” was his reply to the question of whether he was guilty, or not guilty.

Buziak said he’ll call eight witnesses in his case.

While Ledesma is acting for himself, McCarthy has appointed defence counsel George Sirois to act on the court’s behalf.