SUV evidence in fatal shooting could be tainted, lawyer says

NORTH BATTLEFORD A lawyer for the family of a First Nations man shot dead in a Saskatchewan farmyard says a key piece of evidence has been compromised.

Chris Murphy represents the family of Colten Boushie, who was killed in August after the vehicle he was riding in with four others drove to a farm west of Saskatoon.

Murphy said the SUV, a Ford Escape, was stored at a Saskatoon towing company lot on Sept. 12 and then moved the next day to a salvage yard for auction.

He said he told the Crown and RCMP that the SUV was not in police custody. The former prosecutor said police told him blood splatter analysis had not been performed on the vehicle. That means any evidence collected now could be tainted, Murphy said.

Farm owner Gerald Stanley has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Boushie’s death.