Co-accused in murder trial tells jury he’s a scapegoat
Facing cross-examination by three separate lawyers on Thursday, Bronson Gordon found himself confronted with discrepancies between statements and tough questions about his alleged role in the shooting death of Reno Lee.
But Gordon held largely to testimony he provided on Wednesday, telling the jury he knew nothing about what was to befall 34-yearold Lee on April 16, 2015.
“I’m a scapegoat in this,” Gordon said Thursday during questioning by lawyer George Combe, who represents Gordon’s co-accused Daniel Theodore. “At the time, I did not know what was going on ... I don’t understand why (Lee) got shot.”
Gordon, 33, is one of three men standing trial at Regina Court of Queen’s Bench on charges of firstdegree murder and offering an indignity to human remains. Also standing trial on those charges are Theodore, 34, and Andrew Bellegarde, 24.
Court previously heard testimony from Crown witnesses that Lee was attacked and confined while at Gordon’s Angus Street apartment, allegedly by Bellegarde and a second man said to have been under Gordon’s direction. Witnesses said Gordon, then on an electronic monitoring bracelet, stayed at the apartment while several others took Lee to a house on Garnet Street, where a witness said Bellegarde shot Lee in the head before he and Theodore dismembered the man’s body. Some testimony alleged Gordon continued to communicate with those at Garnet Street after Lee was taken there.
Gordon told the court previous testimony regarding his role in the night’s events was false and that he was in the dark about what was happening — a position he stuck to during cross-examination on Thursday by Combe, Bellegarde’s lawyer Mike Buchinski and coCrown prosecutor Adam Breker.
Gordon backed away from previ- ous references to La Familia gang, telling the court it was actually a “club” called The Family for which he was selling drugs at the time. Breker pointed to various references in police statements provided by Gordon in 2015 in which he speaks about involvement with La Familia.
Gordon insisted he lied to the police about that and other details, including about seeing a gun in the hands of one of the men who assaulted Lee at Gordon’s apartment and about being afraid of “Buddha” — Theodore’s street name. He told the court police gave him details surrounding Lee’s confinement and death and he simply repeated those details back to police.
“They were just telling me what they wanted to hear and I just went in there and exaggerated,” Gordon said.
Lawyers also questioned Gordon about the nature of his drug dealing. Gordon downplayed the activity, telling the jury he exaggerated his importance in the drug world both to police and on the street. While he initially denied being in charge of a “crew,” he acknowledged under questioning by Buchinski that he did, in fact, have several people working under him running drugs for him.
But Gordon stuck to his testimony that he wasn’t involved in any setup of Lee, who court previously heard owed a sizable debt to people in Alberta. Gordon said he understood Lee was only at his apartment for a business meeting between the two dealers and that he would not have used his own residence were the situation a setup.
“I don’t rob drug dealers,” he added, telling the court that sort of activity would be bad for business with other dealers.
When asked by Combe whether he might have looked at getting rid of Lee as an opportunity to eliminate competition, Gordon replied, “I don’t think like that.”
Cross-examination by Breker is to continue on Friday.
Earlier in the week, Buchinski told the court there would be no evidence called on Bellegarde’s behalf. Combe has not yet told the jury what, if any, evidence will be called in Theodore’s case.