Man attacked over suspicion of stolen drugs, trial hears

A man who shared a basement with Christopher Schaan, the Saskatoon man who died after a vicious assault in 2015, says he saw the man accused in Schaan’s death punch and stomp Schaan’s head.

Stacey L’Herault had injected crystal meth about an hour before the attack, Dean Spokes testified Wednesday at L’Herault’s seconddegree murder trial. Spokes also testified about using morphine and meth that night.

The men were discussing how some of Spokes’ drugs had gone missing, and the possibility that Schaan was to blame.

Spokes said L’Herault told him that he’d seen Schaan “digging” through his stuff and that they needed to “do something about it.” Spokes said he took that to mean asking Schaan about the missing drugs.

When Schaan walked downstairs around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2015, Spokes testified L’Herault immediately stood up and crouched over as if he were hurt. Schaan walked over to see if he was all right and L’Herault hit him with an uppercut to the jaw, Spokes said.

Schaan fell backwards into an area of the basement that was out of view, Spokes testified. All he could see was L’Herault’s upper body moving in what he described as a stomping motion.

Spokes said he told L’Herault to stop, but assumed the man didn’t hear him. After he was finished, Spokes said the accused sat back down, at which point Spokes went to check on Schaan. He said his roommate was unresponsive, so he and L’Herault picked him up, set him on his bed and tried to “wake him up.” Someone also injected Schaan with meth in hopes of jolting him awake, Spokes said.

He told court another roommate came downstairs and helped carry Schaan upstairs. Spokes stayed downstairs to clean up Schaan’s blood.

He said he eventually went upstairs and noticed Schaan’s face was “banged and bruised up.” Schaan also appeared incoherent.

“It’s like he was not even there,” Spokes testified.

Although several people were upstairs at the time, about three or four hours passed before an ambulance was called to the home on Avenue F North, he told court.

“Nothing seemed to change. Everyone just kept talking and partying.” Spokes said, adding it was common for people to be coming and going from the home where drugs were widely used.

Schaan died in hospital eight days later on Feb. 21, 2015.

Defence lawyer George Combe revealed Spokes’ criminal past of stealing in order to support his addictions. Spokes also said he once gave police information so he could get out of jail, but testified he wasn’t lying when he told an officer in this case that one of his fellow former inmates may have been in the basement after Schaan was attacked.