Mistrial declared in Douglas death case

Proceedings for three people charged in death of Shawn Douglas on hold

A mistrial was declared by Justice Janet McMurtry on Wednesday in the case of three of the six people charged with first-degree murder in the August 2014 death of Shawn Douglas.

After a long day of jury selection at the Conexus Arts Centre on Monday in which hundreds of potential jurors were whittled down to 14, the trial — which had been set to take up to seven weeks — was slated to begin next week. The trial had been set to go ahead with a publication ban imposed on all evidence heard, so as not to taint the jury pool for subsequent trials over the same matter.

However after Bob Hrycan, counsel for Joshua Duane Wilson, asked to withdraw from the case on Wednesday, McMurtry returned in the afternoon and declared that the trial could not go ahead.

With Wilson’s co-accused Johnathon Nelson Peepeetch and Dennis Calvin Thompson having dismissed their own lawyers last week, Wednesday’s withdrawal would have left all three men facing trial without representation. In addition Wilson — who did desire counsel — would have been left with little preparation time ahead of trial.

The matter has now been set back to Oct. 5 at 9 a.m. for case management, when it will be seen what steps have been taken by the accused to secure representation.

First-degree murder charges have also been laid against Aiden James Anaquod and two youths who were aged 16 and 17 at the time of the alleged offence and cannot be named. Charges against another accused, Michael McNab, were previously stayed by the Crown.

Speaking Wednesday morning, Crown prosecutor James Fitz-Gerald said the media ban had been requested because evidence and witnesses in this first trial were set to be used in further trials, and media reports could thus affect both future juries and the witnesses called. The trial of the two youths had been set to go ahead on Nov. 21, with Anaquod’s set to begin on Jan. 16. However, these dates could be in doubt.

The body of Douglas, 54, was found on Aug. 9, 2014, at around 1:45 p.m. in the Zehner district northeast of Regina, with the suspects being taken into custody in Saskatoon later the same day. Douglas is said to have died on Aug. 7, when police had initially received a report of a nonresponsive person being placed in a vehicle near the 200 block of Quebec Street North in Regina.