Douglas accused point fingers at others

In the words of Dennis Calvin Thompson’s lawyer, the case surrounding the brutal death of Shawn Douglas in a bush near Zehner is, at its heart, “a story of gangs.”

“It’s a story of gang violence,” Kathy Hodgson-Smith told a Regina jury on Monday.

“It’s about how gangs operate here in Regina. It’s a chilling case. This is about where people who are not in the gang can find themselves when they cross paths with a gang. This is also a case about how gangs operate when they get caught.”

The jury listened to arguments from four lawyers as they approach deliberations in the case of three men accused of killing Douglas.

With the Crown suggesting all three men — Thompson, 35, Johnathon Nelson Peepeetch, 26, and Joshua Duane Wilson, 27 — are guilty of first-degree murder, defence lawyers pointed fingers at the co-accused or others said to have been involved in events on the early morning of Aug. 7, 2014.

Prosecutor James Fitz- Gerald — handling the case alongside Derek Maher — took jurors through six weeks of evidence, outlining details he says show the three are guilty. Fitz-Gerald was interrupted by Peepeetch, who said: “Is the Crown allowed to lie about evidence in his submission to the jury?”

Justice Janet McMurtry directed Peepeetch to “sit down and not say anything ” while Fitz- Gerald spoke.

Fitz-Gerald continued with his close, alleging all three accused intended for 54-year-old Douglas to die and “took steps to achieve it.”

Fitz- Gerald suggested the three men can and should be found guilty, either as main players in Douglas’ murder or as parties to it — the legalities of which were reserved for McMurtry in her charge to the jury, which began Monday.

Among stated reasons for the Crown’s submission was evidence Douglas was forced into the trunk of a car before being driven to a location outside Regina. Witnesses testified he was zip tied and taken to a bush where he was beaten to death by as many as six males, including the three accused.