Victim’s brother accused of assault on witness

A man arrested in connection with an alleged assault of a witness in the first-degree murder trial of Brandin Cole Brick is the homicide victim’s brother.

Justin Joseph Chaisson was arrested and charged with assault with a weapon Wednesday morning in connection with the Tuesday night assault of a 48-year-old woman.

According to Brick’s defence lawyer, Patrick Mcdougall, the woman who was assaulted was Karin Roem, Brick’s mother, who testified on Monday.

Brick, 28, is accused of first-degree murder in the Feb. 14, 2018, death of James Chaisson.

He is also accused of kidnapping with the intent to confine Chaisson against his will, possessing a firearm while prohibited, possessing a loaded prohibited firearm and breaching conditions.

Mcdougall told court Wednesday that Roem was attacked outside a 22nd Street business by four people who bear sprayed her and were “apparently yelling gang epithets.”

He called for a mistrial due to concerns about ensuring witness safety after testifying, a request Justice Daniel Konkin denied.

Mcdougall said Brick was attacked in prison last month and there had also been “some negative interaction” between Brick and people in the public gallery. Chaisson was among the people in the public gallery on Monday and Tuesday.

In an email, Saskatoon police said a 48-year-old woman reported having been bear sprayed in the 2200 block of 22nd Street around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Chaisson’s next appearance in court is March 16 for a bail hearing. He has elected to be represented by Legal Aid.

During Brick’s trial Thursday morning in Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench, court heard from Virginia Charles, who occupied the upper unit of an Avenue S home. Brick, or “Bricks” as she knew him, was said to occupy the basement unit for a period of time with Angela “Missy” Daniels, a woman he was involved with and who was also considered a person of interest in the case.

Charles said Daniels originally lived in the basement with her son, who she was dating at the time. When the two broke up, Daniels stayed in the unit, she said.

“I just didn’t like her lifestyle after that … there was always people coming and going into her place,” Charles said. People frequently knocked on Charles’ door asking to use the phone or borrow a cigarette; Brick was one of them, she said.

Saskatoon police Const. Beau Fouquette was responsible for recovering the vehicle connected to the shooting, a 2009 black Dodge Caliber located in front of a home in the 1200 block of Avenue G North. The keys to the vehicle were never found, he said.

On Tuesday, witness Nathan Pelly testified he was asked to go on a series of errands in the vehicle after witnessing Brick shoot Chaisson, who had been sitting in the back seat. Pelly said he became paranoid someone had been sent after him and ended up parking the car and walking to a Tim Hortons on Idylwyld and 33rd Street.

Crown prosecutor Sandeep Bains is expected to call his last witnesses in the judge-only trial on Tuesday.