Crown, defence lawyers make final pitches to jury
Panel likely to begin deliberations Friday on fate of pair charged in 2020 death
When Tristan Daniel Morrison and Steven Jaret Veilleux led Allan Douglas Garrioch into a bluff of trees near Bruno, Sask., they had formulated a plan to kill him, according to the Crown.
Veilleux, 44, and Morrison, 23, had just invaded Garrioch's Humboldt home in the middle of the night, beat him, tied up his girlfriend, stole items from the home and forced Garrioch, who was handcuffed, into a Jeep, Crown prosecutor Cory Bliss said.
He argued the men realized Garrioch knew their identities because he hadn't been blindfolded.
“All of the things they planned to put in place to avoid detection have failed,” Bliss told jurors during Thursday's closing arguments at the men's Saskatoon Queen's Bench trial.
“Allan had seen too much, and he knew too much.”
Garrioch, 20, was shot in the neck on Feb. 25, 2020, left in the trees and discovered six days later. The jury heard the gun was never found, but RCMP retrieved two “centre-fire shell casings” from the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee used during the offence.
Bliss urged the jury to convict Morrison and Veilleux of first-degree murder because they planned the killing together.
Morrison and Veilleux do not dispute the home invasion kidnapping, which forms part of the agreed statement of facts. Both men also pleaded guilty to confining Garrioch's girlfriend.
Morrison's lawyer, Ian Wagner, argued his client gave Veilleux the gun after they marched Garrioch into the bluff of trees because he “didn't want Allan to die.”
He disputed the Crown's theory that Morrison was motivated by jealousy, as Garrioch was dating his ex-girlfriend, pointing to Morrison's recorded police interview where he said the home invasion had nothing to do with “a girl.”
Instead, he argued Morrison wanted revenge for a previous home invasion where he was targeted by Garrioch and others.
According to the agreed facts, Morrison paid Veilleux $2,200 three days after Garrioch was killed. Bliss said Morrison needed help from Veilleux, who was older and more “experienced.”
Veilleux needed money for drugs, Wagner said.
Neither Veilleux nor Morrison took the stand. The jury watched Morrison's police interview, where he told investigators that the plan to kill Garrioch arose in the Jeep, that he was supposed to do it but got scared and gave Veilleux the gun to “do the honours.”
Bliss argued Morrison is either minimizing his involvement, or telling the truth. People who help others commit murder are also guilty of murder, and handing someone a gun to kill someone carries the same responsibility as doing the shooting, Bliss told jurors.
Veilleux's lawyer, Mike Nolin, asked the jury to find his client guilty of manslaughter, but not guilty of first-degree murder. He said Veilleux led Garrioch into the trees to let him go after they got what they wanted, and had no idea Morrison was going to shoot him until shortly after the gun went off.
He noted that, according to witnesses, Morrison was last seen holding a gun. The jury heard he had bragged about getting an SKS rifle for his birthday.
“He has the motive, the means and the opportunity,” Nolin said.
He also pointed to Morrison's numerous lies during his police interview, which the Crown also outlined in its arguments.
“Allan Garrioch is dead because Tristan Morrison killed him,” and Morrison is trying to throw others under the bus, Nolin said.
Chief Justice Martel Popescul is expected to instruct the jury Friday morning. Deliberations will follow.