Iqaluit murder trial opens with testimony about a party that ended in death

The first witness in a murder trial underway in Iqaluit said he believed the accused was just trying to calm down the victim by putting him in a chokehold at a party in Apex in May 2017. 

Bradley Winsor, 23, died of his injuries.

Daniel Hodgson, 41, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. His trial began in the Nunavut Court of Justice Tuesday. 

Speaking by video link, witness Shawn Burke described the evening that ended with his friend's death. He and Winsor had known each other since high school, he said. 

The night began with the pair sharing cigarettes, driving around and looking for a place to drink. They eventually found one at a friend's house. Hodgson was there when they arrived. 

As the evening progressed, Burke said Winsor got "really loaded." 

Winsor had earlier been driving Burke's truck. At some point in the evening, Burke asked Winsor to give him the keys. Winsor declined, and instead dangled the keys in the air. Burke tried to grab them and Winsor shoved him into a wall. Burke said he held his hands up in surrender. A young woman then intervened, and Winsor "pushed her or did something to her."

Next, "Brad got a little out of control and Daniel saw that from the kitchen and he ran in and stopped him." 

Hodgson stopped Winsor by standing behind him and putting him in a chokehold. The two fell to the ground. 

It happened quickly; Burke guessed about 30 seconds. 

The next thing Burke recalls is saying, "He's turning blue." 

Burke said he then ran in and "pulled them off each other." He and another person attempted to perform CPR until emergency medical technicians arrived and directed them outside. 

Hodgson, Burke explained, was not a close friend. 

Asked to describe his initial reaction to Hodgson's stepping in after Winsor pushed the young woman, Burke said: "I've been to a lot of parties where people acted out and I've seen people stop them. I wasn't worried about it. It was just a regular calm down." 

He added: "I got worried when he started changing colour, but I wasn't worried when he started. I thought it was just [a] calm down." 

Crown prosecutor Greg Lyndon pressed Burke repeatedly on whether he'd seen Winsor using cocaine that night. Burke said no.

Unusual trial setup

The trial is taking place in an Iqaluit courtroom that is closed to the public due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Iqaluit. Family of the victim and the accused, along with media have been invited to observe the court via video or audio link. 

On Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Lyndon told Justice Susan Charlesworth that family members of Winsor were having difficulty hearing the proceedings due to a poor internet connection. 

The judge declined to invite them into the court, noting that elsewhere in the world, fathers have not been allowed in delivery rooms and people have not been allowed in intensive care units where their family members are dying. 

Charlesworth agreed instead to order daily transcripts of what's said in the courtroom so that the family can follow the details closely. 

The trial resumes Wednesday.