Judge's instructions to jury in Regina's 3-man murder trial continue Thursday

The judge overseeing a three-man murder trial in Regina will continue delivering a lengthy set of instructions to the jury Thursday morning, before jury members begin deliberations.

Justice Catherine Dawson delivered more than two hours' worth of instructions before the case was adjourned Wednesday afternoon, and several more hours are expected to be delivered Thursday morning.

The jury in the case is being asked by the Crown to find all three men guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death and dismemberment of Reno Lee. 

Bronson Gordon, Daniel Theodore and Andrew Bellegarde have pleaded not guilty to murdering Lee and not guilty of committing an indignity to a body.

Dawson reminded the jurors that the Crown must convince them beyond a reasonable doubt of each of the accused parties' guilt.

Police believe Reno Lee was killed on April 16, 2015, although they found his remains in a shallow grave on Star Blanket First Nation later that month.

Before Lee was taken to a home on Regina's Garnet Street, where it's alleged he was killed and dismembered, he had been at Gordon's home on Angus Road to broker a drug partnership, the trial has heard.

Jurors heard Lee was assaulted, confined and taken to the home in North Central, where he later died from two gunshots to his head.

Crown co-prosecutor Bill Jennings argued each of the men charged in Lee's death played a role in what he called Lee's "execution."

Determining witnesses' credibility 

Defence lawyers argued for acquittals or convictions on lesser charges, casting doubt on each man's role and level of involvement in the events of the night. They also argued that witness testimony was at turns unreliable, contradictory and tainted by drug use at the time of the incident.

Dawson told the jury it was up to them to decide how they wanted to treat witness testimony.

"You may believe some, all or none," she told jurors.

She advised jurors to be careful when considering certain testimony, for instance, if they thought the witnesses had an interest in the outcome of the trial, or if they wanted to minimize their own role in the incident. Jurors should use independent evidence to support or confirm witness testimony, she said.

Past histories of accused 

The past conduct of each of the accused also came up during the trial, including past histories of drug use and dealing, weapon use and intimidation to enforce drug debts.

Dawson reminded the jury that the Crown could not rely on evidence of bad character or conduct to prove the charges.

Every accused person has the right to remain silent at trial.- Justice Catherine Dawson

Gordon was the only accused to testify in the trial, but the decision of Bellegarde and Theodore not to testify does not equate to guilt, she said.

"Every accused person has the right to remain silent at trial," she said.

During his testimony, Gordon claimed he had no role in the murder and didn't know what was going to happen to Lee, with his testimony implicating Theodore and Bellegarde in the murder.

If jurors believed him, or are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that he played a role in the killing, they must acquit him, Dawson said.  

However, she advised caution against using his testimony to decide charges against his co-accused, saying, "Bronson Gordon may have been more concerned with protecting himself, than telling the truth."

Court will reconvene for further instructions at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Follow along with reporter Kendall Latimer's tweets from the courtroom today. 

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