Crown prosecutor Shawn Blackman presented the first of three videos on Monday showing Prince Albert police interviewing Marrissa Bird about the 2017 death of Duane Brett Ledoux.
Bird, who is one of four people charged in connection with the case, gave few answers during the interview, which was recorded roughly five months after Ledoux was found dead inside a Prince Albert residence.
The video contains more than six hours of footage, and viewing it took up almost the entire day at the Court of Queen’s Bench. The video includes large chunks of silence punctuated by short answers from Bird to questions posed by Sgt. Scott Hayes of the Prince Albert Police Service.
Hayes himself took the stand on Monday, but did not answer any questions since the court has not finished viewing the footage. He’s scheduled to reappear in court on Monday, along with fellow PAPS officer Const. Lisa Simonson, who also took part in the interview.
Most of the questions focused on what happened inside the 17th Street West home where police found Ledoux’s body. In the video, Hayes presents evidence—including audio recordings from interviews with other witnesses—which police say proves Bird was inside the house when Ledoux died.
There were also questions from police on whether Bird had weapons inside the house, and what her relationship was to the Saskatchewan street gang known as the Terror Squad.
Bird opened the interview by telling police she won’t say anything, and stuck the that line throughout most of the video. The footage shows her with her head face down on the desk for large parts of the interview while police ask questions. She responds to many of the questions by saying “I don’t know,” “I can’t tell you that,” “I’m not talking,” or “I refuse to answer.”
In response to questions about her involvement with the Terror Squad, Bird told police she didn’t say she joined the gang, and was just friends with some of them.
The court still has at least two hours of footage to review in the first video. The second video is more than one hour long.
Madam Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown also extended the publication ban on naming any non-police witnesses who testify during the trial. Reporters had a chance to challenge the ban Monday afternoon.
After no media outlet took the opportunity, MacMillan-Brown agreed to extend the ban, which has been in place since Feb. 3.
“We need to protect and provide for the security of the lay witnesses in this case,” she said following the ruling. “Restricting the publication of the names in this case achieves that goal.”
Marrissa Bird faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with Ledoux’s death. Three other people have already been sentenced for their role in the murder.
Bird’s trial resumes at the Court of Queen’s Bench on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
