Four police witnesses took the stand on Wednesday as the Marrissa Bird murder trial continued at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Prince Albert.
The focus was on a one hour interview conducted with Prince Albert police in April 2018 after Bird was taken into custody as part of an investigation into a separate crime. The victim of that crime was one of several witnesses who had already spoken to police about the night Duane Brett Ledoux died. Bird faces first degree murder charges in connection with Ledoux’s death.
Unlike interviews from January of that year, which were played for the court last week, video footage from the April 2018 interview showed Bird was talkative and animated in response to police questions. However, she also grew frustrated and angry with police after they seemed reluctant to accept her account, and said the entire process was a “waste of time.”
During the interview, Bird told police she joined the Terror Squad two years before, but was trying to get out because she wanted to protect her children. She told investigators she only met Ledoux twice before he died, and maintained the meeting that night was “just a party.”
However, she also told police she was “f—ing scared” to talk about what happened that evening.
Defence attorney Patrick McDougall focused his questions on whether Bird was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the interview. Sgt. Darren Androsoff was one of three Prince Albert police officers who arrested Bird that day. After reviewing interview footage on Wednesday, he told the court it’s possible Bird was impaired.
Const. Braden Blais, who was also involved in the April 2018 arrest, testified that Bird told police she had been smoking marijuana and drinking prior her arrest.
“She was very upset, (and) emotional,” Blais told the court.
McDougall also questioned police about why there was a roughly three-and-a-half hour gap between Birds arrival at the cell block and the start of questioning. Androsoff told the court police used that time to prepare for the interview.
Androsoff, Blais and Insp. Craig Mushka arrived at Bird’s residence to arrest her on April 6, 2018, but were told by the man who answered the door that Bird was not home. The man agreed to let police search the house, where they located Bird hiding under a staircase. She was then taken into custody.
The court also viewed footage from the third and final interview police conducted with Bird on June 4, 2018. Const. Lisa Simonson was sworn in but did not answer questions since the court has not finished viewing the video. Proceedings continue on Thursday at 10 a.m.
Marrissa Bird is one of four people who were charged in connection with the August 2017 death of Duane Brett Ledoux. The other three pleaded guilty and were sentenced last year. Ledoux was later found dead in a house on the 800 block of 17th Street West on Aug. 16, 2017.
Editor’s Note: Const. Braden Blais was incorrectly identified in a previous version of this story. It has since been updated. The Daily Herald apologizes for the error.
