Accused in Calgary chef's death says he remembers scuffle, but not stabbing

One of two men accused in the killing of a popular chef has testified he remembers being in a scuffle with the cook but has no memory of stabbing him.

Anthony Dodgson and Tommie Holloway have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Christophe Herblin on March 14, 2020.

Herblin was a longtime executive sous chef at the Glencoe Golf and Country Club in Calgary. His new business, Croque Saveurs, a French deli and cafe, was weeks away from opening when he was killed.

Dodgson, who is accused of stabbing Herblin nine times, told court Monday he had been drinking heavily and using methamphetamine with Holloway and two other people.

He said he and Holloway broke into Herblin's restaurant to get into an adjacent cannabis shop, but fled when an alarm went off.

'We got into a little bit of a tussle'

Dodgson said they returned hours later and he remembers being in a scuffle with Herblin and ending up on the ground.

"We got into a little bit of a tussle. I don't know why I was running toward him, but he came to grab me and confront me, and I seen a bottle in his hand. I wasn't sure if he was going to hit me with that bottle or not, so I knocked it out of his hand," Dodgson testified.

"Then he grabbed me and told me he was holding me for the cops, so I tried to get away from him. We both went onto the ground. The last thing I remember I was running away from him."

Gaps in memory

Dodgson testified that he has gaps in his memory as a result of the drugs and alcohol.

"It scrambled my brain. It's kind of like how you get really drunk and you black out, but you wouldn't actually black out. You'd be in one place and then the next minute later you'd be in another place."

Dodgson's lawyer, Tonii Roulston, asked her client if there was a plan to attack Herblin.

"Was there a discussion about stabbing that person?"

"No," Dodgson replied.

"Do you know if you stabbed that person?" she asked.

"No. I didn't recall it. I don't remember stabbing him."

'What does being a rat mean?'

A woman, who can't be identified due to a publication ban, earlier testified that the two men were planning to break into Herblin's cafe to get into the cannabis shop. She said she had seen both men with knives earlier in the day.

She told court she was worried she might be in danger for her co-operation.

A sheriff testified Friday that the woman's name was carved into Dodgson's holding cell with the message she "is a KGB rat."

"Mr. Dodgson, to you what does being a rat mean?" Roulston asked Monday.

"It's like a tattletale — somebody that tells on you," he responded.

"So in the criminal world, when you've called someone a rat, why do you do that?"

"Cause they told on me," Dodgson replied.

"Did you call her a rat?" asked Roulston.

"Yeah, 'cause she talked to the cops and told on me."