New witnesses coming forward in Taman inquiry

Sources close to the inquiry into the death of Crystal Taman say they're surprised by the feedback they're getting in the search for witnesses in the case.

Taman, 40, was killed in February 2005 when her car, stopped at a traffic light in East St. Paul, was struck by a pickup truck driven by former Winnipeg police officer Derek Harveymordenzenk.

The province called a public inquiry into the investigation and prosecution of Harveymordenzenk — who received a two-year conditional sentence for dangerous driving causing death — and into the legal services provided to Taman's family.

Many of the people involved in the investigation and prosecution will be subpoenaed to testify at the hearings, which are scheduled to begin this summer.
 
The inquiry's commissioner, former Ontario Superior Court justice Roger Salhany, has been advertising in local media for new witnesses who may have more detail about Harveymordenzenk's condition prior to the crash.

Sources close to the inquiry told CBC News that several people with new, relevant information have already called the commissioner's office, offering to testify.

Victim's family hopes for answers

The province released two reports based on reviews of agencies involved in the case on Thursday.

The reports found little wrong with the East St. Paul police force, which initially investigated the crash, or with the system that appoints independent prosecutors, who are used in cases where accused individuals have prior relationships with the Manitoba justice department.

The reviews' findings did not come as a surprise to Taman's widower, Robert Taman, who says they were intended to bolster public confidence in the police and the Crown, not to reveal the truth about the circumstances surrounding his wife's death.

He's read nothing that makes him more confident in the justice system, he said.

"I was a direct recipient of the system yesterday, so … it's going to take quite a while for me to feel more secure," he said.

Taman was pleased that retired Queen's Bench judge Ruth Krindle, who handled the review of independent prosecutions, found discrepancies in the way victims were treated in such cases.

"I'm glad they found that there's a problem there, because I know firsthand what it's like," he said.

"I'm hoping that once the inquiry is over at the end of the summer, that they'll be able to put everything together and fix the system so that the victims have a more active role in things, and that we're not shut out."
 
Taman hopes the inquiry offers more answers about what really happened the day his wife was killed.

Inquiry to question police and prosecutor's methods

In a deal with prosecutors, Harveymordenzenk — also known as Derek Harvey-Zenk — pleaded guilty to a single charge of dangerous driving causing death in the crash that killed Taman. The mother of three was stopped at a traffic light at the corner of Highway 59 and the Perimeter Highway when her convertible was hit from behind.

Harveymordenzenk was initially charged with refusing a breathalyzer, impaired driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death, but those charges were dropped without explanation when Harveymordenzenk pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

The court heard that Harveymordenzenk had been out at an after-shift party with off-duty colleagues in the hours before the crash, but no evidence was offered in the case about whether the former officer had been drinking.

The inquiry is expected to examine many issues, including the lack of evidence collected by the East St. Paul police, the decision by the independent prosecutor to accept the plea bargain and whether the prosecutor kept the Taman family informed about developments in the case, as is required under provincial law.

Hearings to determine who should have legal standing at the public inquiry will begin Feb. 4.