Murder trial hears from more witnesses in neighbourhood when Behchokǫ, N.W.T., man died

Witnesses in the Behchokǫ, N.W.T., neighbourhood where a 28-year-old man was found dead last summer reported hearing a loud commotion and fighting on the night of the alleged murder of Dien Erasmus.

The second-degree murder trial for a youth accused in the case continued at a territorial court in Behchokǫ on Wednesday. The trial was in its third day and drew a significant crowd including many of Erasmus's friends and relatives.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits CBC News from identifying the accused, who was 16 at the time of the incident.

Clayton Lafferty, who lived in the neighbourhood, testified in court on Wednesday that he heard noises like "logs chopping" and "breaking and dropping" shortly after 3 a.m. on July 18, 2023. Erasmus's body was found by the RCMP later that morning, across the street from Lafferty's house.

An autopsy later determined that Erasmus died from multiple stab wounds and internal hemorrhagic shock.

Lafferty also told the court that he was on his phone that night when he heard noises, initially thinking they came from his son. Upon checking, he realized the sounds were coming from across the street, although he said he did not go outside to investigate.

Another witness from the same street testified that she woke around 3:30 a.m. to a loud commotion and asked her partner, Noel Football, to check outside.

Football testified that he heard "screaming, shouting, and fighting" at the time. Looking out the window, he saw the accused's brother running about 15 to 20 feet from the house. He said that moments later, he saw another individual running in the same direction.

Accused grabbed a knife, witness told RCMP earlier

Another witness, Donovan Erochi, testified that he was with the accused's brother inside a house near the area early that morning.

"It all happened very fast," Erochi said. He testified that there were around three to six people outside, including Erasmus and the accused.

While Erochi testified that he could not remember exactly what happened, he insisted that the people outside "had no weapons."

Crown prosecutor Blair McPherson pointed out inconsistencies between Erochi's testimony on Wednesday and a statement he gave to RCMP on July 20, 2023.

McPherson read Erochi's RCMP statement in court, where he had described the accused storming into the house where he was, yelling 'where's the knife?' and then grabbing a kitchen knife and running outside. When asked by RCMP about a golf club which was located near where the deceased was found, Erochi had stated that the accused had it.

McPherson said that he expects the trial to conclude by Thursday or Friday. Judge R.D. Gorin is presiding over the trial.