Darryl Sheepway murder trial closes, justice reserves decision until January

Prosecutors have made their final submissions in the first-degree murder trial of Darryl Sheepway, leaving the Whitehorse man's fate in the hands of Supreme Court Justice Leigh Gower. 

Sheepway admits he shot and killed Christopher Brisson during a 2015 drug deal in Whitehorse, but has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Yukon Supreme Court. Sheepway says he was high on drugs at the time and did not intend to kill Brisson. He has said he would plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Wrapping up their closing arguments in court Friday morning, Sheepway's lawyer, Lynn MacDiarmid, argued Sheepway should be convicted of manslaughter rather than murder because he was an emotional mess at the time of the incident that resulted in Brisson's death, made worse by intense cravings for crack cocaine. 

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In his testimony earlier in the trial, Sheepway painted Brisson's death as the result of a robbery gone wrong, saying that he thought Brisson would see a shotgun held by Sheepway and hand over "whatever he had."

Instead, Sheepway claims Brisson grabbed the barrel of the gun and tried to yank it away, and two shots were fired in the struggle. 

However, prosecutor Jennifer Grandy said Friday that there is ample evidence that Sheepway intended to kill Brisson.

Grandy said the prosecution is not contesting that Sheepway's mental state was affected by his drug addiction, but said the facts are that he killed Brisson in order to rob him of drugs and cash.

Grandy said that Sheepway planned the robbery, luring Brisson to a remote spot and arriving with a loaded shotgun.

When Brisson fled the scene instead of handing over the drugs, she said, Sheepway fired his shotgun twice at the rear of his vehicle in order to stop him from leaving with the drugs, ultimately killing him.

Justice Leigh Gower has reserved his decision in the judge-only case until the end of January. ​