First Nations student deaths inquest: Father 'shocked' by allegations of murder
Three people testified they heard Stephen Cole confess to killing Jordan Wabasse in Thunder Bay
The father of a First Nations teenager who died in Thunder Bay, Ont., says he was "shocked" by allegations at an inquest this week that his son was murdered.
Jordan Wabasse, from Webequie First Nation, disappeared on February 7, 2011 after coming to Thunder Bay to attend high school. His body was found in the Kaministiquia River on May 10, 2011. He was 15 years old.
His father, Derek Jacob, said some of the testimony at the inquest into his son's death this week has been so upsetting he had to leave the court room.
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'I left, just for a walk," he said. "Like I was totally shocked to hear these kids telling, testifying on these things."
On Wednesday two people testified that Stephen Cole told them he had killed Wabasse.
"He told me he killed a kid and pushed him off the bridge for a bag of weed," Cole's half-brother Kirk Jedyk told the inquest.
Cole denied the allegations when he was called to testify.
"Do you think I would be walking around telling all these people this — it wouldn't be a very smart thing to do," he told the inquest on Wednesday.
Cole's former girlfriend testified on Thursday that he also confessed to her, saying he pushed "the Aboriginal guy" in the river.
But Arianna Rollin said she didn't believe Cole because "he was just doing it to be cool."
Jacob said the testimony was "shocking, because I never heard these things."
The lead investigator in the case is scheduled to testify at the inquest on Friday.
Another Thunder Bay police officer testified earlier that the investigation into Wabasse's death remains open, but is "stagnant" because there have been no new leads.
"I hope they continue investigating this thing," Jacob said.
Wabasse is one of seven First Nations students from remote communities whose deaths in Thunder Bay are being examined by the inquest.
The bodies of five of them — all teenaged boys — were found in rivers running through the city.
Watch live streaming video from the First Nation student deaths inquest here.
Follow CBC Thunder Bay reporter Jody Porter as she tweets from the inquest.