Man allegedly hit neighbour with vehicle before executing him, jury hears as trial begins
Eric Wildman, 38, pleaded not guilty to 1st-degree murder in 2021 killing of Clifford Joseph
There are only two people who really know what happened on the fateful day in June 2021 when a man allegedly killed his neighbour: the one whose remains were discovered over a month later, and the one now on trial in a Winnipeg court for first-degree murder, prosecutors told the jury hearing the case Monday.
But the evidence left behind was enough to help investigators piece together the story of how they believe things played out that day, Crown attorney Bryton Moen said during his opening statement on the first day of the trial of Eric Wildman, now 38.
Wildman has pleaded not guilty to killing 40-year-old Clifford Joseph on or around June 7, 2021, in the village of Stead, Man.
It all started after a fire at Wildman's property burned his home and several of his vehicles a month before that, which Moen said made "the temptation to turn his neighbour's misfortune into his own gain … too much" for Joseph, who court heard planned to steal from Wildman.
"That, however, did not make it OK for Eric Wildman to kill him," Moen said.
But when Joseph got there, he was intercepted by his neighbour — who Moen said hit Joseph with his vehicle, then took the injured man to another location where he executed him. When Joseph's remains were finally found, he had a broken leg and jaw.
"But those injuries didn't kill him," Moen said. "What killed him were three gunshots, including one to the back of the head."
Alternatively, prosecutors are arguing Wildman killed Joseph while forcibly confining him, court heard — another route to a conviction for first-degree murder.
'This case is like a puzzle': Crown
Joseph was found after being reported missing the morning he's believed to have been killed, after his girlfriend went to look for him at Wildman's home but instead found the victim's truck across the road with his keys and phone still inside.
Court heard the woman also found items belonging to Joseph lying in the grass between tire tracks in a field near Wildman's home.
"This case is like a puzzle. Each piece is important, but each piece does not present much of the picture until it is seen in context with everything else," Moen told the jury. "That will be your task in this case — to see all of the evidence."
That includes details about Wildman's actions in the days following Joseph's disappearance — like when he "rather surprisingly" contacted Selkirk RCMP from his mom's house on June 9 and "for some reason" told Mounties that on the night Joseph went missing, Wildman was staying elsewhere.
But the person whose home Wildman mentioned told police the man had never stayed there, Moen said.
Court also heard Wildman's vehicle was later found with damage to the bumper and windshield — and surveillance footage from an autobody shop showed him buying a new hood, then changing it in the parking lot before taking off and leaving the original hood behind, which Moen described as him trying to "cover his tracks."
A search of Joseph's phone found no contact between him and Wildman, or any messages indicating he was planning to steal from Wildman, according to a statement of agreed facts filed Monday. None of Joseph's DNA was found in swabs taken from Wildman's vehicle, that statement said.
Accused fled province in rental car
When Wildman got wind that RCMP planned to arrest him in Joseph's murder, court heard the accused then rented a car and took off to another province, and was located in Ontario on June 16, 2021.
Wildman sat next to his lawyers in a grey suit as jurors heard details of the prosecution's case against him.
Court also began hearing evidence Monday from two RCMP officers involved in Joseph's missing persons case — including Kyle Beech, who gave details about the items found during the initial investigation into Joseph's disappearance.
Beech described how a pair of black shoes, a headlamp with an orange and black strap and a black snapback hat were seen lying in the grass when he arrived at the scene.
'Have you ever seen a staged crime scene?': lawyer
Wildman's lawyer, Martin Glazer, noted it took hours from when Joseph went missing to when police secured the scene later that evening, suggesting there was opportunity for people to contaminate the scene before then.
"Have you ever seen a staged crime scene?" Glazer asked. "Where objects are planted in a certain area or placed in a certain area before the police arrive?"
"No," Beech said.
That came after the jury in the case was selected earlier Monday, after being asked questions including whether they'd heard anything about Wildman's case or helped with the search for Joseph.
Court of King's Bench Justice Richard Saull also told jurors that while it's the second trial for Wildman related to Joseph's death after his first one ended in a mistrial, they should "take nothing from the fact that there was a previous trial."
"No verdict was rendered," Saull said. "The trial was not completed."
Wildman's trial continues Tuesday. It's scheduled for five weeks, and is expected to continue until Feb. 14.
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