Victim sustained two separate beatings, Levi Cayen's lawyer alleges

The defence in the first degree-murder trial of Levi Cayen challenged witness testimony about what happened the night 25-year-old Alex Norwegian was murdered. 

Lawyer Alan Regel argued Thursday that Norwegian sustained two separate beatings in the early morning hours of Dec. 27, 2017 near Hay River, N.W.T.

Norwegian's frozen body was found on a remote road near the town the next day.

Regel made the claim while cross-examining crown witness Tyler Cayen.

Tyler Cayen testified earlier this week that he was at the home of James Thomas with Levi and Sasha Cayen the night of Dec. 26, 2017. He says he had run out of crack cocaine and Thomas suggested the group rob Norwegian, who allegedly sold the drug.

Tyler Cayen said he stayed behind while James Thomas and Levi Cayen left on a snowmobile with a small wooden bat.

He testified that when the pair returned an hour and a half later, Thomas told him to start a fire in the wood stove and handed him the boots he was wearing and a black garbage bag full of an unknown substance and told him to burn them.

Tyler Cayen said that Levi Cayen told him they had "roughed up" Norwegian on a remote road outside of Hay River where Norwegian had been parked.

Tyler Cayen testified that Thomas told him that during the robbery Norwegian had said he had a stash of drugs hidden on Lagoon Road. He said he and Thomas then drove out to the spot and searched for the drugs. When they didn't find anything, he said they returned to the home immediately after. 

Defence alleges second beating

But during cross-examination, Regel challenged Tyler Cayen's series of events. Regel suggested that Tyler Cayen and Thomas were enraged by not finding any crack cocaine and had then driven to where Norwegian was previously parked. He suggested Thomas then beat Norwegian a second time using an aluminum baseball bat and pipe. 

At first, Tyler Cayen denied Regel's alleged sequence of events, but later said he couldn't remember.

Regel also questioned Tyler Cayen about previous statements he had made to police in January 2018 where he had said that he and Thomas had a second fire after they returned from looking for Norwegian's drug stash. Regel suggested Tyler Cayen and Thomas had started that fire to burn some of Norwegian's clothes, including the jacket he had been wearing.

But Tyler Cayen maintained there was only one fire and that he had lied to police when he told them there were two. 

Tyler Cayen also testified that Thomas was involved in gang activity and well connected within the drug world. He said following Norwegian's death, Thomas had devised a cover-up and pressured him to lie about what had happened that night. 

He said on several occasions, Thomas's family members had reminded him that he was expected to lie for Thomas.

Sasha Cayen

Thursday afternoon, 29 year-old Sasha Cayen began testifying but about five minutes into her testimony she said she felt ill and needed a break.

Her testimony is scheduled to continue on Friday.