Accused takes the stand in fatal THC-impaired driving case in Saskatoon
Taylor Kennedy says she told police the truth at crash scene about her drug use
The woman accused of impaired driving causing the death of a nine-year-old in 2021 took the stand in Saskatoon provincial court on Wednesday.
Taylor Kennedy testified Wednesday that, on Sept. 9, 2021, she truthfully admitted to police to having drugs in her system. Court has heard that Kennedy told police she microdosed psilocybin mushrooms and cannabis in the previous 24 hours before she hit Baeleigh Maurice along a stretch of 33rd Street West at about 9 a.m. CST that day.
Part of the court case hinges on whether the information Kennedy volunteered to police that day was compelled. That aspect of the trial is being considered in a voir dire — a trial within a trial to consider whether certain evidence should be a part of the larger trial.
Kennedy's defence attorney, Thomas Hynes, said outside of court that if the statement is admitted, the defence will argue those statements violated Kennedy's rights alongside other police violations of her rights.
It was more than an hour after the crash when Kennedy did an oral swab for THC and tested positive.
The judge-alone trial resumed Wednesday after a months-long hiatus in proceedings. It was adjourned in October until February, then adjourned again until Wednesday.
Some members in the gallery wore shirts or sweaters that read "Justice for Baeleigh."
Crown prosecutor Michael Pilon cross-examined Kennedy Wednesday afternoon.
The court replayed a video from the cab of a police vehicle from after the crash to clarify whether Kennedy had requested to speak to a specific lawyer when asked — something Pilon argued she had not.
In the video, a police officer informs Kennedy she is under arrest and explains why. Kennedy can be heard loudly sobbing.
Kennedy said she could not convey her thoughts while she was crying. She testified that while she had a specific lawyer she wanted to speak with, she did not ask for him and agreed that speaking with legal aid would work for her.
Pilon tried to confirm when Kennedy told police she had used substances in a series of questions that led to Kennedy breaking down on the stand.
The court also heard from Taylor Kennedy's mother, Carla Kennedy, about Taylor's past driving experiences — and how Carla encouraged Taylor to report accidents — and about Taylor's past experiences with mental health issues including depression, anxiety, ADHD and borderline personality disorder.
Carla was the final witness brought forward for the voir dire.
So far, court has also seen footage from doorbell cameras that captured the crash and its aftermath, and heard from officers about the moments after the crash, and about police training and capacity for drug testing.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Friday.
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