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Video evidence shown at trial for 2012 death in P.A.

Apr 7, 2015 | 6:20 PM

In total, more than seven hours of video showing Prince Albert police officers interviewing a woman about her role in an 18-year-old’s death will play at her trial.

Tasia Natewayes, 29, has already pleaded not guilty to unlawfully killing and thereby committing manslaughter, and breaking and entering with intent to commit an indictable offence.

Dakota Nayneecassum, 18, was assaulted in a West Flat townhouse on Sept. 15, 2012 and later died in hospital.

Four men and one teen, who was a young offender at the time of the death, already pleaded guilty to manslaughter for Nayneecassum’s death.

The video evidence put forward by Crown prosecutor Shawn Blackman included five different police interviews with Natewayes following Nayneecassum’s death.

Differing police interview tactics

The tone and style of questioning from the officers who spoke with Natewayes in those videos varied greatly.

The second video interview includes an officer saying Natewayes was being questioned because she had previously “basically said” she drove Kyle Alexander Goodrich (who an officer said was Natewayes’ boyfriend) to the home where two males were assaulted.

One was Cody Vandall, the other was Nayneecassum.

Natewayes seemed compassionate, an officer tells her, saying “if you get things off your chest you’ll feel a whole lot better.”

However, for the better part of an hour in the video she remains largely silent or gives very short answers to questions:  saying she wants to go home, wants to speak to her lawyer, and asks why she’s in custody.

The goal, as numerous officers state, is to find out what Natewayes’ role was – and if she was involved in – the murder of Nayneecassum.

In the second video, another officer enters the room. Using a more forceful tone, he says “I’m not a mean person but we want to know what happened.”

It was difficult to pinpoint Natewayes’ involvement from the first several hours of video, partly because Natewayes’ statements evolved throughout the interviews and partly due to the audio quality of that video.

What is clear from that video is Natewayes’s statement that Goodrich wanted to fight with Vandall that night.

There was a previous “beef” or “altercation” between Goodrich and Vandall.

The reason was unclear, but in the video Natewayes says she thought it was over money.

During an adjournment on day two of the trial, Blackman told reporters two witnesses had been called on the first day of the trial.

One was the landlord of the home where Nayneecassum was killed.

She described those who were present in the home the night he died. Vandall had been upstairs with his girlfriend, and two youths were downstairs with Nayneecassum.

Vandall’s testimony covered his injuries and how he’d heard a ruckus downstairs. When he came downstairs, people who had forced their way into the home met him at the stairs and assaulted him.

Vandall’s neck was cut and required stitches and his arm was also cut, Blackman described.

However, identities of the assailants and how many there were did not come out in testimony.

The trial continues on Wednesday.

Sharing transcripts

Because of the confusion stemming from the difficult-to-decipher audio in the video statements, Blackman submitted a request to share two exhibits with the media.

This includes a photocopy of the transcript from those hours-long interviews with police and the agreed statement of facts.

Justice A. Rothery ruled that media can access the statement of facts.

Editor’s Note: paNOW had earlier reported that the judge ruled that the media could access the video interview transcript. The court shared the statement of fact with the media and not the video interview transcript. 

claskowski@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk