Roy Lasas is escorted by a Deputy Sheriff to Court of King's Bench in Prince Albert. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court proceedings

Lasas murder trial adjourned for two months

Oct 30, 2024 | 1:00 PM

After almost two weeks of testimony from police officers, community members and a pathologist, a murder trial at Court of King’s Bench in Prince Albert has been adjourned for two months.

Roy Lasas, a member of Mistawasis First Nation, is facing a charge of second degree murder in the death of Troy Watson in late 2020.

Watson was found unconscious outside a home on the reserve, and was pronounced deceased by paramedics.

As per testimony heard during the trial, Watson was found lying in the snow and there was a large pool of blood beside him.

There was also a trail of blood leading up the staircase of the deck and on the door of the residence.

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Troy Watson was 36 years old at the time of his death. (Beau Lac Funeral Home)

Watson’s death was later attributed to the seven stab wounds he incurred to his chest, abdomen and back areas.

Within the kitchen area was a blood-stained knife and a mug that contained Lasas’s fingerprint.

Lasas’s brother was among the Crown’s witnesses and testified to seeing Roy and Troy engage in a verbal altercation, allegedly over a cellphone.

Court heard Roy was soon after observed going into the kitchen, grabbing a knife and stabbing Troy two to three times.

The two brothers were picked up in a white van and Roy confessed to the driver he had stabbed Watson. Lasas gave the same confession to an undercover officer he met while in custody, court heard.

Lasas was not arrested until January of 2022 and another piece of testimony revealed he convinced people to lie for him in order to create an alibi.

The people that had been with Watson earlier in the day, testified he was intoxicated (possibly both drugs and alcohol), and upon returning to the reserve, after a trip to Saskatoon, slapped a security officer in the face.

Defence lawyer Mike Nolan did not call any evidence.

When court resumes on Dec. 20, lawyers will present final arguments and then the case will likely be adjourned to another date in the new year for decision.

At the onset of the trial, Lasas’s lawyer indicated his client would enter a guilty plea to manslaughter, but Crown Prosecutor Kristen Hubbard declined.

Mistawasis First Nation is located about 70 km southwest of Prince Albert.

A second person, under the age of 18, was also arrested, but their charge was later stayed by the Crown.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell