Man who fled country after being charged with murder in teen's death won't testify
A man accused of murdering a Calgary teenager during a swarming attack will not testify in his own defence as the case is getting closer to a verdict.
Nathan Gervais is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Lukas Strasser-Hird. He was killed in November 2013 after he was swarmed, beaten and stabbed in an alley behind a Calgary nightclub.
This is the second trial his father has had to sit through.
"Right now I'm feeling fairly good," said Dale Hird. "It's actually a relief that it's over."
Five people were arrested and charged, but Gervais fled to Vietnam just before their trial was to begin in 2016.
Last year, with the help of international authorities, Calgary police were able to bring the accused killer back to Canada to face a new trial.
During the 2016 court case, Hird was often agitated at having to share space in the courthouse hallways and cafeteria with his son's accused killers — three of whom were out on bail at the time.
"I did a lot better this trial," said Hird, who also credits a new relationship with helping him keep calm.
Gervais confessed
Defence lawyer Alain Hepner told the judge Tuesday he would not be calling any evidence, just one day after the Crown rested its case. Lawyers on both sides will make their closing arguments at a later date.
During the week-long trial, Court of Queen's Bench Justice William Tilleman heard evidence that Gervais had confessed to attacking Strasser-Hird when he told a friend he had stabbed the victim three times.
That confession took place at a home where Gervais and other friends — including Franz Cabrera, who was subsequently convicted of second-degree murder — had gathered after the attack.
According to a witness, Gervais said he planned to "let [Cabrera] take the fall" for the stabbing.
The tension began that night when several people got into an initial altercation with Strasser-Hird in front of the bar before bouncers took the victim through the bar and led him to the back door where a swarm of attackers was waiting in the alley.
2 accused of helping Gervais flee
According to prosecutors Ken McCaffrey and Samina Dhalla, Gervais retrieved a knife from his car between the initial confrontation in front of the bar and the fatal swarming in the back alley.
Joch Pouk, who was convicted of manslaughter in connection with Strasser-Hird's death, also testified at Gervais' trial.
He and Gervais were housed at the Calgary Remand Centre just after their arrest.
Pouk testified that while in a cell, another inmate asked if he and Gervais had killed Strasser-Hird. Pouk says he said no, while Gerviais nodded that he had.
An undercover officer placed in Gervais' holding cell testified that the accused murderer told him he hadn't planned to kill Strasser-Hird.
The original trial went ahead for four others accused in the killing. Cabrera and Assmar Shlah were found guilty of second-degree murder, with a manslaughter conviction for Pouk. Jordan Liao was acquitted.
Two men were arrested earlier this month and charged for allegedly helping Gervais flee the country.
Sean Airey, 27, and Marshall Quillian, 21, face multiple charges, including accessory after the fact to murder.
