THUNDER BAY — Two city police officers who attended the scene where Adrian Richardson was fatally shot in 2022 were the first people to take the stand in the trial of a Toronto man accused of his murder.
The second-degree murder trial of Telique Ricketts started Tuesday in Thunder Bay. Ricketts elected to be tried by a jury. He is being represented by Toronto lawyers Hussein Aly and Tonya Kent.
Most of the morning was spent with administrative matters and Justice Stephen Wojciechowski’s detailed initial instructions and guidance to the 12-person jury, who will decide whether Ricketts is guilty of the specific charge or not.
After that, Crown attorney Heather Bracken’s opening statement outlined a roadmap of what the prosecution expects evidence will show over the scheduled three-week trial — including the testimony of two others also charged in Richardson’s death. She said she expects the evidence will show a plan to rob Richardson with the use of weapons and that Ricketts had a gun.
The pathologist, Bracken said referring to uncontested facts of the case, determined Richardson died from a single gunshot wound.
Thunder Bay police Sgt. Justin Dubuc was called as the Crown’s first witness.
Police received a call from Richardson just after 11:30 p.m. on May 2, 2022 about a break and enter involving weapons at his home, said Dubuc. He was among the officers who entered the building, he said describing the broken entrance door and where they saw a single bullet casing in a stairwell.
He said, upon entering the main living area, they found Richardson on the floor with a lot of blood around him.
Richardson was later pronounced dead at the scene, despite lifesaving efforts by police and paramedics, Dubuc said. The investigation was then turned over to the major crimes unit and the coroner arrived around 1:20 a.m. on May 3, 2022, he added.
Footage from Dubuc’s body camera was also shown, covering a period of time from the officers gathering nearby and walking up to the residence to the actual entering and clearing of the apartment. It briefly showed Richardson on the ground in a pool of blood.
The court also heard from Dubuc, upon cross-examination, that the victim had what appeared to be a knife with a four-to-five inch blade in his hand.
The Crown also called Det. Const. Derek How with the police’s forensic identification unit. How and Det. Const. Ryan Doucette were responsible for photographing the scene, collecting exhibits, taking fingerprints and other on-site investigation. He said he initially arrived at Richardson’s apartment at 2:20 a.m. on May 3.
How’s testimony consisted of many photos of the property outside of Richardson’s apartment door and inside his unit — including the entrance door with the window smashed, a single used bullet casing on the stairwell leading into the unit’s living space, a bullet lodged in the wall, Richardson’s knife, as well as his clothing.
How was not cross-examined.
Finally, Tuesday’s proceedings also included a taxi driver who testified that he picked up three men from Centerfolds Showbar on the night of Richardson’s death with an initial drop-off address of 911 Victoria Avenue. He ultimately dropped them off at the Shoppers Drug Mart near the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway, after multiple stops in what Bracken described as “zig-zagging all over the place.”
The driver, who also wasn’t questioned by the defence, said he couldn’t clearly make out the three men’s faces, due to a COVID-era precautionary screen between himself and passengers, and the fact it was dark in the vehicle.
Ricketts was one of four people charged in connection with Richardson’s killing. Two others — Jacob Green and Aiden Collander — pleaded guilty to manslaughter. A third accused, Daniel Banjaw, appeared in court on April 17. The details of that hearing are subject to a publication ban.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Wednesday.
