The second degree murder trial against Langley resident Jason Brewer has started in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.
On Monday, Crown counsel Ranjit Khangura told a judge that the Crown will set out to prove that Brewer, 26, stabbed his friend Cole Manning, 40, to death in Brewer’s bedroom inside his Willoughby basement suite on New Year’s Eve 2012.
The trial is expected to take three weeks, with Crown calling 11 witnesses, mainly police officers, a blood spatter expert, forensic expert, some of Brewer’s friends, his then-girlfriend’s mother and the pathologist who did the autopsy.
At the conclusion of jury selection, Brewer decided to enter a not guilty plea and the trial is now with a judge alone. Members of Manning’s family were in the courtroom.
Brewer sat listening in the prisoner’s box, wearing a blue golf shirt, with his brown hair cropped short and a trimmed goatee. He has sleeves of tattoos.
Crown revealed on the opening day that Manning’s toxicology report showed he had no alcohol or drugs in his system when he was killed.
Crown said that phone records will show that Manning and Brewer had communicated several times over the week leading up to Manning’s death.
The night of the murder, the two had arranged to meet at Brewer’s basement suite located near 196 Street and 69 Avenue. Brewer had just moved in there a few days beforehand.
Crown intends to show that Manning’s body was found on Brewer’s bed with a knife in his neck.
Khangura said they will show text messages Brewer made after Manning was killed and the 911 call made by Brewer’s long-time friend. Crown alleges Brewer went to see his long-time friend after the murder to confess what he had done.
Afterwards, his friend phoned 911.
Police were able to track Brewer by pinging his cellphone. Crown said Brewer was on his way to his friend’s house in Abbotsford so police got there first.
When he saw them there, he fled in his car and a short but eventful pursuit took place. It took several police cars ramming his vehicle to effect his arrest. Brewer was taken down on 264 Street, near the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
Khangura said DNA found on Brewer’s jeans upon his arrest match the victim’s.
Evidence collected in the bedroom show that there was a bank deposit envelope with $20 inside it beside Manning’s body.
No alleged motive was discussed in court. Crown is expected to spend more than a week examining witnesses.