Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Aggravated assault trial starts in Penticton

The jury trial for a young man who is facing two charges of aggravated assault started Tuesday in Penticton and is expected to last three to four days.

Several witnesses are expected to take the stand, including the two alleged stabbing victims and RCMP officers.

According to the first witness, now a resident of Osoyoos, he knew the accused for a good eight years, and they were good friends who also shared the same residence at one time.

On Oct. 30, 2010, another acquaintance was holding a Halloween party that they attended at 10 a.m. that morning.

There was a bunch of people there and drugs and booze, including whiskey, vodka, cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana.

Over the course of the day he saw the accused drinking as well as consuming cocaine and marijuana.

Around 8 p.m.,there were a bunch of people downstairs,  including the host of the party, the witness and the accused.

The host and the accused were standing in the doorway of the bedroom and the witness was sitting on a couch.

The two in the doorway were arguing about something, said the witness. He had no idea what, but could tell they were angry because their eyes were flaring up.

When they started pushing and shoving he stood up, because they were his friends and he was not going to let them beat the crap out of each other, he said.

As soon as they started throwing fists, he jumped in the middle of it.  He told crown counsel John Swanson, he had no idea why they were fighting, it could have been they were just getting drunk and rowdy and turned it into play.

He grabbed the party host and moved him out of the way first, then felt the accused falling on his back. There was no exchange of words the whole time, he said.

After they calmed down he felt pain in his back and couldn’t walk on his right leg. He saw three stab wounds on the host while they were still in a basement and a fourth when he carried him upstairs.

When he called 911, he realized he had been stabbed twice on his backside.

In response to questioning by Swanson, regarding the knife, he said the accused had shown it to him earlier in the day and said “my knife is sharper than yours.” He described it as a spring loaded knife with a black blade.

The witness recalled saying at the time that he didn’t have a knife.