Jury sees surveillance video from morning of fatal Moncton shooting

The jury in a Moncton murder trial saw surveillance video Thursday showing four people in the area prosecutors allege a Moncton teenager was fatally shot two years ago.

Stephane Robichaud testified he awoke between 6 and 6:30 a.m. on April 25, 2022, and saw police outside his Logan Lane home. His home was next door to 150 Logan Ln., where Joedin Leger lived, separated by a few trees and a small patch of grass.

Robichaud checked his surveillance camera footage, saying the motion-activated system captured people on his driveway and lawn around 5:29 a.m. 

The video, lasting about 23 seconds, was shown to the jury. Initially, two figures can been seen who are then joined by two others moving away from Leger's home. 

Crown prosecutor Martine Cormier told the jury in an opening statement that the Crown expects to show Leger was shot at his Logan Lane home during a robbery and home invasion involving six people. 

The jury has heard Leger's girlfriend, Chantal Boudreau, called 911 at 6:11 a.m. and that she's expected to testify she woke that morning to Leger saying he had been shot.

Riley Robert Sheldon Phillips, 20, is being tried by a jury in Moncton's Court of King's Bench on a charge of second-degree murder. It's alleged he killed Leger on April 25, 2022. Phillips pleaded not guilty to the charge when the trial began Monday.

Robichaud testified he didn't see or hear anything that morning until noticing the police activity outside. 

His testimony was followed by RCMP Staff Sgt. Laurent Lemieux, who told the jury he spoke to Robichaud to get a copy of the video.

Also on Thursday, RCMP firearms expert Greg Williams continued his testimony from Wednesday. Cross-examination of Williams, who was testifying by video from Ottawa, finished Thursday afternoon.

Defence lawyer Brian Munro entered several exhibits into evidence, including a shotgun, a homemade gun, and various ammunition police collected from Leger's home.

Munro asked him if he could determine the calibre of ammunition, some of it already fired. Williams repeatedly noted he had not personally analyzed the items at the lab and appeared frustrated. 

The request led to court sheriffs holding up ammo in front of a laptop camera so Williams could look at what was stamped on it. At one point, ammunition spilled out of a container onto the courtroom floor.

"I would note that for the record, it's highly irregular for a firearms examiner to conduct an examination on the stand as a witness," Williams said. "Normally we receive these exhibits and process them."

Munro asked Williams if he could determine the calibre of the homemade gun, resulting in the expert saying he could — in a lab. 

Williams said another RCMP employee had examined the firearm and filed a report describing it as a .22 calibre firearm.

The trial began Monday with jury selection and is expected to last four weeks.