PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. — A key witness at the trial of a lobster fisherman accused of killing another fisherman in Nova Scotia says he did not actually see the accused use a fishing gaff to drag the victim out to sea.
Craig Landry testified Tuesday at the trial of his cousin and fellow fishing crew member Joseph James Landry, both of whom were aboard a boat called the Twin Maggies at the time Phillip Boudreau disappeared on June 1, 2013.
The Crown has told the jury that the Twin Maggies rammed Boudreau's boat three times in the harbour of Petit de Grat and that Joseph James Landry used a gaff to hook Boudreau, dragging him out to sea.
Craig Landry told the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Tuesday that he did not actually see Joseph James Landry use a gaff to hook Boudreau, and that he did not watch as the Twin Maggies ran over Boudreau's boat three times, though he heard three thuds.
Defence lawyer Luke Craggs asked Craig Landry whether he was concerned for Boudreau, a man he previously told the court he had known his entire life, after hearing the thuds.
"I'm just surprised, scared," Craig Landry said, who added that he told police he was so frightened at the time that he soiled himself.
Craggs asked Craig Landry if he cleaned himself up, but the Crown objected, saying that question was only an attempt to embarrass him.
Judge Joseph Kennedy allowed Craggs to continue his line of questioning.
"This is not a tea party," Kennedy said. "This is a murder trial."
Craggs then asked Craig Landry whether he told police that he soiled himself because he was trying to make his story sound more believable. Craig Landry said he did not make it up.
Joseph James Landry, 67, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Craig Landry is charged with accessory after the fact.
The body of the 43-year-old Boudreau has not been found.
