Jury to begin deliberations at Shawn Douglas murder trial

The jury is close to starting its deliberations at the murder trial of Shawn Douglas.

Johnathon Peepeetch, Joshua Wilson and Dennis Thompson are charged with the first-degree murder of the 54-year-old Regina man.

Over the course of the six-week trial, the Crown has alleged that the three, along with three others, robbed Douglas before beating him, putting him in zip ties and taking him in out of the city in the trunk of his own car where he died from blunt force trauma to the head.

On Monday, the jury heard the closing arguments of all the lawyers involved.

The Crown’s James Fitz-Gerald told the jury that it didn’t matter who delivered the final blow.

“They are equally guilty.”

The three men accused are each represented by a different lawyer.

Kevin Hill for Wilson claimed that there is “insufficient evidence to support a murder conviction.”

Hill argued that witnesses can’t be trusted and “have memory or motive issues” as to why they are pointing the finger at Wilson.

For Peepeetch, Lori Johnstone-Clarke told the jury that her client isn’t “a scapegoat” and that the witnesses they’ve heard from each have “motive to lie.”

Defence lawyer Kathy Hodgson-Smith framed her closing argument that this is a trial about gangs and gang violence in Regina.

She told the jury that the DNA and physical evidence did not support a conviction of murder for Thompson and that he did not have the intent to do this.

It is expected Justice Janet McMurtry will wrap up her charge to the jury Tuesday morning and deliberations will begin in the afternoon that same day.

Two other men have already pleaded guilty to this crime, with another set to go on trial next year.