Whitehawk found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder

A Regina man was found guilty Saturday of two counts of first-degree murder in the drive-by shooting deaths of two men in the city late in 2019.

Dillon Ricky Whitehawk, 27, was charged after the killings of Jordan Denton on Nov. 9, 2019 and Keenan Toto on Dec. 1, 2019.

During the Court of Queen’s Bench trial — held at the Delta Hotel to allow for social distancing — the Crown alleged the killings were gang-related.

A jury started deliberating Friday afternoon and took nearly nine hours to reach a unanimous verdict on the first-degree murder charges.

A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Denton, who was 27, was found dead in the 800 block of Robinson Street at around 3:25 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2019. Two days later, police confirmed his death was a murder.

Three weeks after Denton was killed, police responded to the 1200 block of Queen Street at about 4 a.m., for a call of a man lying in the street. When officers arrived, they found the 23-year-old Toto dead. On Dec. 2, police said Toto had been murdered.

During the trial, the Crown said Whitehawk targeted the men because they were wearing red — the colour of a rival gang — and the killings helped advance his status within his gang.

The defence argued Whitehawk didn’t pull the trigger in either of the shootings, but was the fall guy for a group of people who were trying to save themselves.

Whitehawk is scheduled to go on trial in September on another charge.

— With files from The Canadian Press