SaskatchewanIn his opening statement on Monday, the Crown prosecutor said a “chaotic” night ended with the death of 19-year-old Misha Pavelick at Kinookimaw campground near Regina Beach on May 22, 2006. Jury selected for 2nd-degree murder trial for man charged in 2006 killingMisha Pavelick, 19, was stabbed to death at a party on May 21, 2006, near Regina Beach. (Submitted by Saskatchewan RCMP)The jury in the trial of the man accused of killing 19-year-old Misha Pavelick nearly 20 years ago has gotten its first look at the Crown’s case. Crown prosecutor Adam Breker delivered his opening statement Monday afternoon at Regina Court of King’s Bench, describing what he called a “chaotic” night that led to the teen’s death at Kinookimaw campground near Regina Beach, about 45 kilometres northwest of Regina, on May 22, 2006.The 36-year-old accused — whose name is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because he was 17 at the time — is charged with second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.The Crown has said it will seek an adult sentence if he is found guilty. Breker told the jury that during the trial, they will hear dozens of witnesses give their recollections of the events nearly two decades ago. He said evidence will show that Pavelick was involved in two fights that night stemming from the arrival of an uninvited group that included his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. He said that after Pavelick engaged in an initial fight with the new boyfriend, the uninvited group returned with knives and attacked him. Breker said that was when the accused stabbed Pavelick in the heart. Breker said he doesn’t expect any of the witnesses to say they saw the stabbing take place, but said the evidence that will be presented throughout the trial will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused was the one who killed Pavelick.“We submit that by the end of the trial, you will be convinced that he did it, and intended to do it,“ Breker told the jury.Murder charge laid in 2023The case remained unsolved for years. Police have said they interviewed more than 200 witnesses.In 2021, police said new information prompted them to return to Regina Beach to conduct another evidence search. Two years later, police arrested the accused.Defence lawyer Andrew Hitchcock said in an interview before the trial began that he plans to challenge how the Crown’s case fits together.“We’re going to see if they can prove that it happened the way that they said it happened,” he said.The 12 jurors and two alternates were selected Monday morning at the Delta Hotel, then the trial moved to Regina Court of King’s Bench, where it’s being presided over by Justice Catherine Dawson.The Crown is expected to begin calling witnesses on Tuesday. There are a total of 47 names on the witness list, including more than two dozen people who were at the party when Pavelick died.The trial is scheduled for four weeks.ABOUT THE AUTHORJeffery is a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan in Regina. He previously worked at CBC Toronto as an associate producer. You can reach him at jeffery.tram@cbc.ca.
‘Chaotic’ night led to murder of Misha Pavelick near Regina Beach, Crown says
