Stephanie Noftall, Terry Cole (center) and Matthew Kavanagh (right) sit in Supreme Court of Newfoundland’s courtroom 4 at the start of their trial October 13, 2026. Photo by Keith Gosse/The TelegramArticle contentTestimony got underway Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the trial of three people accused of murdering a Spaniard’s Bay man before setting the truck he was driving on fire.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe St. John’s courtroom heard from those who were first on the scene, including police officers and two residents of the Bay Roberts area who were on their way to work around 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2024, when they noticed smoke coming from a wooded area of Country Road.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentOne man, a longtime vegetable farmer, testified he had taken the road into his farm shortly after 7 a.m. and saw nothing out of the ordinary until he got to his property and noticed smoke in the direction he had just come from.Article content“I figured it might be a cabin on fire or somebody was burning some trees,” the man testified.Article contentAfter picking up some vegetables to fill customers’ orders and leaving again, the man drove back out Country Road and came upon a burning blue pickup.Article contentBy then, firefighters and police were already on scene, having been alerted by a heavy equipment officer who had also noticed smoke coming from the area while on his way to work, and driving in to investigate. The heavy equipment officer also testified, and two photos he took of the burning truck were entered into evidence.Article contentFirefighters doused the blaze, and RCMP officers secured the scene, attempting to reach the registered owner of the truck to no avail.Article contentDiscovery of bodyArticle contentIt wasn’t for another hour or so before they discovered there was a body inside the vehicle.Article contentArticle content“When the fire was extinguished, I walked past with a member of the fire department,” testified RCMP Const. Todd Hussey.Article contentArticle content“Things were still hot and there was smoke around. As I walked past the vehicle, I noticed a large yellow lump in the middle of the vehicle. I commented to the firefighter, ‘What’s that?’ and he said, ‘Oh, that’s the header panel from that top that was after melting down between the seats,’ and we just continued on.”Article contentA little while later, after the scene had been cleared, Hussey and his colleague, Const. Darren Dwyer, were waiting for the truck to cool down enough to have it towed away.Article content“I went back over for a second look in the vehicle. At that time the vehicle was cooler, and there wasn’t so much smoke. I put my head in through the window of the driver’s side and realized that the yellow lump was a body.”Article contentThe body was that of 42-year-old Michael Fillier, whom police later learned had been captured on CCTV leaving a gas station in Bay Roberts with Terry Cole, Matthew Kavanagh and Stephanie Noftall just eleven minutes before the burning pickup was reported.
Jury hears details from first people to discover Bay Roberts murder scene
