Hearing a recording of the 911 call made the day 20-year-old Daniel Jordan Levesque died was hard on his family and friends attending the third day of the trial of his accused murderer on Friday.
There were tears and hugs in B.C. Supreme Court during the playing of the 14-minute recording from Aug. 3, 2011, during which a caller identifying himself as Joshua Bredo said Levesque had stabbed him and that he had responded by hitting Levesque in the head. Both men were taken to Victoria General Hospital, where Levesque died.
Bredo is charged with first-degree murder, sexual assault and unlawful confinement. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts.
He was initially charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was stayed in December 2011 due to a lack of evidence. More investigation led to the first-degree murder charge in December 2012, followed in 2013 by the assault and confinement charges.
During the 911 call, Bredo indicated through laboured breathing that he was in bad shape. “I’m bleeding from my stomach,” he said.
Bredo said he was on the floor of a Cormorant Street condominium, while Levesque was on a couch.
“We were doing drugs and we got into an argument,” Bredo said. “I don’t know why this happened.”
He said the drug being used was cocaine.
Bredo, then 26, said Levesque appeared to be breathing, and explained to the 911 operator how the two were connected.
“He works for me, too,” Bredo said. “He’s an employee.”
Bredo had hired Levesque several weeks before as a clerk at a downtown 7-Eleven he managed.
Victoria police arrived a short time after the call was placed. Const. Mike Niederlinski attended to Bredo while two of his colleagues were with Levesque. The other officers repositioned Levesque on the floor and turned him over, and Niederlinski could see that his face was grey and his lips were blue.
During his initial treatment of Bredo, Niederlinski said, he was under the impression that Bredo was not only the 911 caller but also the victim in the incident.
“He appeared critically injured,” Niederlinski said. “He was covered in blood.”
The trial continues Monday and could last up to seven weeks.
