THUNDER BAY — One witness was called to testify in the defence of Daniel Keefe.
Keefe was charged with second-degree murder in relation to the death of 19-year-old Aiden Cunningham after Thunder Bay police responded to a reported assault at a Crown Street residence on June 25, 2022.
Earlier this week, the court heard how Keefe, who was 18 at the time, and Cunningham had been hanging out the day of the incident at Keefe’s house, playing video games and smoking marijuana. They had been getting along until Cunningham was about to leave and a fight broke out.
Cunningham was stabbed twice, once in the heart, and was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.
On Thursday, defence lawyer, George Joseph, called one witness – an acquaintance of both Keefe and Cunningham.
The witness testified he occasionally hung out with Keefe during the 2021-22 school year and he also knew Cunningham, having met him a few times at the skatepark.
Joseph showed the witness videos of two separate incidents of individuals fighting.
The witness said he didn’t remember exactly when both incidents occurred but believed they happened during the winter of the 2021-22 school year.
In the first incident, the witness identified himself in the video as well as Keefe and Cunningham. The video showed Cunningham repeatedly striking Keefe.
The second video showed a male approaching another person who was sitting on a couch.The male started to exchange words with the person, then pulled the person off the couch and began to repeatedly strike them.
The witness identified Cunningham by his voice and the side profile of his face as the male delivering the blows to the other person.
During cross-examination by Crown lawyer, Simon McNaughton, the witness said he wasn’t present for the second fight and said the video was a bit blurry.
The witness said he’d seen the video before as it had been previously shared on social media.
The defence concluded its case following the witness’s testimony.
Closing arguments are expected to begin Monday afternoon.
None of the allegations against the accused have been proven in court.
