THUNDER BAY — A woman who was in a relationship with Jonathan Massicotte testified during his second-degree murder retrial that he spoke to her about the night 32-year-old William Wapoose died and admitted he participated in the assault.
“He mentioned that night he and a few friends were drinking at his mother’s place and one of his friends ended up passing out,” the witness testified on Thursday. “They were asked to bring him home, which they did. And somewhere along the walk back things went horribly wrong.”
The new evidence comes on the fourth day of Massicotte’s retrial on the charge of second-degree murder for his alleged role in the death of Wapoose, whose body was found near a walking path at the south end of Chapples Park Drive on Sept. 3, 2014.
A post-mortem examination determined Wapoose suffered numerous injuries, including a skull fracture and laceration from blunt force trauma, several stab wounds to the back, and a significant stab wound to the neck that ultimately resulted in his death due to blood loss.
Massicotte previously stood trial before a jury on the charge of second-degree murder but the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict to convict or acquit. A new trial was ordered before a judge alone and opened earlier this week in a Thunder Bay Courtroom.
A co-accused male who was a youth in 2014 was recently found guilty of manslaughter for his role in Wapoose’s death following a trial held in late 2022. He will be sentenced later this year.
The witness who appeared in court on Thursday provided new evidence regarding what Massicotte said about his involvement in the assault on Wapoose. This is the first time the witness testified in any of the proceedings.
According to Crown attorney Trevor Jukes, the information came to light after he received an email in November 2022 from an individual wanting to share new information relating to the case.
The email included screen shots of an online conversation between the sender and the witness, who was previously in a relationship with Massicotte, detailing what he told her about the night Wapoose died.
Jukes forwarded the information to the Thunder Bay Police Service and an investigator then conducted an interview with the witness in January.
That witness testified, providing details of several separate conversations she had with Massicotte about the night of Sept. 3, 2014.
“This is something I never wanted to be involved in,” the witness said.
The witness goes on to say she was contacted by someone wanting to know if Massicotte had talked to her at all about what happened to Wapoose.
According to the witness, Massicotte first brought it up in a conversation in November 2018. Massicotte allegedly told her that while returning home through Chapples Park the night of Sept. 3, 2014, he and two others found someone passed out.
After walking by him, someone mentioned they go back and rob the man, though Massicotte allegedly said he could not remember who made the suggestion.
“After looting his belongings, they were about to leave and continue their journey, but somebody had mentioned going back and it resulted in them proceeding to beat William while he was passed out,” the witness testified.
In subsequent conversations that year, Massicotte allegedly admitted to having more involvement in the incident than he first let on and added that he didn’t recall ever “making a decision to act.”
“I don’t even think he understands why they turned back,” the witness said. “When he spoke about it to me, he mentioned not knowing whose call it was to go back, that he remembers being a part of the assault, and he had a weapon.”
The first weapon Massicotte allegedly mentioned was a pole but in later conversations he also made mention of knife.
“But again, him not recalling ever having one, using one, or where it ended up,” the witness said.
Massicotte was arrested in May 2019 on a charge of first-degree murder. He was later granted bail and the witness testified that in another conversation in December 2021, he reiterated what he told her before.
“Remembering hitting him and stabbing him,” the witness said. “At that point in the conversation I started to tune him out.”
“He thinks he remembers but he’s not entirely sure about it or he doesn’t remember actually doing it but being coerced to do it,” the witness continued. “They were under the influence of drugs and alcohol that night. Being that young under that much influence it was quite easy to talk him into doing whatever, so if somebody were to mention let’s go fight this person, he probably would have done it.”
The witness also mentioned that one of the three who walked through Chapples Park that night had previously mentioned wanting to get into a fight.
“[Massicotte] mentioned that when they had set off to drop off [their friend] that night, his friend was talking about wanting to go out and pick a fight or something,” the witness said. “I guess they found that fight.”
Before cross-examination of the witness began, defense counsel George Joseph asked that the matter be adjourned to allow him time to review the new evidence.
While Joseph did have access to the video statement the witness made to police, some of the evidence presented during her testimony was new and he needed time to review it before cross-examination.
Joseph added that a review of the new evidence will also determine if Massicotte will decide to testify in his own defense.
Justice John Fregeau granted the adjournment to allow Joseph time to prepare. The matter will return at the end of March to set trial continuation dates.
