Teen denies seeing Ardrossan murder victims dead or alive

The teen once charged in the murders of two people near Ardrossan east of Edmonton says he neversaw thevictims dead or alive on the night they were murdered.

The teen, now 18,and a second boy, who is now on trial for two counts ofsecond-degree murder,ran away from the Bosco Group Home ona Juneafternoon in 2009.

The teen, who was once charged in the killings as well,testified Tuesday morningneither ever saw the murder victims that night.

He claimsthe pair wentto Susan Trudel's acreage to try and get a ride or some coats.

They foundsome jacketsin atrailer on the property, anddiscoveredBarry Boenke's white pick-up with the keys in the ignition, he told the prosecutor.

The two drove off and were arrested hours later in the stolen truck.

The teen's testimony seemed to surprise the prosecution, who said in court thatthe boytold a different storyduring the so-called "Mr. Big" sting, where an undercover officer portrayed a crime boss in an attempt to gain a confession.

The Crown now wants to question the teen abouttheseconflicting accounts.

But the defence claims the teen was pressured and coerced. "He begins to cry, begins to lie...retracts his lies twice, and then under great pressure, gives a false confession," Mona Duckett said.

The judge will take the night to decide if he will allow the Crown to treat the teen as a hostile witness.

The teenwas originally charged hours after the bodies were discovered, but the Crown suspended proceedings in July 2011, when a judge refused to allow a videotaped statement from one of the boys into evidence.

The charges against the second teen now on trial were reactivated after the"Mr. Big" sting.