Kale Gabriel murder trial witness charged with perjury

A 22-year-old Halifax man has been charged with perjury related to his testimony earlier this monthat the murder trial of Kale Leonard Gabriel.

Marcus Terrence Verreault was arrested on Brunswick Street Tuesday morning. After a brief appearance in Halifax provincial court in the afternoon, he was remanded in custody for a couple of weeks.

Last week, Gabriel was convicted of second-degree murder by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury in the 2010 shooting death of Ryan White in north-end Halifax.

Two other witnesses at Gabriel'strial testified Verreault burst into Gabriel's home that night, saying he was being followed by two men dressed all in black.

Gabriel, Verreault and others in the home went out to investigate. They found White and another man sitting on an outdoor staircase. In the ensuing confrontation, Gabriel shot and killed White.

But when Verreault was subpoenaed to testify, he initially refused to take the stand on Feb. 4. The Crown had him arrested and held in cells in the basement of the Law Courts in downtown Halifax. A few hours later, Verreault sent word he was willing to testify.

Once on the stand, however, Verreault denied he was anywhere near the shooting. He also claimed he didn't see Gabriel in the courtroom, even though he said he knew the manand they were sitting facing one another about 10 metresapart.

A code of silence plagued the police investigation into White's murder. Court was told that initially, those who might have witnessed the shooting were threatened and told not to talk.

It wasn't until two men came forward several years later that Gabriel was charged.

A jury rejected Gabriel's contention that the gun went off accidentally.His conviction for murder carries an automatic life sentence.