Jury finds Bitternose guilty of 1st-degree murder

A jury has convicted Quinton Lloyd Bitternose of Regina of first-degree murder in the 2004 shooting death of Wayne Gerald Friday.

A medical expert had testified that Friday, whose naked body was found on a First Nations reserve east of Regina, died from a gunshot to the stomach.

During the trial, the jury heard that the vicitim was also beaten and thrown into the trunk of a car.

Last week, a witness testified that he saw Bitternose aim a gun at Friday in the trunk and shoot.

In his charge to the jury, Queen's Bench Justice Ted Malone said that if jury members believed that witness, they should convict Bitternose of first-degree murder.

Malone cautioned the jury, however, that the witness whose name cannot be published is also charged in the case, something they should take into consideration when assessing the individual's credibility.

The judge also pointed out that many witnesses in the case have criminal records and were using drugs.

Bitternose did not have a lawyer during the trial. For the first half of the trial he asked the witnesses questions. Later in the week, however, Malone told the jury Bitternose was no longer co-operating. As a result, Bitternose didn't call witnesses.

The jury of seven women and five men began their deliberations Tuesday morning.

The sentence for first-degree murder is life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.