Crown using video, forensics to build case against accused in Richard Fernuk murder

The last known images of Richard Fernukalive, caught on a surveillance camera,show him walking pasta Saskatoon funeral home at 4:08 a.m. CST on Aug. 2, 2019.

Police doing a welfare check on Fernukon Aug. 3 discovered the 68-year-old tied to a chair in his apartment and dead. Leo Roy Daniels is on trial at Court of Queen's Bench charged with first-degree murder, robbery and unlawful confinement.

What happened to Fernuk in the 34 hours between the surveillance footage near thefuneral home and the discovery of his body wasthe focus Wednesday at the judge-alone trial.

Major crimes lead investigator Neil Lund testified. Lund buttressed his testimony by referencing an 80-minute video montage assembled for the trial. It showed Fernukand a man prosecutor Sheryl Fillosaidis Danielscaptured bya series of video cameras.

Defence lawyer Blaine Beavenis arguing that it's far from certain the man in the various videos is Leo Daniels.

Release from hospital

Fernuk arrived by ambulance at St. Paul's just before midnight on Aug. 1, 2019. He had collapsed with chest pains while visiting a friend's apartment. He used nitroglycerine to alleviate his chest pains while on the way to the hospital and, according to information provided to his daughters, he almost immediately requested to be sent home.

Four hours after arriving, Fernuk was assessed and discharged. He told staff that he had arranged a ride with a friend. Security did not know that in his confused state he had given his friend the wrong hospital.

• Mixed messages from Sask. Health Authority frustrate family of homicide victim Richard Fernuk

The video montage shows Fernuk arriving by ambulance and then leaving the hospital on foot. He crosses the street and is then shown talking to a man outside Fire Creek gas bar. That man is believed to be Leo Daniels.

Much of the video shown in court concerned the movements of the man police believe to be Daniels.

The suspect is shown at Fire Creek, outside a convenience store at Lorne Avenue and RuthStreet which is a short walk from Fernuk's apartment, and playing VLTs at the Senator Hotel.

Beaven quizzed Lund on "continuity gaps" in the video footage. In some instances the clothing of the suspect doesn't match from scene to scene. In others, he's shown walking in one direction and then appears abruptly in another location.

Beaven also questioned Lund on when and why police focused on Daniels as a suspect when they had two other men who could possibly have been involved.

Lund confirmed that police recovered a variety of DNA samples from inside Fernuk's apartment,butthey were not able to identify all of them.

He also confirmed that police did not use a photo line-up when interviewing various witnesses.

Police reviewing the footage from the Fire Creek gas bar noted that the man speaking to Fernuk wore a blackbaseball cap with the logo "Savage" sewn on the front. Investigators put out a general "be on the lookout" bulletin for other officers to watch for individuals wearing such a cap.

On Aug. 6, a constable spotted a man on a bicycle with such a hat. He spoke with him, asked for his name and thentook a photoof his face and the hat. He then forwarded it to major crimes investigators.

Officers were able to get a search warrant and went to a house on 20th Street where Daniels lived. They recovered a similar baseball cap and arrested Daniels.

According to officers, he was co-operative in all dealings.

The trial is scheduled to run three weeks.