Douglas Hales to be cross-examined in murder trial

A Saskatoon man charged with First degree murder in the death of a 26-year-old woman is taking the stand in his own defense.

Douglas Hales is currently on trial for the 2004 murder of Daleen Bosse.

Bosse's body was found burnedon the outskirts of the city in 2008.

When Saskatoon police couldn't gather enough evidence, the force partnered with the RCMP in what's known as a 'Mr. Big' sting.Officers posed as criminals trying to recruit Hales into a gang.

Eventually, the 'leader' of the fictitious gang told Hales he was considering sending him on an important mission to the U.S. However, hewanted assurances onwhy he should trust him.

Hales told the undercover police officers he had strangled, in his words, 'a First Nations prostitute.'

At the time, Hales told undercover police he strangled Bosse, then set her on fire and dropped a fridge on her.

On the stand yesterday, however, Hales told a much different story.

He told the court Bosse tried to sleep with him while he was a bouncer at a nightclub.Hales says the pair met up later that night and started drinking.

He says he fell asleep. When he woke, she had stopped breathing.Hales says hepanicked, then burned and buried the body.

Hales says he embellished the story to impress the gang.

"I told the story to give it a boost," he said. "I wanted to make it more impressive, to make myself look like a stone-cold killer."

Hales will be cross-examined by prosecutors today.

CBC's Steve Pasqualotto is tweeting live from court. Get the latest updates below.