Surprise twist in Saskatoon murder trial turns on Boss suit jacket worn by accused

An offhand answer by accused killer Leo Daniels during cross-examination triggered the Crown calling Richard Fernuk'sdaughters to testify Friday.

Daniels is on trial at Court of Queen's Bench in Saskatoon charged with first-degree murder in Fernuk's death. Fernuk,68, was found dead, tied to a chair, in his apartment on Aug. 3, 2019.An autopsy revealedhe died of ligature strangulationcaused by an electrical cord wrapped around his neck.

Friday's testimony concerned an oversized suit jacket Daniels isshown wearing in surveillance footage from the Circle K convenience store at Lorne Avenue and Ruth Street, taken hours after the Crown says Daniels murdered the Saskatoon senior.

On Thursday, defence lawyer BlaineBeavenasked Danielswhy he chose to wearthe ill-fitting suit jacket that he said he'd recently stolen from a garage.

Daniels replied it had "Boss" on the inside label and "I thought that was cool."

This prompted Leah Howie and LindseyDahl, Fernuk's daughters, to approach prosecutor Sheryl Fillo on a break. The admission by Daniels had triggered a specific memory of their father.

• Accused killer in Saskatoon murder trial testifies about encounter with victim

Fillo successfullyapplied to have Howie and Dahl called as rebuttal witnesses Friday.

They had told Fillo on Thursday that theirfather hadstumbled across a Hugo Boss suit at a thrift store in the city some years back.

"He was thrilled to find an expensive piece of clothing in a thrift shop," Howie testified.

"He mentioned that several times over a period of months."

She said Fernuk had spoken about opening a consignment shop featuring used menswearbut it never came to pass, "it was just one of his dreams."

Both sisters had attended the preliminary hearing and sat through two weeks of testimony. The remark by Daniels on Thursday was the first time he'd mentioned the brand of the jacket.

A circumstantial case

The testimony is potentially significant because the Crown's case is largely circumstantial.

Daniels admitted to befriending Fernuk outside the Fire Creek gas bar and then walking him toward his east-side apartment. Danielssaid that he robbed Fernukof his phone and bank cards near the Exhibition grounds, but then left to break into garages.

He testified that's when he came across the Boss suit jacket.

The only direct evidence potentially placing Danielsinside Fernuk's apartment is a DNA sample recovered from a fireplace poker. Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown could accept the Crown's theory that Daniels stole the Boss jacket from Fernuk's closet.

Defence lawyer BlaineBeaven honed in on that point when questioning Lindsey Dahl.

"Did you manufacture this memory to assist the prosecution," he asked.

"No," she replied.

Fillo and Beaven return to court Tuesday for final arguments.