Trial begins for Jeffrey Salomonie, accused in death of Daisy Curley

A long-awaited trial got underway in Iqaluit this morning for Jeffrey Salomonie, who is accused in the death of Daisy Curley nearly seven years ago.

Curley was 33 when she was found dead in her family's home in Iqaluit's Happy Valley neighbourhood in May of 2009. Her family pleaded for help for two years while police sought information on what happened to her.

Salomonie, now 48, was arrested in June of 2011 and charged with first-degree murder.

On Monday, dressed in the standard-issue navy blue sweats of the Baffin Correctional Centre, he pleaded not guilty to that charge, but guilty to manslaughter. However, Crown prosecutors didn't accept his plea.

The trial, taking place before Justice Neil Sharkey in the Nunavut Court of Justice, will seek to determine whether Salomonie intended to kill Curley.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Salomonie had flown to Iqaluit from Cape Dorsetfor a medical appointment in May of 2009.

While he was in the city, he met Curley at the Storehouse bar and the two talked and drank until the bar closed.

Afterwards, they went up to Salomonie's hotel room at the Frobisher Inn and drank some more before taking a taxi to Curley's house.

At the house they drank some more before Salomonie killed Curley by hitting her in the face with his fists, and striking her back and torso with a wooden hockey stick.

Salomonie and Curley also had sex that night, but there is no agreement on whether that was before or after Curley died.

Crown prosecutors called Dr.Jeffrey Tanguay astheir first witness. Tanguay performed a post-mortem exam on Curley.

Tanguayreiterated his report during histestimony, going through each of Curley's wounds one at a time. He testified she had 17 lacerations on her head and neck.

More than a half-dozen ofCurley's family members were in the courtroom, sobbing as they listened to details of her injuries.

Salomonie said little throughout the proceedings, exceptto indicate he initially couldn't hear what was going on because of hearing loss.

The trial is expected to wrap up later this week.