Witness at murder trial testifies accused gave her money to clean basement where Reno Lee was allegedly held - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Witness at murder trial testifies accused gave her money to clean basement where Reno Lee was allegedly held

A witness in the trial of three men accused of killing Reno Lee in 2015 testified Tuesday that she sold drugs for one of the accused and was given money to clean a basement where Lee was allegedly confined against his will.

Witness said she was selling drugs for accused Bronson Gordon

Reno Lee was Regina's third homicide victim of 2015. (Regina Court of Queen's Bench)

A witness at the trial ofthree men accused of killing Reno Lee in 2015 testified Tuesday that she sold drugs for one of the accused and was given money to clean a basement where Lee was allegedly confined against his will.

Bronson Gordon, Daniel Theodore and Andrew Bellegardeare on trialat Regina's Court of Queen's Bench, charged withfirst-degree murder and committing an indignity to a body. All three have pleaded not guilty.

Lee's remains were foundon the Star Blanket FirstNation on April 30, 2015, but it was later determined he died in Regina.

Court has previously heard that Lee diedafter he was shot twice in the head. His body was dismembered and beheaded and then buried in a shallow grave on the Star Blanket First Nation.

The witness who testified Tuesdaywas asked about her actions between April 16 and 20, 2015. It's believed Lee was killed within that time frame.

Bronson Gordon, Daniel Theodore and Andrew Bellegarde have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and committing an indignity to a body in connection with the death of Reno Lee. (Micki Cowan/CBC)

The witness testified that onApril 16, 2015 the date police believe Lee was killed she was getting ready for bed when she learned that people were coming over to her Garnet Street home.

The witness had received a phone call from Theodore but she handed it over to someone else, who is also a witness in the trial. Neither can be named due to a publication ban.

The woman who testified Tuesday said it's difficult for her to say precisely what time the events of that night occurred, because she was on drugs and said her sense of time is sometimes distorted in that state.

She said in previous testimony that she doesn't remember everyone who was in the group that came tothe house, and went directly into the basement, but said she remembers seeingLee and one of his accused killers,Theodore.

Her previoustestimony indicated that Lee appeared visibly "stressed."Theodore would later ask for zip ties and duct tape but the witness said she did not have any.

The witnesssaid Theodore left about half an hour later, but thenreturned to the house. The witness said that she recalledthat at some point after the men came into the house, she moveda bag withguns in it out of the way because it was blocking the doorway. She said she only knew there wereguns were inside because she saw them.

Reno Lee was allegedly held against his will in the home on Garnet Street and court has heard he appeared 'stressed' on April 16, 2015, when witnesses have testified he was seen in the company of Daniel Theodore, one of the accused. (Matthew Howard/CBC)

The witnesswas told someone in the basement was tied up but she testified she didn't go down to see for herself.

She said she "felt a bad vibe" that night, butdid not see anything that happened to Lee.

She testified earlier in the week that she had left the home and when she returned the next morning, it reeked of bleach and the house was muddy and dirty.

The witness said Gordon and Theodore had instructed her to clean the home and get rid of the garbage. Gordon gave her money and told her not to worry about the situation, she said.

Shesaid another witness told her they found a shotgun in the basement on April 17 before covering it with a cloth. She was told it was sawed-off and about 18-24 inches long.

She said she didn't actually go into the basement until April 19 or 20, 2015.

The witness testified that accused Bronson Gordon gave her money to clean the basement where Lee was allegedly held and that he also told her not to worry about the situation. (Regina Court of Queen's Bench)

The witness added that she was angry about the events of April 16 and 17, saying they turned her world upside down.

Lawyers also questioned her Tuesday about a 1-800 number linked to mobile banking that she called four times that night, between 1 a.m. and just after 2 a.m. CST.

They asked if she was calling tocheck on a payment coming to her but she said she didn't remember.

The witness said she owed Gordonmoney because she was selling drugs for him, butsaid she did not owe him a "debt."She said the money would be repaid after all of the drugs had been sold.