Tyler Johnson murder trial day 2

[projekktor id=’27250′]

A Hamilton jury heard more details of the 2013 murder of Tyler Johnson today and we’re starting to learn more about the four accused, Brandon Barreira, his older brother Joshua Barreira, Louis Rebelo and Chad Davidson. Testimony today hinted that they knew the victim.

A Tim Hortons employee shakily recounted on the stand how she tried to help Tyler Johnson as he lay dying in between the two sets of doors into the restaurant. She moved away his clothing and saw a puncture wound to his chest, she thought he had been stabbed.

Three of the accused have admitted to being in the surveillance video. It appears to show Tyler Johnson leaving Vida la Pita in dark clothes with white shoes, behind his friend. He stops at the corner to talk to a man identified as Louis Rebelo, in the long white sleeves and vest. Brandon Barreira runs by, in beige pants carrying a satchel, and then Joshua Barreira comes up in a dark coat with hood up. The crown says Chad Davidson was wearing the red hoodie, and he appears to pull a gun. The murder weapon was never found.

The jury saw several photos of Brandon Barreira from earlier that night at the Hess village club Hush. The photographer reported that he’d seen him at the bar frequently, but that he was not a troublemaker. Louis Rebelo’s lawyer also showed a picture of his client at the same bar on a different night, also known at the bar, also not a troublemaker.

We also heard from the first officer on the scene who at the time was with the Action Unit, which patrols downtown Hamilton streets. He recognized Tyler Johnson’s friend right away as someone who’s often downtown. He also recognized Brandon and Joshua Barreira from the surveillance footage as people he often saw downtown, and he remembered that two months before the murder, Brandon had been confronted at Hess village by two men who were calling him a rat.