The jury selection and trial for a man accused of killing his neighbour in 2021 began today, with the jury hearing the crown’s opening statement and hearing from two RCMP officers.
Eric Wildman pleaded not guilty to one charge of first-degree murder in connection to the death of Clifford Joseph. Wildman is alleged to have run over Joseph with his car before shooting him three times, once in the head, near Stead, Manitoba in 2021.
Justice Richard Saull asked potential jurors whether they’d heard of Wildman or the case before, whether they or their relatives had helped search for Joseph, and whether they could decide the case based solely on the evidence provided in court.
Eric Paul Wildman is seen in an undated police handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP, Sgt. Paul Manaigre,.
GAC
Crown prosecutor Bryton Moen addressed the 14 selected jury members and two alternates in his opening remarks, describing Joseph as “no angel.”
“He was a thief, a drug user, and he cheated on his girlfriend,” he said.
But Moen told the jury none of those things justify Wildman in killing him.
“He struck him with his car, took him to a second location, and executed him,” he said.
Moen described how Joseph’s girlfriend called RCMP on June 7, 2021 to report him missing. Joseph’s vehicle was found abandoned later that day, and a search began for Joseph. RCMP deemed his disappearance suspicious and named Wildman as a person of interest. Mounties apprehended him, and he was charged with first degree murder on Sept. 9, 2021.
Joseph’s remains were discovered in Stead more than a month after he went missing, on July 17, 2021.
Court also heard from Selkirk RCMP Const. Kyle Beech, who attended to the initial missing person report. Beech described taking photographs of shoes, a hat, and a headlamp found near Wildman’s property. Beech testified Joseph’s girlfriend gave him Joseph’s cell phone, which she told him she’d found in his abandoned truck.
This is the second attempt at a trial for Wildman. The case initially went to trial in 2023, but a mistrial was called after Wildman’s defense lawyer fell ill.
The trial is scheduled to run until Feb. 14.
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