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Printed Nov 18, 2024 • 6 minute learn
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Jessica Falardeau leaves the London courthouse after testifying on the second-degree homicide trial of Emily Altmann and Carlos Guerra Guerra on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (Mike Hensen/The )
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She heard there may be a gun, however she by no means anticipated to see somebody can be shot.
The worst factor Jessica Falardeau thought was going to occur when she walked again into the bush bash after she and her group had been kicked out was “someone was going to get beat up.”
“I didn’t expect anything else. Like, they did mention they had a gun, but some people just make things up to scare people, so I just assumed they were saying it as a threat.”
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However about quarter-hour later, she stood two or three metres away and watched two masked males who had been summoned to the get together by Emily Altmann begin combating with one younger man who had been recognized as their goal.
One other younger man stepped in to assist his buddy, Falardeau mentioned, and one of many attackers began combating him. She mentioned she watched as that younger man, Josue Silva, was on his again on the bottom with the masked attacker straddling him. Then the attacker pulled a pistol out of his proper pocket, pointed the gun about 10 centimetres from Silva’s stomach and fired, Falardeau mentioned.
She heard the pop of the gun after which her sister Jamie yell her title. Falardeau, testifying Monday on the second-degree homicide trial of Altmann, 22, and Carlos Guerra Guerra, 23, mentioned she ran out of the bush “horrified” and again to Altmann’s automobile.
“I was afraid someone else was going to get shot,” she mentioned beneath questioning from assistant Crown lawyer Jennifer Moser.
Altmann and Guerra Guerra have pleaded not responsible to second-degree homicide within the dying of Silva, an 18-year-old Western College scholar, and never responsible to assault with a weapon, particularly a blunt object, of Logan Marshall, one in every of Silva’s closest mates.
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Falardeau is a key Crown witness on the trial that has entered its sixth week and is slated to final 10. She is the primary witness known as who testified to seeing the capturing on July 31, 2021.
However she was additionally a witness to the entire string of occasions main as much as and after what had began as an evening out together with her sister and her mates flip into chaos.
Isabella Restrepo leaves the London courthouse after testifying on the second-degree homicide trial of Emily Altmann and Carlos Guerra Guerra on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Derek Ruttan/The )
Falardeau described to the jury what it has heard from different witnesses – that Altmann bought right into a heated argument with Isabella Restrepo, Marshall’s then-girlfriend, over a canned drink that had been thrown of their path whereas they had been milling across the bonfire.
Falardeau, who was solely 15 on the time, didn’t know Restrepo, and referred to her as “can girl.” She additionally recalled Altmann being upset and saying she “didn’t tolerate us being filmed for no reason.”
Moser confirmed Falardeau a second-long video already in proof that was taken by Restrepo that was pointed in her group’s path and primarily at her, with a handbag over her shoulder.
She’d by no means seen it earlier than. “I don’t appreciate being filmed,” Falardeau mentioned.
Altmann was upset. The argument escalated to the purpose that Marshall and his mates stepped in. Falardeau referred to him as “can girl’s boyfriend.”
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“Can girl’s boyfriend” and his mates ended up principally escorting Altmann and her group out of the get together. One in every of Altmann’s mates who hadn’t pushed there with them was carried out on the shoulders of her boyfriend. There was a variety of verbal jarring and Falardeau mentioned she heard Altmann say, “You’re gonna get shot.”
Altmann, Falardeau, her sister, MacKenna Bain and Maya Pluchowski returned to Altman’s automobile and Altmann drove across the block making cellphone calls and summoning somebody Falardeau mentioned she didn’t know to return assist her.
When she was off the cellphone, Falardeau mentioned Altmann advised the ladies, “They were coming with a gun.”
Falardeau mentioned she thought it was only one male who was assembly them and was advised he may need been a boyfriend of Altmann’s, and he “had a gun.”
Her sister wished her to remain within the automobile, however Falardeau insisted on tagging alongside when the ladies met the white SUV that drove as much as them at Pack Street and Grand Oak Cross. “I wasn’t going to let Jamie go on her own,” Jessica Falardeau mentioned.
Two males and a lady bought out of the SUV. The driving force, she mentioned, was taller, appeared like he was in good condition, and was sporting a hoodie, black pants and a masks. The male passenger was “a little bigger and heavier” and his braided beard was peeking out from his masks. She noticed he had a knife.
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The feminine passenger was larger, Falardeau mentioned, and had her hair in a ponytail.
Altmann, Falardeau mentioned, advised the masked males and the girl that the folks concerned within the earlier altercation had been “in the forest.”
Falardeau mentioned she thought what was going to occur was that the 2 males had been going to beat up “canned girl’s boyfriend” and that Altmann wished the girl from the SUV to return alongside to beat up “can girl.”
They didn’t discuss a lot as they went down the trail. Altmann, the 2 guys and the lady had lights on their cellular phone and had been “looking in the bushes and stuff, looking for people hiding.”
Falardeau mentioned she made it to the bonfire the place she noticed two male mates from college. She heard a feminine voice say, “We’re going to split up and look.” She prompt to her mates that they need to depart as a result of “I was told something bad was going to happen.”
Josue Silva. (Submitted)
The 2 masked males had been strolling across the get together and searching round. Falardeau mentioned she noticed them go off in a distinct path.
After about quarter-hour, Falardeau mentioned her sister advised her they had been leaving. They walked up the identical path to the street with Altmann, the 2 masked males and the girl from the SUV up forward. A bunch of individuals appeared on the crest of a small hill. They had been all speaking collectively.
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Falardeau mentioned she heard a feminine voice that she acknowledged one of many group. Falardeau mentioned she assumed it was “can girl’s boyfriend” and the 2 masked males attacked him and put him to the bottom with punches.
One in every of his mates stepped in to assist. Falardeau mentioned she thought it was the SUV passenger who ended up straddling him. The younger man who stepped into assist was on his again, protecting his face from punches and attempting to combat again. Falardeau mentioned he had nothing in his palms.
That’s when she noticed the gun come out and the person on the bottom be shot. “He had basically stepped in to help his friend,” she mentioned. It was throughout in a minute or two.
There was a variety of screaming, she mentioned, and her group ran to the automobile the place Bain and Pluchowski had been ready. “Emily was freaking out that she didn’t really think they were actually going to shoot someone,” Falardeau mentioned.
Altmann drove them residence and as Falardeau and her sister bought out of the automobile, Altmann confirmed them a textual content message that mentioned that they had higher not say something as a result of the shooter knew their names and addresses “and would come after them.”
Falardeau mentioned she talked to nobody about what occurred till the police got here two days later.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
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