A Good Samaritan who pulled over on the aspect of Bathurst Avenue on the afternoon of Aug. 26, 2022, and watched a person stabbing two ladies stated he determined to maneuver in direction of the second youthful sufferer when he realized he may assist.
“I made a calculation in my head — if they’re dead, there’s nothing I can do but if there’s still life, I can come in and maybe I could help,” Royi Flescher testifed.
On the opening day of the trial for Godfrey Sig-Od, a Toronto man charged with two counts of first-degree homicide in relation to his ex-wife and daughter, Flescher was simply considered one of many witnesses who recalled the chaotic scene that performed out in entrance of his eyes.
Flescher testified he was driving house from work, northbound on Bathurst Avenue close to Elleslie Avenue, round 3:30 p.m. when he seen an altercation within the southbound curb lane.
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“It looked like two people wrestling or fighting with each other but it was just for a second and I didn’t get a very good picture,” Flescher stated.
He stated he pulled his automotive over into the right-hand lane and appeared into his sideview mirror to get a greater take a look at what was truly occurring.
Flescher stated he may see a knife, someone stabbing another person, and bits of blood. Realizing there was one thing severe happening, he determined to stroll in direction of the scene.
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“There was three people involved in what was going on. The man was stabbing the first woman, the older woman. Initially, she was standing up then lying down on the ground and he was stabbing her to death. He then moved to the second victim, the younger lady. He was stabbing her again. Her shirt was up, you could see her bra and he was just stabbing and stabbing and stabbing,” Flescher recalled.
Assistant Crown legal professional Rochelle Liberman requested how Flescher knew the youthful woman had been stabbed earlier than to which Flescher responded, “She had already been injured, she was lying on the ground.”
On Tuesday on the outset of the jury trial, Godfrey Sig-Od pleaded responsible to manslaughter however the Crown rejected that plea and is continuing with the first-degree homicide charges.
In her opening handle, Liberman advised the jury that Godfrey Sig-Od stabbed his ex-wife and daughter to loss of life and can argue the murders have been deliberate and deliberate.
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“‘I’ve been planning to kill you, it’s my plan to kill you.’ That is what the accused Godfrey Sig-Od advised his ex-wife Elvie in 2020. He advised her he would take out her two eyes and he advised her to take pleasure in driving her automotive. Sadly, in August 2022, Godfrey Sig-Od carried out his plan and killed Elvie and he killed her proper outdoors of her automotive.
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“Elvie was not the only victim. He killed their daughter Angelica, too. Angelica had spoken to police two years before she was killed asking to get a restraining order against her father,” Liberaman stated.
Flescher stated after watching the person go between stabbing the primary and second sufferer, the attacker then sat on the guardrail in conjunction with the highway. Flescher recalled that the scene was chaotic, testifying there was screaming from bystanders and he was targeted on the attacker, whom he and one other man advised to not transfer.
“I sort of made a decision in my head that I was not going to approach him because at that point, there was little purpose to approach him, wait for police to arrive. In essence, myself and the other gentleman were boxing him in to make sure he didn’t escape.”
Flescher stated the second sufferer, the youthful woman, began transferring her hand and thought possibly he may assist. “When I started walking towards her, the man picked up the knife. He had put the knife down and started coming towards me. He did not say anything,” stated Flescher.
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“As much as I wanted to help, I kept the distance of two lanes between us. As he took a step forwards, I took a step backwards.” When Liberman requested how he felt as Sig-Od was coming in direction of him, he replied “I felt afraid. I felt like my life was in danger. Like he was going to kill me.”
Flescher took his glasses off his face and put his palms over his eyes, earlier than taking a deep breath.
Flescher testified the attacker then returned to the guardrail the place he sat with a pink little bag. “I was concerned maybe there was a gun in there. I was watching his hands. I was watching the bag and that went on for, it felt like a long time, it was only a minute or two.”
He then heard sirens coming and noticed six or seven police cruisers racing down the hill. After he directed site visitors to maneuver out of the way in which so they might attain the scene, he testified the person stood up, walked in direction of the police, put his palms collectively so they might handcuff him, and was arrested. “There was no resistance whatsoever. They asked him to lie down on the ground, they handcuffed him and that was it.”
Flescher described the knife’s blade as round 10 inches and stated it was not a ordinary butchering knife. “It seemed more like a hunting knife. It doesn’t have much use in a normal kitchen.”
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Throughout cross-examination, defence lawyer Daniel Brodsky requested Flescher if he recalled testifying through the preliminary inquiry that the person gave the impression to be in a “blind rage.”
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After having his reminiscence refreshed, Flescher defined what he meant.
“I didn’t hear him saying anything was the best way to describe it. He was not focused on anybody else except for repeatedly stabbing the victims. He was very focused on the act. The attacker seemed very angry, seemed very upset, seemed very vengeful, I guess. Very super focused on carrying out these stabbings and inflicting the most trauma possible.”
Flescher stated by the point police arrived, the person had calmed down.
Witness Jose De Gouveia testified as he was driving northbound on Bathurst Avenue, he seen a silver Lexus up within the southbound curb lane with three wheels up on the sidewalk. De Gouveia stated he noticed the motive force’s and entrance passenger aspect doorways open, at first considering it was a medical incident.
He pulled into the Sherman Campus of the JCC and acquired out of his automotive to see the person making downward actions together with his palms. “As I was looking through my rearview mirror, I saw the female being dragged out of the car, her white shirt over her head. I saw punches,” De Gouveia testified, saying that he thought it was a combat.
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De Gouveia stated he tried calling 911 thrice earlier than getting by way of on the fourth attempt. “As I got connected to 911, there was another downward motion and I saw her drop to the ground.”
He additionally stated he noticed one other sufferer come out of the again seat on the motive force’s aspect of the automotive who was additionally struck by the person within the chest earlier than she dropped to the bottom. De Gouveia testified he thought the ladies have been being stabbed although he by no means noticed a knife.
De Gouveia stated after the assault, he additionally noticed an aged woman pull up in a white minivan and have a dialog with the suspect. “She screamed ‘I don’t believe you killed two people because she was cheating on you,’” he testified.
“At the moment, I couldn’t even stand. My knees have been shaking. I used to be blocking site visitors so I proceeded to my automotive and I used to be stunned I acquired there as a result of my knees, my nerves. I by no means witnessed something like that.
Liberman advised jurors that law enforcement officials are anticipated to testify that the blade of the knife was present in Godfrey Sig-Od’s belongings and the deal with of the knife which was discovered within the backseat of Elvie’s automotive. They may even testify concerning the blood and strands of darkish hair they discovered on the blade.
A forensic pathologist who carried out the autopsies is predicted to testify that each Elvie and Angelica died from stab wounds. Elvie had 14 stabs or cuts, together with eight wounds to her torso and 5 to her face and brow. Angelica was stabbed 19 instances. She suffered six wounds to her torso, six to her higher limbs and 7 to her head and neck.
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The jury was advised they may even hear from law enforcement officials from York Regional Police who met with Elvie and Angelica in 2020, two years earlier than they have been killed.
“Elvie and Angelica called police in October 2020 because they were afraid of Godfrey Sig-Od. They were interested in getting a restraining order against him,” stated Liberman.
In November 2020, Liberman stated a police officer is predicted to testify that Elvie advised him that Godfrey threatened to kill her. The video assertion she supplied to the officer is predicted to be performed in courtroom.
