‘I knew right away she was already gone’: Brothers testify at murder trial about finding Ally Moosehunter’s body

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Leon Witchekan and his brother Junior Moosehunter say they knew one thing was improper when their sister, Ally Moosehunter, wasn’t answering her textual content messages and didn’t present as much as work on March 4, 2020.

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They stated their 28-year-old sister, who additionally glided by the final title Witchekan, would by no means miss a shift on the Fireplace Creek Gasoline Station with out calling in.

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Throughout separate testimonies in Saskatoon Courtroom of King’s Bench, the brothers stated they drove collectively to her basement suite on Geary Crescent in Saskatoon’s Hampton Village neighbourhood round midday, knocking on the doorways and home windows earlier than getting permission from an upstairs tenant to make use of a screwdriver to pry open the again door.

They stated they discovered Moosehunter’s physique face down on the toilet flooring between the tub and the bathroom. She was chilly and mendacity in blood.

“I knew immediately she was already gone,” Junior testified on the first-degree homicide trial of Moosehunter’s boyfriend, 32-year-old Ivan Roberto Martell.

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Moosehunter’s supporters wore pink shirts along with her image and introduced “Justice for Ally” indicators to the judge-alone trial, which started Monday and is scheduled for 4 weeks.

Two males sitting within the courtroom’s entrance row stood and silently stared at Martell when he entered the prisoner’s field, sporting a button down shirt, glasses and a face masks.

Junior and Witchekan independently recognized Martell, who they known as “Robbie,” as their sister’s boyfriend. Junior stated he had solely met the person “a handful of instances,” together with the evening earlier than Moosehunter was discovered useless.

He stated he briefly noticed the couple when he went to their residence to get cigarettes. The basement suite was clear and the pair was sitting on the mattress; Martell had his arm round Moosehunter, Junior testified.

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The mattress was sideways and there was “stuff throughout” when the lads broke in to examine on Moosehunter the subsequent day, Junior stated.

Witchekan stated as they have been knocking on the home windows, the upstairs tenant advised them she heard screaming the evening earlier than and bought a textual content message from somebody downstairs saying they have been simply play-fighting.

Within the toilet, he testified that he pulled Moosehunter’s pants, which had been pulled right down to her knees, again up and tried to elevate her physique, nevertheless it was chilly and heavy. He stated he didn’t understand how lengthy she had been there, however there was numerous blood.

Witchekan stated neither he nor Junior tried to roll her physique over.

Junior advised court docket that as he left, he walked previous blood on the ground together with his sister’s hair in it.

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Each brothers advised Crown prosecutor Linh Lê that they didn’t observe any injury to the door — which didn’t have the deadbolt locked — or home windows once they arrived on the home. They stated Moosehunter’s Jeep was lacking, and Martell’s blue Cavalier was parked outdoors.

Beneath cross-examination from defence lawyer Patrick McDougall, Junior denied seeing Martell a number of instances every week. He stated Martell and Moosehunter weren’t at all times collectively, and he didn’t see him at his sister’s place that a lot.

Witchekan testified his sister at all times locked the door. He stated he and his siblings are extremely shut, and that he spoke to Moosehunter day by day.

“Have you learnt if she was seeing another males?” McDougall requested him.

“No, she wasn’t,” he replied.

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He agreed that he by no means noticed any bodily abuse between Martell and his sister. On re-examination, Lê clarified that Witchekan by no means talked to Moosehunter about her relationship with Martell.

Tiffany Witchekan testified that she talked to her sister — who she known as her greatest pal — day by day, however her sister turned distant from her household when she bought right into a relationship.

She advised Lê that she final spoke to Moosehunter on March 3, 2020 — the day earlier than she was discovered useless — via textual content messages.

She testified that she was shocked to study her sister had agreed to fulfill Martell for supper “to speak” as a result of they’d damaged up. Tiffany stated she was disenchanted as a result of she thought her sister “deserved higher,” however Moosehunter requested her to not be mad as a result of she wanted to make her personal choices.

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Moosehunter and Martell have been in an off-and-on relationship for about three years, together with whereas Martell was incarcerated for about two years, Tiffany stated. She testified that her sister liked Martell, but in addition advised her that he was jealous of a person who lived throughout the road from their father.

“That’s the rationale why they argued, due to that subject,” Tiffany stated, including Moosehunter advised her that’s why she give up visiting their dad.

Tiffany testified that she despatched a Fb message to Martell after her mother advised her that Moosehunter didn’t present as much as work and wasn’t answering her telephone, however heard nothing again. She stated she known as her brother, who advised her Moosehunter was gone.

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