Witnesses describe scene at shack party before fatal stabbing in Fort Good Hope

Two men who were at a party at Colten McNeely's shack hours before a murder he's accused of testified during the third day of McNeely's trial in Yellowknife.

McNeely, 26, is accused of murdering Lloyd Edgi in Fort Good Hope in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 2017.McNeely is charged with second-degree murder.

Like all of the civilianwitnesses in the trial so far, thosewho testified in Northwest Territories Supreme Court on Wednesday grew up with McNeely and Edgi in the tiny community of about 570 people.

Antoine Tobac said he arrived at McNeely's shack with Harley Pierrot that night to join a group of people who were drinking there. He said he recalls seeing McNeely at the shack for five or 10 minutes and then he took off to go to his grandfather's house.

Tobac said five or 10 minutes after he got to the shack, Edgi arrived and asked if anyone had seen his common-law spouse, Jeanette Kakfwi. The two had been fighting by text through much of the day and evening, with Edgi accusing her of cheating on him.

"He asked if we'd seen her around," said Tobac. "Someone told him she left with Colten."

Tobac said Edgi went into a rage and started shoving him and others around.

"How did you respond?" asked the prosecutor.

"I gave him a hug, actually," said Tobac.

"Why did you give him a hug?"

"I was trying to calm him down."

Tobac said he thought Edgi was blacked out from drinking because of his uncharacteristically aggressive behaviour. Earlier in the trial the prosecutor presented a text in which McNeely said he had sold Edgi two mickeysof hard liquor. Another witness said she and friends had been driving around town drinking with Edgi leading up to his arrival at the shack party.

Tobac said he and Pierrot left the party shortly after on his quad. They returned later but he said, as they arrived, they were flagged down by a panicked female friend, who directed them to a house down a path 50 metres from the shack.

The two men said they found Edgi there on the ground.

"I lifted up his shirt and that's when we seen the big cut," said Pierrot.

They checked for a pulse and could not find one. They tried to revive Edgi as they waited for police to arrive but he did not regain consciousness.The first police officers on the scene earlier testified that Edgi had a large cut on the front of his chest and two more wounds on the side of his chest.

After the two men testified, McNeely's lawyer, Peter Harte, had each confirm that there was a big size difference between McNeely and Edgi. Both agreed that, at the time, McNeely stood atabout 5 foot 5 or 6 inches and weighedabout 120 pounds. Edgi was about six feet tall and weighed about 200 pounds.

The trial by judge alone continues Thursday morning in Yellowknife.