Accused in fatal prom night stabbing joked next day he'd been a 'bon garon'

A young man accused of fatally stabbing another teen during a prom night fight outside a downtown Ottawa hotel texted his prom date the next morning when asked about the fight and said he had been a "bon garon."

• Witnesses recount last moments of Brandon Volpi's life after prom night stabbing
• Defence in prom night killing trial takes aim at Crown's video expert
• Brandon Volpi killed intervening in prom night fight over cellphone, Crown says

Devontay Hackett, now 21, is on trial for second-degree murder in the June 2014 death of 18-year-old Brandon Volpi.

Crown and defence lawyers both agree the two young men could be seen fighting in cell phone video taken by a hotel guest. But the two sides remain at odds as towhether it was Hackett who stabbed Volpi in the chest and throat.

Sarah Tahan, 20, was Hackett's prom date that night. She told an Ottawa courtroom on Friday that while she'dgone to the prom with Hackett, the two were not a couple.

She said students in Hackett's room at Les Suites Hotelwere drinking, but that she didn't see him drinking although she noted he had two 26 oz. bottles of liquor.

'I hope you stayed out of trouble,' date texts

Tahan told the court she left after the prom but texted him the next morning to thank him and ask if he could send any pictures.

He texted back to say he'd send them when he had a Wi-Fi connection, she said.

Later that morning, Tahan heard from friends about the fight at the hoteland texted Hackett again, writing: "I heard s--- went down last night I hope you stayed out of trouble."

Hackett wrote back "ahah and always out of trouble bon garon O:)". (Bon garon means good boy in French.) Tahan described thesymbol at the end of the text as an angel with a halo.

Three days after the text exchange, Ottawa police issued an arrest warrant for Hackett.

Prom date testifies 'no tension' before fight

Under cross-examination, Tahantold defence lawyers she saw no sign of tensions or problems between Hackettandanyone else, including students from other schools.

Hackett had attended St. Pius X High School while Volpi was a student at St. Patrick's High School. Students from both schools, as well as St. Joseph High School, were at the after-prom party.

The Crown alleges Volpi came to the aid of a schoolmate who said Hackett was threatening him.

Tahanalso told defence lawyer Joseph Addelman that she saw Hackett change into white shorts and a T-shirt on the night of the prom.Shesaid she didn't see a knife on him then, nor did he tell her he had one.

Tahansmiled at Hackettas she passed him following her cross-examination.

No knife at scene, court hears

Earlier on Friday, the court heard that police forensic investigators failed to turn upany knife or weapon at the scene.

Speaking at Hackett's trial at Superior Court for the second day, forensic identification officer Sgt. Jim Killeenwent into more detail about the physical evidence found at the scene.

Volpi died after he was stabbed multiple times, but the fatal blow was a 10-centimetre-deep penetrating stab wound through his rib cage and into his heart.

However Killeen said Friday police never found a knife at the scene;nor did they find a weapon atany of the other locations they searched, including the Arts Court parking lot where a blood-stainedwhite T-shirt was found.

Blood matched victim, accused

DNA analysis showed the blood of both the victim and the accused on the T-shirt, Killeen said.

On Thursday Killeen testified investigators found blood on the pavement near the scene of the fight, as well as a few drops in an alley between Les Suites Hotel and the neighbouring Novotel. More blood was found both inside and outside an SUV in an alleyway between the two hotels.

Killeen said Friday the blood on the exterior of the SUV in the alleyway was Hackett's, and inside the vehicle traces of both Hackett's and Volpi's blood were found, he said.

Court had earlier viewed security footage of a young man in a white shirt walking into the alley and into the vehicle before getting out again. Hackettwasalso identified in separate cellphone videos of the fight.

Hackett's watch was seized when he was arrested in July, and Killeen said Friday that police found microscopic traces of Volpi'sblood on it.

Bottles, butts, gum not examined

Defence lawyer JosephAddelman asked Killeen during cross-examination whether blood stains found north of the hotel, on the corner Rideau and Dalhousie streets, were also tested for DNA.

Killeen said it had not. When Addelmanasked why, Killeen replied that police investigators had already determined the likely suspect had headed south, not north.

Killeen also told thedefence that police didn't send forDNA analysis of beer bottles, chewed gum and cigarettes found at the scene of the fight.