Blacksmith admits to killing, then re-enters not-guilty plea

The second-degree murder trial of Jeremy Blacksmith took an unexpected turn Tuesday when Blacksmith admitted in a Brandon courtroom that he fatally shot Blaze Tacan in 2023 — but later re-entered his not-guilty plea.

During cross-examination in the Court of King’s Bench, Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup accused Blacksmith, 43, of taking a sawed-off shotgun out of a backpack and shooting Tacan in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.

Blacksmith sat silently in the witness box with his head down for about 25 seconds after hearing the accusation.

Lonstrup prompted him to answer and said, “Please tell us the truth. The family is here.”

Blacksmith looked at Tacan’s family members sitting in the gallery and answered, “Yes” to shooting the 21-year-old. Several family members in the courtroom immediately started sobbing and shifting in their seats.

Blacksmith agreed to Lonstrup’s suggestion that his motive for shooting Tacan came from three to four years of hearing how a youth had been bullied, intimidated and threatened, “and that’s why you said enough is enough,” the lawyer said.

“Once that had happened, because you had overreacted, you went and checked the body out because you were horrified about what you’ve done, right?” Lonstrup said.

Blacksmith agreed. He also admitted to the Crown that he was afraid of getting caught for killing Tacan and that he wasn’t aiming at a specific part of his body when he discharged the firearm.

Blacksmith was expected to enter a new plea in the afternoon when court resumed.

Lonstrup read a summary of the “agreed statement of facts.”

Between 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. on Aug. 5, 2023, Blacksmith took a sawed-off loaded shotgun from a backpack that was worn by a 17-year-old youth and “pulled the trigger intending to either take his life or intending to cause damage that he knew would be certain to take his life,” Lonstrup said.

“He did this motivated by concern, by harassment and intimidation” that he and the youth, who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, had experienced in the community, Lonstrup said.

When Tacan fell to the ground, the Crown continued, Blacksmith went to inspect his body and eventually walked back to his home, packed up some personal items and instructed the youth to hide the shotgun, which was found wrapped in the youth’s sweater along with the shotgun shells.

When the court clerk read out Blacksmith’s three charges, including second-degree murder, he pleaded not guilty.

Judge Elliot Leven told Blacksmith’s lawyers that he didn’t mind giving them a recess to speak with the accused, “given what we’ve just heard.”

He asked defence lawyers Anthony Dawson and Bob Harrison if they had any other witnesses to call on.

Harrison said he had no other witnesses, so Leven said, “The evidence is finished.”

“I see no other possible legal voice for this matter to take,” he said.

Lawyers for the defence and the Crown are expected to make their closing arguments for the trial today.

After Blacksmith’s admission in court earlier that day, Tacan’s stepdad, Joe McArthur, told the Brandon Sun outside the courthouse that his admission “is something that we all wanted to hear.”

“It’s been a long, difficult process for the family, and I think we’re glad we’re at this point,” said McArthur, who also uses the first name Joel.

He wiped tears from his face as he described Tacan as being “happy with life” and having “everything to look forward to.”

“He was a good kid. Never bothered anyone,” McArthur said.

Blacksmith’s admission came after testimony for the defence, which was followed by a lengthy cross-examination by the Crown.

During his testimony, Blacksmith blamed the shooting on the youth.

He said he was on the deck working on his motorbike while the youth was near a firepit when he saw Tacan walking onto the road.

“He was calling us down, calling us names and whatever,” Blacksmith testified.

“I told him to get the f–– out of here,” he said.

Then the youth “took the shotgun out of his bag and shot Blaze,” Blacksmith said, adding that he asked the youth “what the f–– did you do?”

Blacksmith said he went up to Tacan’s body to “see if he was OK” before he and the youth went inside the house and then ran.

When Harrison probed Blacksmith about why he didn’t tell RCMP that the youth had shot Tacan, he testified that he lied to protect him. Blacksmith said it didn’t feel “too good” testifying against the youth in court, adding that “it’s pretty sad that this all happened.”

In Blacksmith’s two-hour recorded statement to Virden RCMP on Aug. 6, 2023, he said Tacan had shot himself in the head. When questioned further, he said a group of people nearby had shot him.

He also told RCMP that he had never previously seen the gun that was taken as evidence, but during cross-examination, Blacksmith testified the gun was given to him by his neighbour, and then he gave it to the youth for protection.

Blacksmith also admitted to lying to RCMP about multiple things, such as Tacan having a black handgun secured in his waistband, Tacan saying he was going to shoot him and the youth, and whether Tacan or someone else shot the victim.

“You wanted Blaze to look as bad as possible,” Lonstrup said.

“You didn’t want the truth so much. It’s just a version of events that you thought was the most helpful,” he said.

Blacksmith answered, “Yes.”

Blacksmith gave a new statement to RCMP on Dec. 22, 2025, saying the youth had shot Tacan. He agreed that he was worried the youth might testify against him and so he lied in his statement.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com