Mounties testify in Waywayseecappo manslaughter trial

RCMP members described their involvement in the investigation into the death of a man in Waywayseecappo during a manslaughter trial in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench on Tuesday.

Talisa Brandon, 27, is standing trial for manslaughter and aggravated assault after she allegedly stabbed Tristin Beaulieu to death in 2023 and, in the same altercation, stabbed another man.

Crown attorneys Melania Cannon and Nikki Boggs called RCMP members to the stand on Tuesday.

Sgt. Corbin Allingham described his involvement in the case as the primary investigator. Allingham is now a detachment commander in God’s Lake Narrows and, at the time of the allegations, was a constable in the RCMP’s Major Crime Unit.

Allingham said he was notified at around 2:09 a.m. on July 6, 2023 of a death in Waywayseecappo with foul play involved and that two suspects were in custody. He was told the victim appeared to have been stabbed, he said.

He didn’t know who the suspects were until an operational briefing around 11:45 a.m. at the First Nation Police Service detachment in Waywayseecappo, where he learned Brandon and her then-partner, Larry Jeremiah Ross, were being held at the detachment, he said.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Allingham arrived on scene to get a better understanding of the area he would be investigating and to update Beaulieu’s next of kin, he testified, adding that Forensic Identification Services had already been at the scene and the deceased body had been removed.

Allingham didn’t interact with Brandon but spoke with Ross and photographed his injuries, he testified.

The Crown showed Allingham photos of the injuries and asked him to describe what he saw.

“It looks like there’s some minor, superficial kind of scratches,” he said.

Boggs asked if he noticed any bruising on Ross. He said he saw some “redness” and scratches.

Boggs asked if Allingham, as the primary investigator, was aware if Ross or Brandon needed to be transported for medical treatment. He said he wasn’t notified of that.

Allingham said police expanded the area of their search after Ross mentioned throwing a rake head in a nearby bush. Earlier, police seized a wooden handle that Allingham said was the handle of a rake that had been intact at some point prior to the incident.

He said four to six officers searched for the rake head for up to eight hours but never found it.

“Is it fair to say that when police are searching for the remainder of the rake, that if anything else had been observed of note, that that would have been flagged for yourself?” Boggs asked. Allingham agreed.

“Is it fair to say that if an officer came across a machete, that that might be an item of interest?”

“Yes,” Allingham replied. He said no machete was found.

The Crown questioned Allingham about how many calls police recieved in relation to the incident and if Brandon called police. Allingham said police received one 911 call, which didn’t come from Brandon.

Defence lawyer Jonathan Richert asked if there were any allegations of the two victims assaulting Brandon or Ross.

Allingham couldn’t recall if there were allegations of Brandon being assaulted but said Ross was the “subject of a physical altercation” involving Beaulieu.

Allingham said Ross mentioned the conflict started at a residence where there was a lot of “drinking, partying and drug use going on.”

Richert asked Allingham how exactly he expanded the search area. Allingham said police extended the perimeter of the search to the bush line and along the road, but that it was difficult to look in the bushes because they were dense.

Richert asked if it was possible that if someone threw an object hard into the bush, that the officers wouldn’t have seen it. Allingham said that would be possible.

Richert questioned Allingham about Ross’s eyes being red and bloodshot in the photos of his injuries. Allingham said Ross was emotional, crying and rubbing his eyes during their interview.

“Did Mr. Ross disclose to you that he had been strangled that evening?” Richert asked.

“Yeah, he said that there was a physical altercation,” Allingham responded. “I remember him remarking that there was a physical altercation to the point that he … was being choked.”

Richert asked Allingham if, in his experience, he noticed that being strangled causes red, bloodshot eyes.

“Not that I’ve noticed. I think it would have to be fairly severe.”

Defence also questioned Allingham about how the scene was kept secure and the possibility of people accessing the scene without law enforcement noticing.

Const. Devin Smith, who collected and photographed evidence from the scene, testified that two knives and the wooden handle were seized.

Defence questioned Smith about evidence contamination, scene security and if there was a concern that the deceased body had been moved, as there was a towel under him when Smith saw him.

Smith said it’s common that deceased bodies are moved or manipulated when people are performing life-saving measures.

The trial continues.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com