The jury has begun deliberations in the three-week murder trial of Dillon Whitehawk.
Whitehawk, 27, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the separate shooting deaths of Jordan Denton and Keenan Toto.
The jury is responsible for two separate verdicts, one for each count.
Whitehawk pleaded not guilty to both counts.
The jury can find Whitehawk guilty or not guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter based on the evidence they were presented.
Denton died Nov. 9, 2019 on the 800 block of Robinson Street. Toto was killed three weeks later on Dec. 1, 2019 on the 1200 block of Queen Street.
This morning, Justice Neil Robertson outlined the positions of both the crown and the defence as he sees it.
He said the crown’s position is that they proved the charge of first degree murder on both accounts beyond a reasonable doubt by providing ample evidence that is convincing and coherent, fitting together when taken as a whole.
The defence’s position, as Robertson sees it, is that the charges were not proved and that the crown failed to beat the test of proving a reasonable doubt, citing nine points of reasonable doubt in their argument, such as lack of evidence such as a finger print and others in the car also having access to firearms.
Closing arguments were heard by the jury on Thursday near the end of the three-week trial.
The Crown argued there was a “war” between two Regina Street gangs, the Indian Mafia (IM) and the Native Syndicate Killers (NSK), at the time of the deaths and that Whitehawk pulled the trigger in both drive-by shootings to work his way up in the ranks of the IM.
According to the crown, both Denton and Toto were “loosely suspected” to be rival gang members.
The defence pointed to a lack of evidence outside of the inconsistent testimony from former gang members. Police never found the .22 caliber gun allegedly used to kill Denton and there were no fingerprints on the SKS rifle that is believed to have killed Toto.
The defence argued Whitehawk is a “fall-guy for a small group of people who are desperate to save themselves.”
Robertson instructed the jury Friday morning that verdicts must be reached by considering the evidence presented for each count separately, and by ignoring the evidence related to the other account.
Before sending the jury for deliberations Justice Neil Roberston instructed “guilty or not guilty is the unanimous decision of the jury.”
One juror was discharged by random draw, leaving a 12 person jury remaining.
The jury has been sequestered and deliberations will continue until a verdict is reached.
More to come…
With files from CTV News Regina's Allison Bamford.
