january 24th, 2007 › briscoe-laboucan trial › nina courtepatte › deadmonton 2005 › deadmonton › edmonton

WARNING

Nina Louise Courtepatte, 13, died from blunt force trauma on April 3rd, 2005.

Charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault were Michael Erin Briscoe, now 36, Joseph Wesley Laboucan, now 21, and three teens not identified by provision of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

One male teen, aged 19 and nicknamed "Pyro", pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in youth court in Stony Plain on December 8th, 2006. He was to be sentenced as an adult in April 2007.

Briscoe's girlfriend, now 19 and named "Cindy" in this narrative, went to trial March 12th, 2007. Pyro's girlfriend, now 17 and nicknamed "Buffy", had a trial date set for May 1st, 2007.

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The third day of the trial heard testimony from Nina Courtepatte's best friend, the last person apart from the five accused to see her alive.

The girl, who was fifteen in April 2005, could not be identified due to a publication ban. She is named in this narrative as Jane Doe.

For the Crown, Jane would likely provide their best independent evidence of culpability with her near-eyewitness testimony.

For Jane, taking the stand would prove to be all too traumatic – re-living the night and morning her friend was beaten, raped, stabbed and murdered.

She spoke softly, often fidgeting with the cuffs of her sweater.

Jane testified that on April 2nd she told her mother she was going to sleep over at Nina's house. The pair then headed to West Edmonton Mall.

They were hanging out in an arcade in Phase II near the food court when they were invited to a bush party.

Joseph Laboucan and Briscoe's 17-year-old girlfriend (named in this narrative as "Cindy") told them about a rave being held just outside Edmonton. Jane testified she had met Laboucan once before through an ex-boyfriend.

"They asked us if we wanted to go to a party. We said 'Sure, let's go.' "

"Everybody was saying we’re going to have so much fun,” said Jane, wiping tears from her eyes with her sweater.

Laboucan told them he had to drop off some people and would return for them shortly.

Incredibly, while Jane and Nina were waiting for Joe to come back and pick them up, they were approached by two Edmonton police officers in uniform who asked them if everything was alright.

The pair said everything was fine and that they were just waiting for friends.

The group was captured leaving West Edmonton Mall by security cameras.

Nina was in the middle walking between Jane and "Cindy." Laboucan trailed behind.

Shortly after midnight on April 3rd, on a West Edmonton Mall parking lot, Laboucan and the three girls squeezed into Michael Briscoe's 1991 Ford Tempo.

Already inside were two other people – Pyro and his girlfriend Buffy. Jane said she recognized the young couple but didn't know Briscoe.

“People were kissing and talking about the party and laughing,” Jane said.

Nina was sitting in Laboucan's lap and were kissing too. Jane said she also kissed Laboucan. The girls were excited – they had never been to a bush party.

Jane said Laboucan and Cindy promised that "if anything got out of control, we would leave."

They drove west for about 45 minutes, turned off the Yellowhead Highway, stopped at a gate, got out of the car and started walking.

Through tears and sniffles, Jane testified that she and Nina became suspicious during the hike across the mud and frozen grass.

It was quiet, there were no lights, and they didn't hear a crowd in the distance. There were supposed to be 200 people at the party.

"Is there even really a party?" Nina asked.

Jane then heard Cindy talking to Laboucan.

"[Cindy] started to talk about a ritual, how they kill someone and bring them back from the dead. Joe was saying the same thing."

Jane told the court what happened next.

"[Cindy] goes up to Nina and hits her."

"I don't know what it was, but it kinda looked like a wrench. It looked like it was made out of steel."

Nina spins to the ground, crying out, “What did I do? How am I making you mad?”

Jane said Nina got up and ran to Laboucan for help.

He wrapped both of his arms around her and whispered something in her ear.

“She starts screaming, telling them to let her go and not to do it,” Jane testified.

"Why would you do this? Why are you doing this?" she said Nina pleaded.

Jane said she was terrified.

“I got a little scared the way she started screaming and I knew they were going to hurt her.”

Jane said she then fell to the ground. Cindy told her she had passed out. She saw Laboucan straddling Nina, holding her wrists on the ground.

"[Joe] put his hands on her mouth and he tells her to shut up."

“He just keeps telling her to shut up and be quiet.”

In the packed courtroom, Nina's mother and brother could be heard crying.

Jane said Briscoe then walked over to her, brandishing a belt.

“He says if I scream or anything I’ll have to do it.”

Court later heard that Briscoe's remark referred to Jane having to kill Nina.

As Briscoe and Laboucan dealt with Nina, Cindy grabbed Jane's arms, leading her back to the car. There she gave her a rolled cigarette and some CDs.

Jane told the hushed court she was "really scared" and sat in the car "shaking."

A short time later, the four others – Briscoe, Laboucan, Pyro (the male teen who earlier pleaded guilty to first-degree murder) and his girlfirend Buffy – returned to the car without Nina.

Laboucan was covered in blood, Doe said, on his calves and from his elbows to his fingertips.

He grabbed a bottle of water from inside the car and washed the blood off his hands.

The Crown prosecutor asked, "When you see Joe do this, what are you thinking?"

"I know he hurt her," Jane replied. “I was asking everybody, 'Where’s Nina?' ”

She said Pyro told her he beat Nina up and made her run home naked.

"I didn't know what to believe," said Doe.

In the car on the way back into Edmonton, Jane talked to Pyro's girlfriend.

"[Buffy] pulls out short knives from her back pack and they were covered in blood. She said she put them in [Nina's] throat."

Jane told the court that Buffy said she felt really bad, but she "wants to do it again."

Briscoe began crying in the prisoner's box, looked over to his family, then held his head in his hands. His lawyer handed him some tissues.

Jane said Laboucan told her not to tell anyone about what happened or, "he was going to put me in the ditch."

Back at Briscoe's motel room, Jane questioned the group.

"I was asking them why and Joe said she was the chosen one."

The Crown then asked if the motel room conversation turned to forgiveness.

Jane replied, "He was asking me if I'd ever forgive for what he's done."

"What did you say?" the prosecutor asked.

"I said no," came Jane's answer.

Jane testified she was too scared to leave or call anyone from the motel.

"I couldn't even use the phone. I wanted to call my mom, but they wouldn't let me."

She managed to get away after a few days when the group went back to West Edmonton Mall and she spotted her mother and aunt.

The women pulled her onto a couch outside The Brick and showed her a newspaper story about a young aboriginal girl who had been found dead.

"I started to cry," Jane said. "I knew they had done more than what they said they did."

Jane said she felt scared because Michael Briscoe was standing near the furniture store. However, she left with her family and went to police.

Upon cross-exmanination, Briscoe's lawyer suggested to the witness it was too dark for her to see anything.

Jane responded defiantly that she was fully aware of what was happening.

During a break in the proceedings, Jane broke down – crying and sobbing outside the courtroom.

She was taken by a member of the Victim Services Unit to a nearby washroom.

Justice Burrows adjourned the session early with testimony from Doe set to resume the next day.

The trial continued January 25th, 2007

A list of persons named in this case can be found at the bottom of the main Briscoe-Laboucan trial page.

deadmonton 2005 - nina courtepatte - briscoe-laboucan trial - january 24th, 2007