Seven years after a 20-year-old man was killed after an altercation on Whyte Avenue, the man charged in his murder appeared in court Monday at the start of his trial.
Cleophas Decoine-Zuniga, 26, was charged with manslaughter in connection to the stabbing death of Dylan McGillis on November 19, 2006.
That night, McGillis was swarmed and fatally stabbed in front of a number of onlookers after leaving a Whyte Avenue bar.
In court Monday, Decoine-Zuniga entered a not-guilty plea to the charge.
Also in court Monday, five witnesses shared their stories, including McGillis’ friend Robyn Palik, who was with him the night he was stabbed.
She said a group of friends left a nightclub on the busy strip, and not long after that, McGillis and his friend got into an argument with a number of other men.
Palik said in court the situation quickly escalated, and McGillis was punched, thrown to the ground, and then stomped on. She helped him up and they tried to flee, but they were followed.
Palik said she wrapped her arms around McGillis, but said someone lunged at them, and she started bleeding from her arm, and he was bleeding from his stomach.
The woman was asked if she recognized the accused, and if he was part of the confrontation, she told court “I’m sure, I could honestly never forget his face.”
Two emergency responders who attended the scene both described the injured McGillis as being lethargic, pale, and in and out of consciousness – he was rushed to the U of A hospital where he later died.
The trial is set to last four weeks.
With files from Veronica Jubinville
