‘I wanted him to wake up but he didn’t wake up’: accused testifies at murder trial

As per testimony heard last week, three friends had gathered at the house and were drinking and doing drugs. This was confirmed by Bird who stated Ballantyne had come over the night prior and together were smoking meth and drinking.

According to Wilfred Ballantyne’s obituary, he had three daughters and multiple siblings. (Image Credit: Arbor Memorial.)

Bird explained at one point Ballantyne left the bedroom to have a shower and while he was away, she began going through his backpack.

“I think I was looking for drugs,” she said, adding she discovered some of her brother’s clothes were also in the bag.

Upon Ballantyne’s return from the shower, Bird said she confronted him about what she found and they began to have a physical argument that involved both pushing and punching. Ballantyne, in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, offered Bird another hoot of meth.

Bird then stated while she was lying on the bed, Ballantyne said he wanted to have sex, but as she was going through a break-up, she declined.

“He started to force himself on me,” she said. “I didn’t feel I was respected.”

Stating something clicked inside her, Bird said she grabbed a machete Ballantyne had brought to the house and proceeded to hit him once in the arm with it. She then claimed she blacked out and has no memory what happened next.

Later that morning, Ballantyne was found lying face down in the bath tub. Bird said when she woke up from her blackout, she and Walter Charles moved Ballantyne from the hallway to the bathtub and she proceeded to turn on the cold water.

“I wanted him to wake up but he didn’t wake up,” she said.

Bird testified her next memory was the sound of her mother’s screams and then being interrogated by RCMP at the detachment in La Ronge.

Throughout her testimony, Bird exhibited a number of memory lapses, claiming to have no recollection of certain events and people, but when further questioned by her lawyer, acknowledged they occurred and provided additional details.

One example was the presence of Walter Charles, who had testified to being at the house but said he had no involvement in Ballantyne’s death and did not hear or see anything. While Bird initially stated she had on memory of him being in the house, she later admitted to asking him for help moving Ballantyne.

The results of Ballantyne’s autopsy showed had over 200 injuries to his body including multiple stab wounds to his chest, back, neck and legs. The official cause of death was a stab wound to the chest that punctured the heart.

Among the items found by police at the house were over a dozen knives found in the bathroom, including a large butcher knife. There was also a blood stained hammer and multiple clothing items with blood stains including a hoodie that had been stashed in the stove.

When the trial resumes Wednesday morning, Bird will be cross-examined by the Crown prosecutor.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

‘I wanted him to wake up but he didn’t wake up’: accused testifies at murder trial

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