Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 08/05) - Reputed drug dealer Justin Hai Van Vo begged for his life while being brutally beaten in a downtown crackhouse nearly two years ago, a Supreme Court jury heard Monday.

The pleas didn't stop Gerald Delorme. He wrapped an extension cord around Vo's neck and strangled him to death, Crown attorney Noel Sinclair said Monday, the opening day in Delorme's first degree murder trial.

Gerald Delorme: Crown says he strangled Justin Hai Van Vo with an extension cord.

The trial is expected to shed light on the burgeoning crack-cocaine trade in Yellowknife; arrests for the drug have jumped 400 per cent since 2000.

Delorme is the first Yellowknifer to stand trial for first degree murder since Giant-Mine bomber Roger Warren in 1995. Warren, who killed nine miners with a home-made explosive in 1992, was eventually convicted of second degree murder.

Sinclair told a 12-person jury that Delorme killed Vo after a struggle in a downtown crack house on June 16, 2003. Delorme was upset with Vo - who was facing a drug charge at the time of his murder - and smacked him in the head with a crowbar, Sinclair said.

Delorme admitted to police that he "wanted to put a little scare into" Vo before wrapping an electrical extension cord around his neck, Sinclair said.

The body of the 5'6, 119 pound Vo was thrown into the back of a borrowed pickup truck and dumped on the outskirts of Yellowknife, where it was set on fire, Sinclair said.

The Crown is expected to call nearly 20 witnesses during the month-long trial including police, forensic scientists, a DNA expert and several residents of the downtown crack house where Vo was murdered.

Sinclair urged the mostly white and middle-aged jury of six women and six men to keep an open mind during testimony by several Crown witnesses with links to Yellowknife's drug trade.

Chief among those will be Francis Yukon and Richard Tutin, two drug users who lived in the tiny, dilapidated crack house where Vo was killed.

Yukon was involved in the living room beating that left Vo with nine broken ribs, but it was Delorme who strangled Vo with an electrical extension cord, Sinclair said.

Tutin tried to stop the attack but, once Vo was dead, Tutin helped dump his corpse near the Yellowknife River bridge, Sinclair said. The body was set ablaze to destroy any forensic evidence that could link Delorme to the murder, charged Sinclair. The smouldering remains were discovered later that morning by a city worker.

During testimony Monday, forensic pathologist Bernard Bannach led the jury through a gruesome set of autopsy pictures of Vo's remains.

Vo had burns to nearly 75 per cent of his body but his lungs were not filled with smoke - a sign that Vo was dead before being set ablaze, Bannach testified.

On cross examination, Bannach said there was no evidence of a skull fracture or stab wounds - an important point for Delorme's defence team.

Sinclair said Vo had been struck in the head with a crowbar and stabbed during the struggle with Delorme.

The thickly-built Delorme spent Monday's opening session taking notes and occasionally whispering to his lawyer. He has been in custody for nearly two years awaiting trial.

The facts below were alleged by Crown attorney Noel Sinclair during opening arguments Monday in Supreme Court.

Gerald Delorme: Charged with first degree murder and accessory to murder in connection with the June 16, 2003, slaying of reputed drug dealer Justin Hai Van Vo.

The Crown alleges Delorme beat Vo with a crowbar before strangling him with an electrical cord. Delorme is the last of three men charged with the slaying to have their day in court.

Francis Yukon: Lived in the downtown crack house where the murder took place and participated in the ultimately-fatal beating, according to the Crown. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was given credit for spending nearly 18 months in jail prior to reaching the plea agreement with the Crown.

Richard Tutin: Was present the morning of the murder and, according to the Crown, tried to dissuade Delorme and Yukon from attacking Vo. He pleaded guilty to accessory to murder in 2004 and was sentenced to two years in jail.

Dale Coutoreille: Owned the dilapidated crack house, but was not home the morning of the killing. He pleaded guilty to accessory to murder in 2004, and received 18 months in jail. Like Tutin, he spent nearly nine months in custody before being sentenced.

Anna Hardy: The girlfriend of Francis Yukon who heard screams coming from the living room the morning of the murder, according to the Crown. She turned the music up on her stereo and did not leave her bedroom.