'Which time under oath did you lie?': Murder trial witness confesses to lying during testimony

A key witness in a Windsor murder trial was on the stand for the second week in a row Thursday, where the defence pressed for answers about ‘inconsistencies’ between his preliminary hearing and trial testimonies.

Jacob Reaume has been the only witness to take the stand in the trial of three men, Keermaro Rolle, Tameko Vilneus and Kyle Hanna, who all face first degree murder and attempted murder charges for their alleged role in the shooting death of Madisen Gingras, 20, on April 1, 2020.

Reaume was dating Gingras at the time and was also shot in the arm during the incident, which happened near the intersection of Northwood and Cleary Streets in south Windsor.

Last week, the crown laid out a narrative of what happened the night Madisen Gingras was shot in the head and killed based on testimony from Reaume.

In court on Thursday, the defence got a turn to grill Reaume about his recollection of events.

On a number of occasions, Harpreet Saini, defence lawyer for Kyle Hanna, had Reaume recount some of that trial testimony.

But based on Reaume’s answers about who was pointing a gun at who, where they were in a motel room the evening the incident happened and how a bag of trash allegedly containing bloody towels was disposed, the defence alleged some inconsistencies.

Saini re-read transcripts from the preliminary hearing, which took place back in September of 2021. He pointed out differences between Reaume’s testimony then versus what he’s said during trial over the past two weeks.

“Can I suggest these are not the only lies you’ve said about Mr. Hanna?” said Saini.

“I don’t recall,” Reaume responded.

“You said the bag was clear plastic and you could see into the bag and towels covered in blood,” said Saini, referring to testimony offered by Reaume Thursday, which differed from his testimony from the preliminary hearing, where Reaume said he didn’t know what was in the bag.

“Which time under oath did you lie?” Saini asked Reaume.

Reaume responded: “The first time.”

“You told a judge in the Ontario Court of Justice on Sept. 28, under oath, that you did not see what was in the bag. You lied to that judge. Agreed?” asked Saini.

“Yes,” conceded Reaume.

There is a 14-member jury hearing the case, one that could last up to three months with more than 70 witnesses in the queue.

The trial is taking a break and is scheduled to resume Monday, March 6, 2023.