Crown's key witness testifies in trial for murder of Kaila Tran

A key witness testified Thursday in the trial against Treyvonne Willis.

Willis has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in the death of 27-year old Kaila Tran in June 2012.

Court heard Thursday from the Crown’s key witness, Tremaine Sam-Kelly, 21, a friend of Treyvonne Willis.

In court, Sam-Kelly said he had known Willis for a few months.

He said the pair exchanged texts and did drugs together on occasion, including marijuana, heroin and MDMA.

Sam-Kelly told the court he found out Willis sold drugs a few weeks after they met, and added Willis told him of a debt that was owed around the same time.

“He said it was a lot,” Sam-Kelly told the court. “Maybe twenty grand.”

Sam-Kelly said Willis told him the accused would get hurt if he didn’t pay the debt.

“He was going to sell drugs to pay it off,” Sam-Kelly said.

Sam-Kelly told court a few days before June 20, 2012, Willis told him of a different plan involving the accused doing a favour for someone else.

In court, Tremaine Sam-Kelly repeated what he said Willis uttered to him: “I gotta rub somebody up in order to get paid.”

Sam-Kelly said he was told of a plan set up by a man. Willis would kill the man’s girlfriend and get paid, Sam-Kelly told court, and the accused could use the money paid out to get rid of his debt.

Sam-Kelly said Willis told him that Tran’s boyfriend said he wanted her dead because he claimed she was a snitch.

Sam-Kelly said Willis told him he was directed to kill the woman in the parking lot outside her apartment, “because that’s where it was easiest to get to her.”

Sam-Kelly said Willis was told to do it as Tran left for work.

Court heard that Willis had a backpack, which he brought on a transit bus on his way to the location where Kaila Tran’s body was later found.

Surveillance from the transit bus was shown in court Thursday.

Sam-Kelly said he went via transit to the St. Vital parking lot with Willis for emotional support, first on June 19, 2012 and then again on June 20, 2012.

Sam-Kelly said the pair slept an apartment on Edmonton Street on June 18 and June 19. It was there, he told court, that he saw Willis’ backpack.

Sam-Kelly told the court he thought it was filled with a change of clothes. He also said he saw Willis take a knife with a black handle from a kitchen drawer.

By the time Willis changed clothes on June 19, Tran had already left for work, said Sam-Kelly. He said Willis looked relieved.

Sam-Kelly testified that Willis told him the accused was supposed to later give the woman’s purse and bank cards to her boyfriend, so he could withdraw money to pay Willis.

Willis was also supposed to take Tran’s car, which the boyfriend would later report stolen, before he got it back, testified Sam-Kelly.

Previous scene witnesses told court they saw a suspect flee on foot, in the parking lot of the apartment block where Tran was killed.

Earlier in the day, the defence finished its cross-examination of the final scene witness in the case.

Tracy Hayden said she has 16 years of experience as a health-care aide.

Hayden described the scene, saying she saw a cellphone near Tran’s body, along with a purse that was inside a car beside Tran with its driver seat door open.

Hayden said she saw the suspect walk off, kick his shoe off and eventually run away from the scene.

Court also heard from Const. Kevin Senokwski, a member of the Winnipeg Police Service’s underwater search and recovery unit.

He said the team was called to help the homicide unit around 3:45 p.m. on June 20.

Divers were briefed by officers on scene around 6:15 p.m. and conducted two dives that day, before they were sent to another call on the Red River.

The dive team resumed their search the following day and that’s when an officer found a blue cellphone and knife, which was used as evidence in the case.

Const. Senokwski said the knife was lying on the bottom of the three-foot deep river, not buried or hidden. “It was clear the knife hadn’t been in the water long,” said Senowski, who added there was no corrosion or slime build-up on the knife. Senowski described the knife as having a black handle. He said the blade was bent about 20 or 30 degrees to one side.

The first-degree murder trial against Treyvonne Willis will continue Friday. It is expected to last into next week.