Man accused of fatally stabbing boy made comments about taking him from his mom: victim’s aunt

WINNIPEG -

Warning: This story contains content that may be disturbing to some readers.

At a trial for her nephew’s accused killer, the aunt of 3-year-old Hunter Smith-Straight recalled the morning the boy was found stabbed in his bed.

Roxanna Moar testified at the first-degree murder trial for Daniel Jensen, who was dating Hunter’s mom at the time of the stabbing.

Moar teared up on the witness stand when talking about the moments before Hunter was found critically injured in the early hours of Oct. 30, 2019,at his family’s Pritchard Avenue home.

Moar lived in the same home, in the lower suite with her own children and partner.

The couple was out for the evening with Moar’s sister, Clarice Smith, who is Hunter’s mom and Clarice’s boyfriend of seven months, and Jensen, who’s accused of stabbing and killing the boy.

His first-degree murder trial is being heard by a jury in the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench.

Moar testified Clarice and Jensen got into an argument during a car ride and at one point Jensen made a comment about taking Clarice’s baby.

“She (Clarice) hit him,” Moar told the jury. “She hit him at least 10 times.”

Moar testified the couple continued arguing at the Northern Hotel bar where Jensen made a similar comment.

“He sat across from my sister Clarice and said it again, that he was going to take Hunter from her,” Moar told the jury.

Moar testified Clarice got up from the table the group was sitting at and left.

“How was he reacting to that?” Crown attorney Jennifer Mann asked about Jensen.

“He cried,” Moar told the jury.

Moar testified Jensen then became jealous about another man at the bar.

Court has previously heard Clarice had plans to move away from Winnipeg with Hunter and Jensen but then told Jensen she was only going with Hunter.

When Clarice returned to the table, Moar testified the arguing between Clarice and Jensen continued.

“She said that Hunter was the only one that mattered to her,” Moar testified.

At one point Moar left the bar and when she went to the washroom she found her sister injured.

Clarice testified Tuesday Jensen assaulted her in the bar and in the washroom.

“She had a gash across her nose,” Moar testified.“She was bleeding.”

The jury previously heard evidence Jensen walked out of the bar on his own.

The Crown alleges he walked to the home on Pritchard Avenue and repeatedly stabbed Hunter.

Moar testified the rest of the group left the bar together around 2 a.m. on Oct. 30.

She told the jury she returned home and checked on her kids while Clarice stayed in a car with other members of their group.

Moar told jurors she went upstairs where Hunter had been sleeping and saw the boy in his room.

“I thought he was sleeping,” Moar testified.“It looked like he was sleeping.”

Moar told jurors she didn’t see Jensen in the house.

She testified her son and daughter also went upstairs.

Moar went back downstairs and then heard her daughter crying and screaming something was wrong with Hunter.

She testified her daughter got on the phone with 911 while Hunter’s mom was called to return home.

Court has previously heard this all happened around 2:30 a.m.

Hunter was found with a knife in his neck and was taken to hospital by first responders but died three days later.

A forensic identification officer who documented the scene also testified Wednesday.

The jury heard the officer testify about several blood stains found in the suite which were swabbed and some were sent away for DNA analysis.

Jensen has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

The trial continues.