Edward Downey testifies in own defence, denies killing Baillie and Marsman

Downey denies killing Baillie and Marsman Edward Downey, accused of murdering Sara Baillie and Baillie’s daughter Taliyah, took the stand on Wednesday. Ina Sidhu recaps testimony.

The man accused of killing Sara Ballie and her daughter Taliyah Marsman in 2016 is testifying in his own defence at his double murder trial in Calgary on Wednesday.

(Warning: Graphic content)

Edward Downey, 48, is on trial for first-degree murder in the deaths of Sara Baillie, 34, and Taliyah Marsman, 5, in July of 2016.

Jurors have heard from nearly 30 witnesses on everything from how the Calgary mother and daughter died to video and digital evidence that tracked Downey's movements in the days before and after their deaths.

The Crown's theory is that Downey blamed Baillie for his breakup with her best friend and that Taliyah was killed because she witnessed her mother's murder.

A digital forensic expert testified on Tuesday about two iPhones that were found in the Dodge Charger Downey was driving.

CPS Cst. Ian Whiffin told the court that GPS data tracked movement from Downey’s northeast home on July 10, 2016 and that the phone’s location was recorded less than two kilometres from Baillie’s home at about 11:00 p.m.

Baillie was found dead in her Panorama Hills home the next day and Taliyah’s body was found a few days later, east of the city.

The prosecution wrapped its case on Tuesday and defence lawyer, Gavin Wolch, started Wednesday’s proceedings with an opening statement to the jury.

Wolch said that there were ‘still unanswered questions about what happened’ to Sara and Taliyah.

He said that Downey did not arrive alone when he went to Baillie's basement suite.

The defence’s theory is that the last time Downey saw Taliyah was on the morning of July 11, 2016, and that she was alive and well.

Downey was called to testify in his own defence and told Wolch he was nervous when asked.

He said he is from Nova Scotia and that his dad owns a barber shop and his mother works in a bakery.

Downey said he has five children and admitted that he has a criminal record.

Wolch asked Downey about his ex-girlfriend, who can only be identified as AB, and he said their relationship was ‘good in the beginning’ but that ‘she drank all the time, it got really bad.”

Wolch asked Downey if there were conversations about breaking up and Downey said ‘a few.’

He said that they started dating in 2014 and that they would try to figure things out but it didn’t work out that way.

Earlier in the trial, the jury heard evidence about Downey taking a trip to Edmonton with AB and Wolch asked Downey to talk about it in his own words.

Downey said it was his and AB’s idea for her to work as an escort and he said he told her ‘she didn’t have to but if that’s what she wanted to do.’

He was asked about texts from June 2016 and said they were about him going to sell dope.

Downey said he was doing it to make money because he wasn’t working at the time.

He said that some of the places that he would go to sell drugs were in the Forest Lawn, Dover and Marlborough areas and parts of Country Hills and Panorama.

After the morning break, Downey was asked about texts from July 2016.

He said that at that time he ‘wanted a real job’ and that he was trying to get his resume together.

Wolch asked Downey what his plan for the future was and he said he wanted to find work here but would maybe move to Vancouver as he had kids there and would have had a place to stay.

Downey was asked if he knew someone named EJ, who also goes by the name Kukuie, and he said that EJ knew Baillie and that they ‘hung out’ together.

He said that he believed AB and Baillie became friends in late 2014, early 2015 and that they started ‘hanging out’ and were going for dinners, barbeques and out to bars together.

He said the last time he was in the same place as AB and Baillie was at AB’s house, the weekend before Baillie’s death.

Wolch asked Downey if he had any conversations with Baillie that day and he said ‘Hi, how you doing’ and that they ‘seemed fine.’

Downey testified that he ‘just chilled at the house’ on July 10, 2016, and that he went out that night to sell drugs and then met a friend at Tim Hortons.

He said that they had planned to go and meet some girls that night but that they left the coffee shop in Country Hills and that he dropped off his friend at home before returning to his own place in Skyview Ranch.

Wolch asked Downey about the status of his relationship with AB when he went to bed on July 10 and Downey said that ‘it was okay, but I knew we had problems.” He said that he was looking elsewhere when asked if he expected the relationship to continue.

Following an afternoon break, Wolch asked Downey a series of direct questions. When asked if he had killed Sara Baillie, Downey said he did not. Wolch then asked if Downey had any intention of injuring Baillie, The accused murderer said 'No'. When Downey was asked if he killed Taliyah Marsman, Downey replied 'No, I did not kill Taliyah Marsman'.

The line of questioning was followed by an outburst in the courtroom from Colin Marsman, Taliyah's father, directed at Downey. Marsman proceeded to storm out of the courtroom after hurling insults at the man accused of killing his daughter.

In cross-examination, Crown prosecutor Carla MacPhail asked Downey if Taliyah Marsman knew him well enough to recognize him and Downey confirmed that was correct.

MacPhail informed the court she had 'a lot of questions' to ask of Downey. The cross-examination is scheduled to resume Thursday morning.

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