On the final day of testimony at the trial for a man accused of murdering two seniors and their grandson, jurors were shown video of the suspect’s middle-of-the-night takedown in a field outside Airdrie, Alta.
On Thursday, the Crown wrapped up its case in the trial of Douglas Garland, who has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the disappearance of Alvin and Kathy Liknes and five-year-old Nathan O’Brien. The defence opted to call no witnesses.
Earlier, the jury was shown infrared video shot by a tactical officer aboard a police helicopter around 1 a.m. on July 14, 2014, during the search for the suspect in the trio’s disappearance from a Calgary home.
The court was told that an officer aboard the helicopter heard radio chatter that Garland was approaching his family farm outside Airdrie, and the chopper went to assist in the search. Footage shot from the helicopter showed officers in a field and Garland, who was moving through tall, thick grass.
One of the constables on the ground in the video is Cst. Jamie Parhar, a Calgary police officer who had only been on the job for 18 months.
She and her partner were asked to conduct a traffic stop of Garland’s rental car. But, by the time they found his vehicle parked near the property, no one was in it.
They were then directed to catch up with Garland, but their cruiser couldn’t handle the uneven terrain, so the officers pursued him on foot.
Parhar told the court Thursday, that even though the helicopter’s light illuminated the area, she could barely see in front of her and was guided only by police radio.
"It was awful,” she testified. “I wouldn't even be able to break out into a sprint without breaking an ankle. Very uneven and, due to the level of lighting, I couldn't tell what we were walking or running toward."
Parhar, who found herself alone, following a suspected killer, testified that she was holding her gun as officers told her, via radio, that Garland was in a thicket ahead of her.
Backup officers eventually arrived and Garland was coaxed out. On the video, a man can be seen surrendering, lying face-down in the field before being handcuffed. Parhar described Garland as being calm throughout the arrest.
Once he was removed from the field, Garland was handed over to the RCMP and charged.
The jurors in Garland’s trial are expected to be sequestered next week.
With files from CTV Calgary's Ina Sidhu and The Canadian Press
