Owner of autobody shop where man was fatally beaten testifies in murder trial

The owner of an autobody shop, whose employee was one of two men beaten to death in 2022, testified at the murder trial of Justin Bone Tuesday.

The trial continued on Tuesday for Justin Bone in the fatal beatings of two men in Chinatown in 2022.

Bone is charged with second-degree murder in the deaths of Ban Phuc Hoang, 61, and Hung Trang, 64.

The owner of an autobody shop where Trang worked was among the witnesses called to testify.

Anthony Hai told the court he was in a different building on May 18, 2022 when an employee came to tell him there was an altercation.

A video timeline from several surveillance cameras at the business was played in the courtroom.

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Hai testified that three employees accompanied him to see what was happening.

He said a man was coming out of the washroom and mumbled something about wanting to fight.

An employee asked for someone to call 911, according to Hai.

It was then that he saw Trang on the floor in the bathroom area.

“I saw Hung laying face down on the floor with water flowing,” Hai said, explaining the water was coming from a toilet that had been broken.

Hai said when the man left his shop, he got into his vehicle and followed him and also called a private security company he had hired for previous problems in the area.

During cross examination, the defense pointed out discrepancies between Hai’s testimony and what he told police in 2022, asking if his memory may have faded.

Hai replied yes and no, saying it was a traumatic event.

He agreed he may have forgotten a few specifics but told the court “it’s pretty hard to forget something like this.”

Two other employees from Hai’s shop were also called to testify, one telling the court he and Trang had both asked the man to leave.

He also said he saw what he thought was blood on the man’s face.

The trial continues on Wednesday.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson