Crown and defence wrap up evidence at murder trial looking into the death of Helix guitarist

The man accused of murdering a former local musician blamed his friend on the witness stand today. CTV London's Nick Paparella with the details.

The last bit of evidence called by the Crown in the case against 50-year-old Craig Allen was a police interview the accused had with officers just after being arrested.

The interview, which lasted hours, was completed five days after the body of Daniel Fawcett, 52, was found in Gibbons Park on Nov. 6, 2022.

Allan is seen and heard changing his mind several times in the interview room at London Police Headquarters.

At the beginning, he tells Det. Srg. Micah Bourdeau that he hasn’t been in London for at least a month.

However, he then admitted to being in the Gibbons Park area with a friend on the same night that Fawcett was stabbed to death.

He said, “I came down some trail and there was some water by the train tracks.”

During the interview, Det. Sgt. Bourdeau asked, “Did you see Dan this night?”

Allan responded, “No.”

The officer then said Allan’s his friend, who cannot be identified due to a court order, has told police that he is the one who killed Fawcett, telling him, “That you’re the one responsible for this murder that you stabbed him?”

Allan responded, “Oh really, ha, ha. Seriously. Damn.”

When the officer leaves the interview room, Allan starts sobbing and swearing for a period of time.

When the interview resumes, Allan said she didn’t kill Fawcett, but pointed the finger at his friend, saying, “Being a rat is something that I’ve always been against and I’m about to break it. Oh my God.”

Allan said his friend told him the stabbing occurred while they were trying to make a drug deal and he said, “They (the friend) tried to sell him (Fawcett) crack and it went south and (they) stabbed him.”

Fawcett’s body was found by a jogger in Gibbons Park who was out on an early morning run. He died from a stab wound to the heart.

Allan is charged with second-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

Later, Allan tells the officer that the friend threw a black and gold knife out the car window as they drove from London to Stratford.

The officer asked, “Is there any way your DNA is going to be on that knife?”

Allan responded, “No, I never touched it.”

After the police interview was played, the Crown closed its case and the defence told Justice Patricia Moore that it would not be calling any evidence at the trial.

Closing arguments from both sides are expected to be heard on Thursday.