A man has been found guilty for the murder of Briana Hayes of Oxbow who died after being fatally shot in April 2024. At 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, a 12-member jury reached a verdict of finding Taylor Japp guilty for second-degree murder of Hayes. Hayes’ body was found by Saskatchewan RCMP in the RM of Moose Mountain on April 25, 2024. Throughout the lengthy six-week trial, jurors heard testimonies from 33 witnesses, including Japp himself. Japp testified to removing Hayes’ body from House 108 on White Bear Lake Resort, where the incident occurred, and admitted to hiding her body at a municipality about 45 minutes away. However, Japp told the court he did not kill Hayes. He told court he saw a man wearing a mask who shot her - who was also at the house the same time, among others. During proceedings, the Crown argued Japp was responsible for Hayes’ death, crediting Tyler Shaw’s statement to police during the time of the investigation. Shaw told police he heard a gun shot go off in the house while he was outside on the deck. After he entered the home, he saw Japp holding a black pistol and Hayes’ body on the ground bleeding. Both counsels are expected to be back at Estevan’s Court of King’s Bench Friday morning to discuss a further date for sentencing submissions to Justice Michael Morris.
