THUNDER BAY — The trial for a man who was charged in relation to a fatal hit-and-run incident near Highway 11 in Long Lake #58 First Nation began on Friday.
Gurmeet Singh Brar, of Edmonton, appeared in court for his trial before Justice Robin Lepere in a Thunder Bay courtroom and pleaded not guilty to failing to stop at a collision causing death.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Brar told police following his arrest in May 2024 that he “didn’t see anyone.”
The court heard that the body of Kathleen Desmoulin, 41, of Long Lake 58 First Nation, was discovered in the afternoon of Nov. 18, 2023.
Greenstone OPP arrived on the scene and found a red running shoe, a Boston Red Sox baseball cap and a backpack.
Through the statement of facts, the court heard that Desmoulin was found lying in the ditch near the items.
The Crown said that Superior EMS arrived and CPR was performed, but no vital signs were detected.
The court heard that on the day previous, on Nov. 17, 2023, a white 2019 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer driven by the defendant was pulled over by a constable because the right front passenger headlight and marker light was burnt out.
When questioned, Brar said there was an issue with the plug for the light.
Brar was asked to provide his logbook to the constable, who discovered errors. The start mileage was missing from the logbook, there was no name or home addresses printed in it, nor were there on or off duty hours listed.
On Nov. 19, 2023, a zone alert was sent out through the RCMP with photos from video surveillance cameras of the Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer. A symbol on the side of the truck was recognized, it was seized at a location in Alberta, and Brar was identified as the driver.
On Nov. 27, 2023, a warrant was secured by law enforcement officials to search the Freightliner Cascadia.
The Crown stated that a strong white light was used to discover blood, samples of which were taken from the front corner panel of the vehicle and were analyzed on Dec. 29, 2023. The conclusion of an analysis was that blood from the victim could not be excluded as a source of the female blood found on the truck.
Further evidence, the Crown said, included a broken piece of hood mirror found at the scene, also found to be missing from the hood mirror of the truck Brar had been driving.
An arrest warrant was issued for Brar on April 16, 2024.
The court heard that on May 20, 2024, Brar attempted to enter the U.S. from Saskatchewan. U.S. Border Services escorted him back to Canada Border Services Agency, where he was arrested.
In a statement to police following his arrest, Brar said he was sorry and that he “didn’t see anyone.”
The Crown said the statement Brar made to police was recorded and will be shared in court when the trial continues next week.
None of the allegations against the accused have been proven in court.
