EDMONTON - The father of an Edmonton teen fatally stabbed in 2006 testified Friday about being attacked with a hockey stick by the young man acquitted of murder in the death.
Gary Hunt told court he was woken up from an evening nap on May 22, 2009, by the screaming of his wife and said he ran outside his home in southeast Edmonton.
"To my amazement, the killer of our son was on our front lawn waving a hockey stick at my wife," said Hunt.
He testified he yelled at the young man to leave his property, but instead he began repeatedly hitting him with the hockey stick, forcing him to block the blows with his arm.
Hunt said the man's father then arrived armed with a piece of lumber and hit him twice in the back of his head.
He said his younger son then used bear spray on both attackers and the young man went after the son, he went after the young man and the man's dad went after him.
"It was like mayhem. It was like a war zone," said Hunt.
Shortly after that the police arrived and the brawl ended.
Under cross examination, Hunt told the young man's lawyer that he remains upset by his son's stabbing death, but said he is not upset about the subsequent acquittal.He was also questioned regarding comments about the justice system on a memorial website for his son Josh and a $10-million wrongful death lawsuit he has filed against the young man and his family, police and the Crown.
City police Det. Rick Swan testified he is in charge of all files related to the two neighbouring families and agreed there is "considerable feelings of ill-will" on both sides.
The Crown's case in the young man's assault with a weapon trial in provincial court wrapped up Friday and the defence is scheduled to present its case March 10 and 11.
The 20 year old cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because he was 17 at the time of the stabbing death of 16-year-old Josh Hunt.
Earlier on Friday, Hunt's wife Julie tearfully completed her cross examination and agreed she was upset by the young man's acquittal and the fact there was no appeal.
"Josh's death was devastating," she said. "Not getting justice was upsetting."
On Thursday, court heard the May 22, 2009, altercation began when the accused drove by the Hunt's house near 30 Street and 44B Avenue as Robbie Hunt, Josh's younger brother, was playing road hockey with two friends.
Robbie Hunt, 16, and one of the friends testified the accused drove near them as they were chasing the ball and said the other friend either threw or stuck his hockey stick out and the accused's car windshield was smashed.
Court heard the accused stopped, words were exchanged and the situation eventually escalated into a brawl.
The accused's father was also charged and goes to trial March 24. Gary Hunt was charged as well, however the charges were withdrawn in exchange for him having no contact with the other family as part of a peace bond.
Josh Hunt was killed on Oct. 14, 2006, after a party at the accused's home, three blocks away from the Hunt home. The accused was acquitted of second-degree murder in 2008 when a judge ruled he acted in self-defence when he repeatedly stabbed Josh with a butcher knife.
tony.blais@sunmedia.ca
