A Revelstoke man who was charged for uttering death threats around the time of the murder of Jimmy Armilotta and Fil Kedzior will be taking the witness stand in the trial of Brandon Cruickshank, Alberta Crown prosecutor Jeff Rudiak told the Times Review.
Court documents obtained by the Times Review in March allege that sometime on Oct. 13-14, 2010, in or around Cold Lake, Alta., Dawson Allan Lindsay threatened to kill Cruickshank.
In the early morning of Oct. 14 Revelstoke’s Armilotta, 27, and Kedzior, 21, were found dead in a residence in Cold Lake after a neighbour reported a man with a gun outside the property in the early morning hours.
Cruickshank was arrested and charged with two counts of first degree murder. In January he pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody. A four-day pre-trial hearing last month resulted in a Sept. 26 arraignment date, on which prosecution and defense lawyers will decide on a date for the trial.
Lindsay, 27, was charged with breach of undertaking and uttering death threats. The court documents alleged that on Oct. 13 or 14 he forced Dezarae Bassett to go his parents’ house, which Bassett had the “lawful right to abstain from doing.” The document states he directed threats of violence at her brother.
On Mar. 28, 2011, the Alberta crown withdrew the charges against Lindsay after Lindsay agreed to a six-month peace bond during which he agreed to keep the peace, be of good behaviour and abstain from contact with Bassett – Cruickshank’s sister.
When this story was first reported on in mid March, a court clerk said Lindsay was scheduled to go to trial in August. It was learned only recently that he entered into a peace bond agreement and the charges against him were waived.
Lindsay’s case was handled by a regional director for the Alberta Crown to avoid conflict of interest, Rudiak said.
“He didn’t get any special consideration on his matter to testify against Cruickshank,” Rudiak said. “That’s why it was done by an independent prosecutor.”