SASKATOON — Update: As of 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon, the jury still hasn't reached a verdict in the second-degree murder trial of Katlim Desjarlais-Kelly. They will stay sequestered until they reach a verdict. The jury has been deliberating since Justice Krista L. Zerr gave her charge to the jury late Thursday afternoon.
Original post: The second-degree murder trial of Katlim Desjarlais-Kelly, 23, concluded Thursday with closing arguments and jury instructions from Justice Krista L. Zerr.
Desjarlais-Kelly is accused of fatally shooting 48-year-old Arden Panipekeesick on Feb. 10, 2024. Police were called to 238 Avenue K North in Caswell Hill shortly before 7 a.m. for reports of an injured man.
They found Panipekeesick suffering from a gunshot wound. He was later pronounced dead, becoming Saskatoon’s second homicide victim of 2024.
Desjarlais-Kelly's trial started Jan. 26. Cst. Erin Anthony, the first officer on scene, testified on Jan. 28 she responded alone to a priority-one 911 call at 6:47 a.m. She described a chaotic, blood-soaked scene and said backup was “quite some time” away.
Crown prosecutor Lee Hnatiuk told the jury that moments before the shooting, Panipekeesick had been yelling at Desjarlais-Kelly to “get out” of his home.
Hnatiuk said the confrontation escalated quickly, ending with a single gunshot that struck Panipekeesick in the neck.
