A truck driver testified that a man on trial for second-degree murder approached him with a rifle in his hands and asked to be taken to Rocky Mountain House in November 2018.
Alan Ciciarelli testified in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench on Thursday that he was at Lodgepole when Evan Foureyes approached him holding a rifle in the early hours of Nov. 10, 2018.
“He just said that police were after him and he wanted a ride,” said Ciciarelli.
“He said he was in a high-speed chase and they put a spike belt out but he got away from them.”
Foureyes is accused of stabbing Arley Lagrelle, 23, to death around 9 p.m. on Nov. 9, 2018 outside the Sunchild First Nation store. His second-degree murder trial began on Oct. 12 and is being held at Red Deer’s Quality Inn and Conference Centre because of COVID-19 protocols.
Foureyes is accused of fatally stabbing Lagrelle once in the heart during a short fight in the parking lot of the store. He is also accused of assaulting Lagrelle’s sister, Jasyntha Littlejohn, and kidnapping Ciciarelli with a firearm.
Ciciarelli testified before a jury that when approached by Foureyes he told him he was not allowed to take passengers in his truck. Foureyes then ejected a casing from the rifle.
Asked by Crown prosecutor Bruce Ritter how he felt at the time, Ciciarelli said, “I was a bit nervous. I was just shocked really, right?”
Foureyes climbed into Ciciarelli’s tank truck and moved into the sleeper cab, only moving into the front seat after the truck had passed two police checkpoints.
During the 30- to 45-minute drive that ended up at the O’Chiese First Nation truck stop, about 40 km away, Foureyes asked for cigarettes and slept most of the trip.
When they got to the truck stop, Ciciarelli said he could go no further. Foureyes asked him if he wanted to buy the rifle but Ciciarelli was not interested and drove off, leaving Foureyes at the truck stop.
Defence lawyer Lynn Marie Rideout questioned Ciciarelli closely about how Foureyes was holding the weapon when he first met him. He agreed that it was possible he told police that Foureyes had been holding a rifle but did not point it at him.
At no time during the drive did Foureyes point the gun at him or threaten him, he testified under questioning.
Rideout asked if Foureyes came across as exhausted, scared and badly in need of a ride.
“I don’t know how to describe it. He desperately wanted to get out of the area,” Ciciarelli replied.
Rideout asked if Ciciarelli was scared during the journey.
“No, I was fine. He was sleeping. I was relaxed at that point,” he said.