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Perjury trial opens with recording of conversation

A recording of conversations between friends turned over to Red Deer RCMP showed a woman did not stab a man, despite her claims under oath in her boyfriend’s 2008 murder trial.

A recording of conversations between friends turned over to Red Deer RCMP showed a woman did not stab a man, despite her claims under oath in her boyfriend’s 2008 murder trial.

The trial of a Red Deer woman accused of perjury for saying she stabbed a man who her boyfriend was convicted of killing started Monday in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench before Justice Sheila Martin.

Janessa Desiree Eliuk, 26, took the stand in the murder trial of Paul Lionel White in February 2008 as a witness. White, her boyfriend at the time, was on trial for the 2005 murder of Grant Shoemaker.

Shoemaker was stabbed 35 times on June 8, 2005, and was killed. White was convicted of second-degree murder on Aug. 11, 2008, and was sentenced to life in jail without parole for 13 years.

During that first trial, Eliuk was called to testify. She testified that she stabbed Shoemaker. White represented himself at the trial and called Eliuk to testify.

White’s testimony also indicated Eliuk stabbed Shoemaker.

In 2010, White appealed the decision and a new trial was ordered on the grounds that he should have had counsel. That trial ended in a mistrial. In 2012, White pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 years jail. Because of pre-trial custody, at the time of his conviction he had seven years and four months left to serve.

Const. Marko Henezi was assigned the White murder file on his arrival in Red Deer in 2009. At the time, it was headed to its second trial. He was tasked with investigating the file further, including determining if Eliuk had any involvement in the stabbing. He said at the time there was no evidence of the perjury.

Eliuk’s friend, Deanna Cameron made Henezi aware of conversations she recorded between herself and Eliuk. Henezi got copies of two recordings. In those files, Eliuk told Cameron that she did not have any involvement in the stabbing.

Henezi’s investigation indicated Eliuk did not have any involvement in the murder.

Red Deer RCMP Const. Gary Kroeker and Cpl. Kelvin Fortney arrested Eliuk on Feb. 13, 2012, and charged her with perjury. She was a few months pregnant at the time and had another child.

The trial, which resumes today, is expected to run about a week and a half.

The maximum sentence for perjury is 14 years in jail.

mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com