A word of caution that some of the testimony below is of a very graphic nature.
Three witnesses took the stand Thursday as 18-year-old Devin Morningstar’s first-degree murder trial entered its second day at Moncton provincial court.
Morningstar is accused of murdering 18-year-old Baylee Wylie, whose remains were found in a burned-out apartment in Moncton in December.
Two other people -- Marissa Shephard and Tyler Noel -- are also facing first-degree murder and arson charges in Wylie’s death, but won't go to trial for at least another year.
On Thursday, two neighbours and an RCMP forensic investigator took the stand at Morningstar’s trial.
Marrisa Mandy testified that she went to comfort her sister, Helen Patria Mandy, the night of Dec. 16, after she was frightened by screams coming from next door earlier in the night.
Helen Patria Mandy lives next door to the unit where Wylie’s body was found. She took the stand Wednesday, telling the court that she heard loud arguments and screaming the night of Wylie’s death.
Marrisa said as she walked to her sister’s home, she noticed figures in the basement of 96 Sumac Street. She said she heard banging noises and someone laughing in the unit.
The second witness, Ashley Katzel-LeBlanc, lived on the other side of the unit where Wylie was found. She testified that she heard three voices through the walls that night and two men came to her door around 8 p.m. on the night of the murder asking for a lighter.
She now believes the two men were Wylie and Noel, after seeing photos of them released following the incident. She told the court the men appeared to be intoxicated and said a lot of parties were held next door.
She also claims to have clearly heard voices coming from Shephard's unit, talking about 'doing lines.'
LeBlanc said she awoke at 4 a.m. on Dec. 17 to the sound of a fire alarm and her twin boys screaming in another room. She said there was smoke coming in their unit and they evacuated the apartment building.
An RCMP forensic investigator presented some of the nearly 600 pictures taken as part of his investigation, including Wylie's body partially covered by a box spring.
The Crown says the teen suffered more than 100 stab wounds.
Justice John Walsh told the 12-member jury to 'steel themselves' when they were presented with the grim photos that included photos of Wylie after his death.
Morningstar’s trial is slated to last five weeks, though Walsh says it may finish sooner.
RCMP testimony is expected to continue Friday.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Cami Kepke
