A Calgary jury is facing a crucial decision Friday as deliberations begin in a high-stakes second-degree murder trial that hinges on whether two men orchestrated a deadly roadside shooting in rural Alberta last summer.
Arthur Penner, 37, and Elijah Strawberry, 29, stand accused of killing Colin Hough on August 6, 2024, along with two counts of armed robbery and the wounding of another man. Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A Tragic Day on a Rural Road
The Crown's case paints a grim picture of events that unfolded east of Calgary. Matthew Andres, a power company worker, testified that two men in a truck approached him while he worked beside the roadside. One of the men shot him through the arm, and he described having a gun pointed at his head multiple times before managing to escape. The truck was then set on fire.
Minutes later, Hough, a Rocky View County employee, arrived at the scene. Prosecutors allege he was fatally shot by both men before his vehicle was stolen.
The Crown's Circumstantial Case
Prosecutor Photini Papadatou told jurors Thursday that the evidence paints an unmistakable picture. "When you examine all the evidence as a whole, you must ask yourself, 'Are there any other reasonable explanations?'" she said during closing arguments.
Papadatou described the case as one of identity involving "two shooters, two guns, two stolen vehicles, two robberies, one death." Video footage from a nearby semi-trailer driver captured Hough's final moments—a figure moving across the intersection before collapsing in the middle of the road.
Physical evidence includes a .45-calibre bullet recovered near where Hough collapsed and a nine-millimetre shell casing found near where Andres was wounded. Hough was shot three times. His vehicle was later discovered abandoned.
From Arrest to Trial
Penner was arrested five days after the incident. Strawberry evaded capture for a month before being found hiding in a residence on the O'Chiese First Nation.
Jury deliberations are expected to begin Friday as jurors weigh 15 days of testimony and evidence in what prosecutors call a complex puzzle of circumstantial evidence.
Information in this article is based on reporting from CBC Calgary.