Police attended this rural Trinity Valley Road residence June 19, 2014 to investigate a disturbance.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

'MY WIFE, I SHOT HER'

VERNON - The man accused of murdering a local teacher became apologetic and said he was sorry as paramedics treated him at the scene, court heard today in his Supreme Court Trial.

Howard Krewson, also known as Howard Everett, faces one count of second degree murder in the shooting death of School District 22 teacher Linda Marie Stewart, also known as Linda Ross. 

The first B.C. Ambulance paramedics on the scene testified today, starting with Colleen Parkes. She was dispatched to the Trinity Valley Road property in Lumby at roughly 6:30 p.m. on June 19, 2014 with her partner, Mark Wilkerson after gunshots were reported at the residence.

There were two patients at the scene, a deceased woman in a white car and an injured man inside the house, Parkes told the six man, six woman jury. As she went inside to treat the man, Cpl. Henry Proce advised her of a trail of blood on the floor and told her not to step in it. He led her to a man lying on the couch.

“He was handcuffed and there was a lot of blood on his face,” Parkes said, later adding there was a gunshot wound on the side of his face.

Despite the injury, he was coherent and able to answer questions although he was difficult to hear, Parkes said.

After a period of time, her partner came into the house and said he confirmed the woman in the car was dead.

“After that point my patient started to say he was sorry and got very apologetic,” Parkes said.

Krewson, wearing dress pants and a collared shirt in the accused box, wiped his eyes during this portion of the testimony, although it appears his left eye is gone.

Parkes treated him until a helicopter arrived to transport him to hospital in Kelowna. She said his condition deteriorated during the time she was with him.

Mark Wilkerson, Parkes’ partner that night, described attending to the woman, who was slumped over in the driver’s side of the car. There were three dogs in the vehicle with her, Wilkerson said.

“(They) seemed very protective of her. They were licking her wounds and growled at me when I touched her,” Wilkerson said.

After determining she had no pulse, he went inside and testified that he asked the man who the woman in the car was.

“He said, ‘my wife, I shot her,” Wilkerson said.

Again, Krewson wiped his eyes and held his head in his hands as he listened to the court testimony.

Three police officers also gave testimony Wednesday morning, including Const. Clayton Mitchell. He attended the crime scene the following day and noticed an injured dog on the property. Suspecting the dog had been shot, Mitchell took it to the vet. He observed the surgery and seized what he believed to be a bullet fragment removed from the Rottweiler’s abdomen as evidence.

Another officer, Cpl. Mark Jones testified that while searching the property for any other victims or individuals, he found a handgun in front of the carport, as well as a puddle of blood and a trail leading into the house.

The trial resumes Thursday at 2 p.m. before Supreme Court Justice Frank Cole. 

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