A 60 ounce bottle of Crown Royal Whisky

Image Credit: BC Liquor Stores website

KAMLOOPS – The last two people to spend time with the victims before a fatal crash shared recollections on the evening’s timeline which involved a large bottle of Crown Royal whiskey, during a Kamloops Supreme court trial Wednesday afternoon.

Angela Gillis said she and her friend, Michelle Camille, hosted a trio for drinks hours before a fatal crash killed her roommate, Ken Craigdallie, 38, and his girlfriend, Brittany Plotnikoff, 20. She said the couple showed up at her apartment with Wayne Fedan before the accident.

Fedan, born in 1961, is charged with two counts of impaired driving causing death, two counts of causing an accident resulting in death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death after a truck rolled near Mackenzie Avenue on March 20, 2010.

Before her three guests arrived, Gillis and Camille visited over pizza and drinks. Camille decided to spend the night at Gillis’ apartment because she lost the key to her home and was locked out for the evening.

Gillis said the three arrived around midnight on the night of the crash. Up until that night, Gillis said she hadn’t met Fedan. Camille didn’t know any members of the trio, even though Craigdallie was one of Gillis’ roommates.

Both Gillis and Camille said they noticed all three had been drinking when they arrived at her residence.

“I could tell that (Fedan) had been drinking,” said Gillis.

When Gillis saw Craigdallie, she said he held up a 60-ounce bottle of Crown Royal, which she referenced as a “sixty pounder.”

“He was so proud of himself,” Gillis said and added that Craigdallie said he stole the bottle.

“I taught him how to do it... I walked him through it,” Gillis said. She told Craigdallie’s story of how he walked in the cold beer and wine store, pulled the bottle off the shelf, put it in his jacket and walked out of the store.

“It’s not something I’m proud of,” said Gillis adding she stole liquor several times before her ban at the North Shore liquor store.

Gillis said Plotnikoff mixed the whiskey with Coca Cola before handing out drinks to Gillis and Fedan.

“(Plotnikoff) was drinking the Crown Royal,” Gillis said. “(She) was giving it to me.”

Gillis said she and Fedan both drank around three glasses of rye and Coke. She said she gave two of her Vex coolers to Fedan. She admitted to drinking roughly six coolers that night, but said her level of intoxication was only “a buzz.”

Camille – who had been drinking wine earlier in the evening - said she did not feel as though she was under the influence. She said she stopped drinking after the group arrived.

“To be honest I was not feeling safe,” Camille said. She said Gillis’ neighbourhood was “seedy” and she didn’t feel secure with the three people she barely knew.

Camille said all of them had similar levels of intoxication. Camille said Fedan was “talking a mile a minute” and how Craigdallie was “all over the place” with his movements.

Camille said Fedan spoke to her “randomly,” told her he was from Alberta and was recently separated from his wife.

Gillis claims Craigdallie was the most intoxicated guest.

“He was just ridiculously drunk,” she said. “He was drinking straight out of the bottle.”

She said it was the most intoxicated she’s ever seen her roommate.

Gillis said while the group drank in her kitchen, Craigdallie and Fedan began discussing crack cocaine.

“They were talking about where they were going to get some hard,” she said.

Gillis said she told Fedan he could buy the drug at a hotel near her house. The trio decided to leave around 1 a.m.

Camille said she eavesdropped on the conversation and did not hear the group discussing a trip to get drugs, but rather a visit to an outdoor party.

Crown prosecutor Bernie Caffaro asked Gillis how drunk all three were before their departure.

Gillis said Plotnikoff was slurring her words and staggering, but wasn’t “half as drunk” as Craigdallie. She claims Fedan appeared to be affected by the alcohol.

“He was walking straight, but his words weren’t straight; he was slurring.”

Gillis said she heard a vehicle start up.

“By the time I got down, they had already pulled out,” said Gillis.

Camille said she doesn’t recall anyone at the gathering discuss who would drive.

After the group left, Camille said she asked Gillis who was driving the truck. Camille said Gillis responded Fedan was the driver.  

Shortly thereafter, Gillis said she heard a crash and the rush of emergency vehicles.

A police officer knocked on Gillis’ door before 6 a.m. and said her friend Craigdallie died in an accident. Later on she heard from friends Plotnikoff did not survive the crash, either.

“I was just a mess,” Gillis said.

“I was very emotional; I was crying quite a bit.”

Caffaro will continue his line of questioning with Camille Thursday morning. On Wednesday afternoon he submitted autopsy reports for Craigdallie and Plotnikoff which he will use as exhibits.

Links:

Witness describes truck driving erratically the night two passengers died
Witness claims original statement to RCMP inaccurate due to intoxication

To contact a reporter for this story, email gbrothen@infotelnews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014