A youth convicted in the killing of a homeless Calgarian testified Wednesday that the victim showed little resistance moments before being fatally shot during a botched robbery in the community of Capitol Hill.
Fatal Night in Capitol Hill
The witness, who was 17 at the time of the incident and cannot be identified, told court he and murder suspect Robert Matthews were looking for someone to rob when they spotted Jordan Jacques-Vetten on a northwest Calgary street on September 9, 2023.
The now 19-year-old testified he was ready to abandon their plans for the night, but Matthews insisted they find a victim. "This is when we would've come upon Mr. Vetten," he told Crown prosecutor Hyatt Mograbee.
The Confrontation on the Porch
According to the witness, Matthews handed him a hatchet, and it was decided Jacques-Vetten would be their target. "I wasn't really thinking, I just wanted it to be over with and I got out and bolted at him," said the youth, who was convicted last month of manslaughter in the fatal attack.
The teen cornered the victim on the porch of a Capitol Hill home and was handed the victim's cellphone, but he demanded Jacques-Vetten's backpack as well. "I was screaming at him to give me his stuff," he testified.
Recanting Previous Statements
The witness admitted he initially told police after his arrest that the victim had lunged at him, but he now says that statement was inaccurate. "At that time, in making that statement, I was in a different reality," he explained, acknowledging he had exaggerated events.
"I said it at my trial and I'll say it again, he might've shifted feet, he shifted weight, but he didn't lunge at me," the teen told the court. "He didn't lunge at me. He barely moved."
At that moment, he heard a gunshot. "I was shocked. It felt like time froze for quite a while," he testified. "I remember feeling a bullet go past my neck."
Jordan Jacques-Vetten was found minutes later by responding police in a pool of his own blood on the resident's porch, his colorful backpack still slung over his shoulders.
Aftermath and Continued Proceedings
The witness testified that after speeding from the scene, they were momentarily followed by a police cruiser. He said Matthews handed him a "pipe gun" and instructed him to shoot if officers pulled up beside them. "Thankfully the cops didn't pull up," he said.
During text exchanges following the shooting, Matthews indicated the shooting wasn't intentional. "I didn't mean to, bro, I thought he was gonna hurt you," one text read.
Robert Joseph Matthews is charged with second-degree murder in Jacques-Vetten's death. The witness still faces his own sentencing in the case, and his testimony continues.
