Further details of the events of April 11, 2021, fatal fire were heard in Superior Court in Sudbury on March 20, as the surviving tenant of the Bruce Avenue fire finished testimony and the jury heard from the neighbor who called 911, another who broke down a door to the unit, and two Greater Sudbury firefighters who were on scene.
They also heard a recording of that 911 call, and frantic witness Melissa Bergeron asking for fire trucks before saying, “They are burning alive in there!”
Liam Stinson is currently on trial for his alleged role in the arson that killed three people and severely injured another. Stinson is facing arson charges as well as three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Jasmine Summers, Jamie Rose, and Guy Henri.
The man who was severely injured that night, David Cheff, testified March 19 that he only survived because he jumped from a second-floor window. He told the court the harrowing story of the night of the fire that killed his three roommates, often moved to tears throughout. Cheff was cross-examined by defence counsel Joseph Wilkinson, beginning the morning of March 20.
Wilkinson asked about Cheff’s relationship with Stinson.
Cheff testified that he and Stinson did not compete for the sale of drugs, nor for customers; Cheff commonly sold methamphetamines, and Stinson, mostly fentanyl. They often helped each other out with product, making it available to the other, i.e. if Stinson needed methamphetamines for a client, he could get them from Cheff, and vice versa.
The two would also commonly get together and smoke crack cocaine, which was provided by Stinson. The last time they got together was two nights before the fire, when Cheff cancelled plans with Rose in order to smoke crack cocaine
Cheff testified that Stinson had never threatened him, nor did he owe Stinson money.
They spoke of Rose, who was homeless and would often stay with Cheff, but was in an off-and-on-again relationship with Stinson. She also stayed at Stinson’s home.
Wilkinson described Rose’s movements as nomadic, and stated she “would often follow her drug addiction,” and Cheff agreed that she would stay in places where she could access substances. Rose would also act as a go-between for Stinson and Cheff, taking money to one, and returning with drugs, and vice versa.
Wilkinson asked Cheff to remember the details of several text messages and drug deals that happened in 2021, but he was unable to recall much, even after taking a few minutes to read through the messages on a sheet of paper.
Wilkinson expressed surprise at one point that the messages weren’t jogging any memories, but Cheff reminded Wilkinson he had been in a coma for more than a week after the fire.
“It’s perfectly fair that you don’t remember something,” said Superior Court Justice R. Dan Cornell.
Cheff also testified that while he was supposed to be headed to Timmins the weekend after the fire took place, that plan had been cancelled the Friday prior, and his roommates were aware of this.
The court then heard from Bergeron, who lived next door to the unit that burned, and awoke that morning when someone banged on her front door yelling, “Fire!”
She called 911 after observing smoke out the window. Later, when she went outside, she saw thick black smoke and “the glowing of flames.”
She had two children in her home, as well as her ex-husband and two family friends.
Crown Attorney Kaely Whillans then played the recording of the 911 call Bergeron made.
At first, she is calm, speaking to the operator quietly; after moving outside to “get a better look,” Bergeron can be heard screaming, “Oh my god, he’s burning!” before watching Cheff jump from the window.
The 911 operator is heard asking for the address as Bergeron continues screaming of the desperate need for firefighters. She then asks an unknown person for the address of the unit that is on fire, and then asks how many are trapped inside, later telling the court she could see another person in the bedroom window trying to escape. According to Cheff’s testimony, this was likely Rose.
Bergeron’s cries sound anguished as she screams, “They are burning alive in there — there are three people burning alive in there!”
Soon after, sirens can be heard in the background, and the call ends when Bergeron confirms that firefighters have arrived on scene.
She told the court of the trauma she felt “watching someone burn when you can’t help,” describing it as “a hopeless feeling.”
Ahmed Jalo, originally from Nigeria but living in Canada since 2017, told the court he’d been living at Bruce Avenue for three years when the fire occurred. Just across from the affected unit, he said he was up at around 4:30 a.m. for his usual prayer session when he heard someone screaming for help.
“I thought it was a dream at first,“ he told the court.
He told his wife and children he had to go to the fire to try to help, even though they feared for his safety.
He testified he was able to bash a door to the unit open using his left elbow and shoulder, but not the door that Henri and Cheff were at. When he broke through the door, he testified it was overwhelmed with smoke and he was forced to back away.
The judge commended Jalo for his bravery.
Finishing the day was the testimony of two Greater Sudbury firefighters, Platoon Chief André Groulx and Captain Richard Dodge, who detailed their efforts to fight the fire, and the moments they found the bodies of the three victims.
Of note is the agreement between defence and Crown counsel to allow the Crown to ask leading questions of their own witnesses for the purpose of examining the firefighters who will testify. This is an unusual move, the judge explained to the jury, but would likely expedite the process.
“Ordinarily, they could not ask leading questions, that is, questions that tend to suggest the answers,” said Cornell. “But the information that's going to come forward from the fire department representatives is not controversial. And so defense counsel, in the interest of making things easier, is going to let the crown lead and ask questions.”
Court resumes March 21 at 10 a.m. for more Crown witnesses.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com
