Jefferey Steinbrunner told jurors it was Clarence Gill who smashed his face with a aluminum baseball bat and Brad Van Dyke who shot him once in the stomach and once in the arm.
Steinbrunner further testified he knew the two men prior to the incident, stating he worked for Gill tending to marijuana grow operations in 2007; he met Van Dyke through Gill.
In the fall of ‘07 however, the grow-op Steinbrunner was tending to was robbed while he was sleeping at his girlfriend’s.
“He [Gill] told me it was suspicious,” Steinbrunner said.
“And he said I should leave.”
Steinbrunner then testified Gill phoned him a few times post robbery, and threatened his life.
“He told me I should leave town,” he said.
It was 2009 when Steinbrunner, kicked out of his girlfriends house, asked Joe Gill [Clarence’s brother] if he could park his van at a cabin on Lucas West Road in Bouchie Lake.
The cabin housed a grow-operation and after awhile Steinbrunner started tending to the plants and being paid for it.
The night of the alleged incident [Sept. 5, 2009] Steinbrunner testified he was playing on his computer when he heard a noise.
“I opened the door, stuck my head out and that’s when I got a baseball bat across my mouth,” he said.
“I backed up and went to grab my bat behind my chair, that’s when I noticed it was gone.”
Steinbrunner said he had not yet identified the men and thought the attack was a robbery.
“I was looking for a weapon and I told them to come in.”
It’s then Steinbrunner said he realized it was Gill and Van Dyke.
“Clarence came at me with a bat,” he said.
“He told me to get on the bed and he started wailing on me.
“I got it in my head they were going to kill me, so I got up somehow and started towards the door. That’s when I heard Clarence yelling to Bradley to shoot me.”
The gun, a .22 rifle, Steinbrunner said was his on loan from Joe Gill.
The alleged victim testified he managed to get out the door where he hid until he thought it was safe to go get help.
Check online for defence and updates or Friday’s print edition.
The case is expected to wrap-up Friday.
