The young man that Nicola Spagnolo allegedly stabbed on 1er August 2020, leaving a bar in Old Montreal, says he thought he died that night.
Posted at 1:15 p.m.
The 29-year-old plaintiff, whose identity must be withheld under a publication ban, was the first witness heard on Tuesday morning on the first day of the trial of Spagnolo, 47, charged with aggravated assault.
The victim said that she and some friends decided to go out to a bar in Old Montreal that evening.
As the establishment was about to close, the Complainant went outside to smoke a cigarette, and saw a man and a woman chatting, leaning against a wall.
Admitting that he was inebriated, the young man said he started talking with the man and that everything was fine at first. But when he started talking to the woman, the man told him to “shut up”.
“I told him that I had spoken to her with respect and that he should speak to me with respect. The tone rose and we started insulting each other. A guy who seemed to work at the bar came over and said to me, “you don’t want trouble with this gentleman.” Then the man I was arguing with came over and kicked me in the ribs. I didn’t realize it at the time and then saw that he had just stabbed me. I walked back to the bar door, but it seemed closed. I ran towards rue Notre-Dame. There, two people helped me and called the paramedics,” the witness described.
“I remember there was a gentleman who put pressure on my ribs. I ripped off my shirt and found myself shirtless. I saw the blood falling on the sidewalk and my shoes, and I realized that I was losing a lot of blood. I was convinced that I was going to die. I had gone to the hospital and I couldn’t believe I had been stabbed. He stabbed me! He really stabbed me. I remember saying that several times, ”continued the young man, according to whom no more than five minutes passed between the start of the conversation with the couple and the stabbing.
Identification at the heart of the matter
The prosecutor, Mr.and Matthew Ferguson, asked the witness several questions about the clothes he and his attacker were wearing at the time of the events, and about the description of the latter, a man whom the witness describes as being between 40 and 55 years old, taller than him , weighing over 200lbs, having short dark hair, and wearing a green patterned white shirt and glasses.
He also said the suspect held his knife in his right hand and struck him in the left side.
He recognized the photo of Nicola Spagnolo on an identification parade that the police showed him four days after the events.
Although he received the blow on his left side, the doctors made a 30 centimeter incision on his right side to operate on his intestines.
Videos filmed by surveillance cameras will be filed during the trial.
The cross-examination of the witness, which will be carried out by Spagnolo’s lawyer, Ms.and Danièle Roy, has been postponed to Wednesday morning. For this reason, the testimonies that will be heard on Tuesday afternoon are covered by a publication ban.
The trial, which is scheduled for approximately five days, is presided over by Judge Yves Paradis of the Court of Quebec.
Spagnolo was also originally charged with attempted murder, but was cleared of that charge during previous proceedings.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.