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Trial begins for three accused of murder

Details surrounding a shooting death just east of the city could be unveiled over the next several weeks as what's expected to be a lengthy trial began Monday for three Vanderhoof-area men accused of a drug-related shooting death.
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Jordan Taylor McLeod

Details surrounding a shooting death just east of the city could be unveiled over the next several weeks as what's expected to be a lengthy trial began Monday for three Vanderhoof-area men accused of a drug-related shooting death.

Darren Sundman, 33, Kurtis Sundman, 27, who are brothers, and Sebastian Martin, 44, each face a count of first-degree murder in the January 2015 death of Jordan Tayor McLeod, who was 24 years old at the time.

The court is expected to hear testimony that the three murdered McLeod at a spot on Upper Fraser Road and then dumped his body in a remote area northwest of the city.

According to the scenario set out by Crown prosecution, the Sundmans had been buying drugs from McLeod and had fallen into debt. While the two were out of town, McLeod had begun supplying another man, Tanner James which did not go well with the Sundmans.

On Jan. 16, 2015, and with McLeod and Martin alongside, the Sundmans tracked James down to a home on the Saik'uz reserve. James was taken away, then upbraided and roughed up by the Sundmans who then demanded he hand over the drugs to the two.

They returned to the home and James went inside but did not come back out. The Sundmans and McLeod tried to force their way in but were repelled by those inside. An undischarged bullet was thrown through the door and the three threatened to come back with guns and kill everyone in the house.

They drove back to Curtis Sundman's home in Vanderhoof where they picked up his girlfriend, Stacey Stevenson, then drove to Prince George.

Initially, the mood was good but halfway towards the city, it changed as they got into an argument over Curtis Sundman's indebtedness and a rumour McLeod was going to send someone to murder him and cut his head off.

With Curtis Sundman driving at an increasing rate of speed, Darren Sundman started to pistol whip McLeod. They passed through Prince George and continued along Highway 16 towards Upper Fraser Road and at one point told McLeod the only choice he had for getting out of the situation was to jump out of the vehicle.

When they turned onto Upper Fraser Road, McLeod did just that when the truck had slowed down. Curtis Sundman stopped the truck immediately and, according to Crown's scenario, Darren jumped out and fired off some shots while Martin clambered out of the truck with a shotgun in hand. Saying "I've got this boss," Martin fired the shotgun.

A nearby resident heard the shots and called 911 but the trio got away after throwing McLeod's body into the back of the pickup and covering it with a sheet of plywood and some snow.

Police found discharged shells from a handgun and from a shotgun at the scene and an autopsy showed McLeod was shot with both weapons.

Although there was some talk of tossing the body off a bridge and into a river, they drove out to a spot on the Kaykay Forest Service Road, past the end of Nukko Lake Road, northwest of the city, where it was put on the plywood and dragged into the bush.

They drove back to a friend's home on Chief Lake Road where the truck was cleaned out and McLeod's clothing was burned. After the truck was pressure washed at a car wash in the city, they headed back to Vanderhoof to deal with McLeod's car.

Martin was dropped off, shotgun still in hand, and one of the Sundmans drove McLeod's car towards Williams Lake while the other and Stevenson came along in the pickup truck. When they reached a bridge crossing the Quesnel River, they turned off the road, doused the car in diesel fuel and set it on fire.

As they headed back north through Quesnel, they decide to steal an all-terrain vehicle. When the ATV's owner spotted them, they hopped back into the truck and fired off a warning shot. The owner called 911 and shortly after an alert was sent out, an RCMP officer spotted the pickup and gave chase.

The truck was driven onto a railway track but went only a short distance before it slid off and was stranded on the rails. The Sundmans got out of the truck and ran into the bush. With the help of a tracking dog, Curtis Sundman was found hiding beneath a tree while Darren Sundman was found at a nearby ranch and with the help of an emergency response team, he was also apprehended.

As many as 130 witnesses could be called over the span of 65 days with the trial expected to run into the new year. Key among those witnesses will be Stevenson, who was also arrested in Quesnel and subsequently cooperated with police.

The trial was originally to be held before a jury but the three re-elected last week for judge alone, with B.C. Supreme Court Justice James Williams presiding.

The Sundmans also face counts of extortion, robbery and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.

Note: A previous version of this story stated the Sundmans and McLeod were wielding a baseball bat as they tried to force their way into the home. In fact, it was one of the people inside the home.