‘I saw the short boy lunge at Fred:’ girlfriend of slain Nanaimo man recalls fatal stabbing

During testimony on Tuesday, July 30, the woman told court herself, Parsons and their friend Eltjo Schaeffer decided to go for a walk at the downtown Nanaimo Park, since their first choice of Colliery Dam Park was too dark at the time.

The trio, all of whom have developmental limitations, walked along the exterior paved pathway of Maffeo Sutton Park and eventually made their way to the playground.

“It was so innocent and lovely to watch,” she said, recalling Parsons and Schaeffer playing on the swings.

She said a whistling noise was made, which she perceived as a bid for attention.

The whistle was acknowledged by Schaeffer.

A group of three people, described by the witness as being between about 16 and 19 years-old, made their way from the park’s washrooms to the playground’s southern entrance, the woman testified.

She said the opposing group was comprised of a small male accompanied by a girl holding his hand, and a tall, thin boy.

The woman said the small male repeatedly demanded to know their names.

She said their group, including Parsons’ dog, became increasingly uncomfortable.

“When they were asking us what our names were and who we were, I said ‘We’re just adults playing in the park, please leave us alone.'”

The woman testified she commented that the other group was acting like children, which she said appeared to upset the taller boy.

She said Parsons and Schaeffer unsuccessfully attempted to bluff the group by briefly rushing them to entice them to leave.

With Parsons’ dog cowering and distressed, the taller suspect warned not to have the animal approach them.

“I went to pick up Nyx (the dog) into my arms and we got sprayed with the bear spray,” she told court.

Schaeffer was hit directly in the eyes, while the woman on the witness stand said the four blasts went over her head.

She believed Parsons was also hit by the spray.

While her attention was on the dog, the woman said she was able to recall what happened next.

“I saw the short boy lunge at Fred,” she said, noting she didn’t see anything in his hands.

“It got really loud, and I heard the tall kid run towards them, as in Fred and the short kid.”

Following the skirmish the group ran off over the pedestrian bridge at Swy-a-Lana Lagoon and were headed toward downtown, she said.

The female in the other group silently held the smaller male’s hand throughout the confrontation, the woman testified.

Parsons’ girlfriend, not realizing he was seriously injured, then checked on him.

“They got me,” Parsons told her.

She assumed he was referring to the bear spray, but evidently Parsons had a much more serious wound.

He had blood on his fingers and a large gash between his shoulder and collar bone, with substantial amounts of blood pouring out, she told the trial.

A police officer arrived soon after, followed by paramedics to take over the witnesses’ life-saving efforts.

She and Shaeffer were eventually transported home.

Parsons was pronounced dead soon after.

Sections of Maffeo Sutton Park taped off with crime tape several hours after Fred Parsons was stabbed to death. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Following a pair of statements to the RCMP the woman singled out a suspect from a police-provided photo line-up.

“I didn’t fully know if that was the person or not. I just went with how my body and emotions reacted to that person,” she said.

Schaeffer provided his account of what happened that evening during testimony in the afternoon.

He said at one point both parties were positioned face-to-face as tensions increased.

Schaeffer said their group was frustrated with constant requests to identify themselves.

“Then after from threatening to call the police they went to go walk away calling us puss***, then they turned back around.”

While he said he couldn’t identify the suspects, Schaeffer described them as Caucasian. His vision was heavily restricted after being hit with the bear spray.

Parsons’ girlfriend described the smaller male suspect as a darker-skinned individual, a fact emphasized by Harrison’s lawyer Kendra Waugh.

The woman with the opposing party, a key Crown witness scheduled to testify on Monday, remains unaccounted for.

Monday’s trial heard a pair of witnesses outline that Harrison and Bell were at the parkade nearby at the base of Wharf St. minutes prior to the Maffeo Sutton Park confrontation.

A witness told the trial both men ran off on foot toward the direction of the Coast Bastion Hotel after learning the RCMP had been called to a disturbance at the parkade.

On the opening day of the trial, a Nanaimo RCMP Serious Crime Unit testified that Harrison, Bell and a woman were seen on surveillance video walking toward Maffeo Sutton Park at around 11:20 p.m. the night of the stabbing and leaving about 10 minutes later.

A 911 call from a security guard at the park was made at 11:25 p.m. shortly after Parsons was stabbed.

It’s unclear if Harrison or Bell will testify in their defence.

The trial is being overseen by veteran high court justice Robin Baird.

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Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes

by Ian Holmes

‘I saw the short boy lunge at Fred:’ girlfriend of slain Nanaimo man recalls fatal stabbing

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