Jury to decide fate of Manitoba man accused of running down, shooting neighbour
WINNIPEG — Jurors are to decide whether a Manitoba man ran down and executed a neighbour he had caught stealing from his property or if his murder charge was based on a sloppy and biased police investigation.
Eric Wildman has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 40-year-old Clifford Joseph, who was reported missing on June 7, 2021.
Joseph's remains were found the following month in a rural area northeast of Winnipeg.
In closing arguments Monday, Crown prosecutor Bryton Moen told the jury that Joseph set out to Wildman's property in the village of Stead, Man., equipped with a headlamp, tools and a plan to steal from his neighbour.
The prosecutor said Wildman had suspected his neighbours were stealing from him after his home was destroyed in a fire in May 2021 and decided to handle it.
"This case is not a series of unfortunate events," said Moen. "The evidence in this case is no coincidence."
Court has heard Joseph's body was found partly scavenged by animals in a different area from Wildman's home. An autopsy determined he died from gunshot wounds but also had a broken leg and jaw.
The trial heard Joseph's girlfriend reported him missing to police several hours after he left her home and that she told police Joseph had gone to Wildman's property planning to steal from him.
The woman went to Wildman's property and found Joseph's runners, black snapback hat and headlamp, court heard. She also discovered his truck parked near a different residence with his keys and phone inside.
Joseph had a history of using drugs and stealing, prosecutors have said.
An agreed statement of facts read at the start of the trial said a search of Joseph's phone found no contact between him and Wildman before his disappearance and there were no messages on Joseph's phone that indicated he had plans to steal from his neighbour. It also said there was no DNA found in or on Wildman's vehicle.
Wildman's lawyer told jurors that the accused was described as a friendly, good-mannered man who looked after his father — not a cold-blooded killer who organized a sophisticated execution.
Investigators relied on information provided to them by Joseph's girlfriend that clouded their judgment, Martin Glazer argued.
"Police here did not keep an open mind. This was a botched investigation, a sloppy investigation and a biased investigation by police who jumped to the wrong conclusion," he said.
Glazer told the jury the case was based on circumstantial evidence. No one saw Joseph get shot, no one confessed to killing the man, there was no DNA from Joseph found on or in Wildman's vehicle and there is no surveillance video showing Joseph was on Wildman's property that morning, said Glazer.
"The Crown's theory is like quicksand. There's nothing solid. This case has more holes in it than Swiss cheese."
Court also heard Wildman replaced the hood of his car at a autobody shop, leaving the old one there. RCMP seized the hood, which was damaged.
Police would eventually tell Wildman during a phone call that he was going to be charged in the death of Joseph. Following this, Wildman rented a car and drove to Ontario, where he was later picked up in possession of a Glock handgun by Ontario Provincial Police.
Moen, the prosecutor, told jurors that when presented with all the evidence, it points to the "inescapable conclusion" that Wildman is guilty of murder.
"Eric Wildman didn't randomly decide to change the hood on his car. He didn't suddenly decide to drive halfway across the country. He didn't happen to have access to firearms, which discharged the same type of ammunition that is consistent with what was found in Clifford Joseph's head," said Moen.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations later this week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2025.
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
