The prosecution has closed its case against a man accused of killing and hiding the body of a neighbour he had caught stealing from him, with jurors Monday hearing testimony on how victim Clifford Joseph died.
Eric Wildman is charged with first-degree murder in the June 7, 2021, killing.
The trial, which will resume before jurors on Wednesday, marks the second time Wildman has gone before a jury for the killing. A trial in June 2023 ended midway in a mistrial after Wildman’s lawyer fell ill and could not continue.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES
RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre stands at the end of Eric Wildman’s driveway as police search for clues linking Wildman to the 2021 slaying of Clifford Joseph.
Joseph lived on a rental property that neighboured Wildman’s near Stead, about 90 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
Prosecutors allege Wildman caught Joseph stealing a winch from his property early in the morning, ran him down with his Chevrolet Impala, then drove him to another location where Wildman shot and killed Joseph before hiding his body under some brush.
Chief medical examiner Dr. John Younes told jurors Monday that Joseph died as the result of three gunshot wounds, including one to the back of his head.
The gunshot wound to Joseph’s head, which penetrated his brain stem and exited though his jaw, would have resulted in a “very rapid death,” Younes testified.
Joseph’s body was not discovered until July 18, more than a month after prosecutors allege he was killed.
Court heard Younes was joined by a forensic anthropologist for the autopsy, due to the severe decomposition of Joseph’s remains. Younes said he received Joseph’s remains, which had been scavenged by animals, in 37 small bags.
Clifford Joseph
SUPPLIED Clifford Joseph, 40, shown here, disappeared June 7 and is suspected dead. Police are searching for Eric Wildman in connection with the suspected homicide. For use with Winnipeg Free Press stories.
Younes testified an examination of Joseph’s remains showed he had suffered a broken jaw and fractured ribs and tibia, and that he could have sustained the injuries after being struck by a vehicle. Younes said the injuries would not have been life-threatening.
Under cross examination, defence lawyer Martin Glazer argued a “variety of causes” could be to blame for the injuries, including a physical beating, or being assaulted with a weapon. Younes agreed.
Younes said he had no way of knowing when the injuries had been sustained, but that they showed no signs of healing.
Joesph was reported missing by his girlfriend, Cristin Wise, the same day prosecutors allege he was killed.
Jurors have heard Wise had gone to the property to look for Joseph and found his truck across the road with his keys and phone inside. She also found tire tracks, and Joseph’s hat, shoes and headlamp. Later, she found Joseph’s tools near a trailer and reported him missing to RCMP.
Investigators found Wildman’s car days later outside a friend’s Winnipeg home. Inside the car, police found an empty gun case and a receipt for an auto part store from June 9, where prosecutors allege Wildman bought a new hood to replace the original one that was damaged when he struck Joseph.
Eric Wildman
After RCMP towed Wildman’s vehicle, he again called Mounties to report a handgun missing from his Stead property and learned he had been identified as a suspect in the killing. Mounties advised him to stay at his mom’s home, from where he had made the call, jurors heard.
Instead, Wildman took a taxi to the airport, rented a car and fled to Belleville, Ont., where Ontario Provincial Police located him on June 16.
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
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