By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN

The lawyer for one of the men accused in a machete attack on a resident of a Prince George motel in August 2022 told a B.C. Supreme Court judge on Thursday, Jan. 30 that his client acted in self-defence.

Dakota Rayn Keewatin, 31, and Kerridge Andrew Lowley, 49, were charged with break and enter and aggravated assault after the Aug. 11, 2022 incident at the Econo Lodge City Centre Inn. Victim Arlen Chalifoux required extensive emergency surgery to repair serious injuries to his right arm.

In the second day of closing arguments, Jason LeBlond told Justice John Gibb-Carsley that Keewatin knocked on Chalifoux鈥檚 room 255 door and waited to be let in, only to be met with violence.

鈥淗e was, on the opening of the door by Mr. Chalifoux, immediately assaulted, bear-sprayed in the face at extremely close range,鈥� LeBlond said. 鈥淪o Mr. Keewatin鈥檚 entry into the room was not at all for the purpose of committing an offence or for the purpose of simply trying to get into the room for some nefarious reasons. The entry into the room by Mr. Keewatin was necessitated by the act of Mr. Chalifoux in deploying the bear spray to him.鈥�

LeBlond also said Chalifoux used the bear spray in an effort to take the machete from Keewatin.

鈥淭here was little option that Mr. Keewatin had but to attempt to try to deprive Mr. Chalifoux of the bear spray and of the machete,鈥� LeBlond said. 鈥淭hat he had a limited ability to measure the amount of force required to overcome his attacker. This will be because of the impairment of vision and he鈥檇 entered a darkened room.鈥�

Closing arguments began Tuesday, Jan. 28 with Crown prosecutor Andrea Norlund arguing that surveillance camera footage and Chalifoux鈥檚 testimony were enough to find the two men guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Norlund said the 鈥渙nly reasonable conclusion鈥� is that Keewatin and Lowley were the same people who entered Chalifoux鈥檚 room and participated in the assault.

The two accused men chose not to testify in their defence during the evidence phase of the trial, which ended Dec. 5. In Keewatin鈥檚 case, LeBlond said, that 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 be interpreted to his disadvantage.鈥�

Instead, he urged Gibb-Carsley to find the key Crown witness鈥檚 testimony unreliable.

LeBlond said Chalifoux was selling drugs from the hotel room and he admitted under cross-examination to being drunk, high and paranoid on Aug. 11, 2022. On the witness stand, he 鈥渄emonstrated to be a very poor historian鈥� and admitted to misleading police for fear that he would be deemed in violation of his parole.

Additionally, LeBlond pointed to Chalifoux鈥檚 criminal record, which includes a nine-year prison sentence for manslaughter. It was while serving time in a federal institution that he met Keewatin.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a criminal record that is significant because it fairly clearly lays out what Mr. Chalifoux is capable of,鈥� LeBlond said.

Closing arguments continue Jan. 31 in Prince George.