Accused admitted to police he stabbed Justin Breau, insisted attack wasn't planned

For hours on Wednesday and Thursday, jurors in Saint John listened to a series of police interviews with one of the men accused of killing Justin Breau.

Charles Shatford, 49, and Donald Walker, 52, are both on trial for first-degree murder in Breau's death.

Before his arrest Shatford, repeatedly told police that he didn't know anything about Breau's death, which happened in August 2022.

Detectives talked to Shatford again after his arrest in January 2023. Video recordings of those interviews were played for the 13-member jury.

For hours, a police detective asked Shatford questions — and for hours Shatford denied being involved.

He stuck to that story even when shown security camera images that contradicted his version — images that put him in the area at the time Breau was stabbed to death.

But after several hours talking to the same officer, Shatford's story began to change.

In a recorded police interview played for the jury on Wednesday, Charles Shatford identified himself and Justin Breau in this image taken from video surveillance at the Waterloo Street Tim Horton's on Aug. 17, 2022, just a few hours before Breau's death. (Court of King's Bench/CBC)

"Maybe [Breau] is gonna be told to leave town," he told the detective about that night.

Det. Const. Tony Gilbert asked him, "What went sideways?" and Shatford said, Breau went "crazy."

For a long time during the interview, Shatford would offer a little bit of information and then backtrack and insist he didn't know anything.

But eventually, a story emerged about what happened at 12 Charles St. just before 4 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2022.

Shatford said he, Walker and another man, whom he did not identify, knocked on the apartment door and Breau's girlfriend, Megan Ross, opened the door. As he and Walker walked into the apartment, Breau jumped up from the couch and "attacked" them, Shatford said. He said Breau shoved him aside and tackled Walker.

Justin Breau died when a stab wound penetrated his heart, testified the pathologist who did his autopsy. (Submitted by Susanne Breau)

Shatford said he lost his balance and fell on a table and broke it. Being a "big guy," he said, it took him a while to get back to his feet. By that time, Breau was on top of Walker on the floor of the hallway, "beating him up."

At this point in the police interview, Shatford denied stabbing Breau. He said no one carried knives, he didn't see any knives, and didn't see anyone stab Breau.

Later, changing his story again, Shatford said he grabbed a knife and stabbed Breau. At first he said he stabbed him once, but when pressed by the officer, he said, "Maybe I did poke him twice."

On his way out, Shatford said, he "booted" Breau in the face.

When he got outside, he told police, "I looked down and there was a blade in my hand."

Shatford was careful during the interviews with police about not naming some other people he indicated were with him that day or describing what they did.

Shatford said he was then dropped off at his place on Waterloo Street.

Security cameras in the neighbourhood indicate he was dropped off at 3:59. At 4:06 he said he called his mother and told her, "Mom, it's taken care of."

Shatford talked a lot in the police interview about his brother, Mark, who was shot to death by Breau in 2019. Breau was found not guilty of second-degree murder in 2020 after claiming he shot Shatford in self-defence.

Shatford insisted his mother didn't know in advance.

The jury was given the next two days off while the lawyers deal with some legal issues.