Lukas Strasser-Hird murder trial hears of damning text messages, DNA evidence

Damning text messages sent by one of the men accused in the swarming, beating and stabbing death of18-year-old Lukas Strasser-Hirdwere read aloud in court today.

AssmarRyiadShlah,JochSimonPouk, Jordan LeeLiaoandFranzCabreraare all on trial forsecond-degree murder.

A fifth man accused,Nathan PaulGervais, was charged with first-degree murder but he disappeared weeks before the trial began whileon bail and remains at large.

Const. Doug Kraan, a digitalforensic data retrievalexpert,introduced the text messages sent by Cabrera to Gervaisat the trial on Monday.

Texts sent fromFranz Cabrera to Nathan Gervais

• 3:46 a.m.:"Bro I stabed (sic) someone for Asmar and he got arrested."
• 3:52a.m.:"yeah, I think I killed him, I'm hiding in an alley"
• 4:09 a.m.:"Yeah man, I duno what to do."

The final witness on Monday was DNA expert Jason Solinsky who testified that Strasser-Hird's DNAsome of which was bloodwas found on three of the accused's clothing items.

Strasser-Hird's DNA was found onCabrera's jacket,Shlah'sshoesand one ofPouk's shoes.

Family,accused come face-to-face

Meanwhile, Strasser-Hird's fathersays that five weeks into themurder trial, he's nervous about the case.

Tensions have been high inside and outside of the courtroom as three of the four men on trial for Strasser-Hird's murder are not in custody and often end up in common areas with the family of the victim.

"They're pretty much mocking our family," said Strasser-Hird's father, Dale Hird.

"They're joking around and laughing like this is no big deal."

Dale Hird has had to sit through more than 80witnesses who described the events leading up to his son's killing.

"It's been a really long month," said Hird. "It'sgruelinghearing this all over again."

911 calls released

Justice Glen Poelmanalsoreleased two phone calls on Mondaymade to 911 as Strasser-Hird lay in the alley behind the Vinyl Night Club after being attacked by a mob.

"I'm sitting here with a man that might have been stabbed," said Natalie Henderson. "I've got my hand on his wound.... I was just walking past."

"It's going to be OK, dude, it's going to be OK."

Before police and paramedics arrived, bystanders tried to help on the critically injuredteen and, in 911 calls, the mob can still be heard in the background, harassing them.

"There's about 20 people who jumped him and stabbed him," said Bryce Sunberg."They're still threatening him right now; we need the police."

(not applicable)0:01Bryce Sunberg's 911 call

A Calgary judge has released two 911 calls used as evidence earlier in the Lukas Strasser-Hird murder trial.

(not applicable)0:01911 call from Natalie Henderson and Joey Arnold

A Calgary judge has released two 911 calls used as evidence earlier in the Lukas Strasser-Hird murder trial.

Racist slurs condemned by Strasser-Hird

Court has heard evidence that AssmarRyiadShlah became upset when he couldn't get his jacket as the nightat Vinyl nightclubwas winding down.

One witness who was at the club the night of the attack described hearing Shlah call a bouncer a "dirty spic."

The initial confrontation occurred whenStrasser-Hirdwho had just returned from a year abroad in South America told the person identified asShlah there was "no need to be racist."

Strasser-Hird was then escorted back into bar for his own safety, the court heard,and he and his friendswere laterushered out the back door into analley.

But Shlah'sgroup was waiting forthemin the alley, Crown prosecutor Marlo MacGregor told the jury in her opening statement.

'He was begging for mercy and they destroyed him'

Strasser-Hird triedto flee but was hit and knocked down and kicked repeatedly in the body, face and head.

He was taken by ambulance to Foothills Hospital andpronounced dead hours later, around9:55 a.m.

Prosecutors Ken McCaffery, Marlo MacGregor and SaminaDhallahave calledmore than 100 witnesses.

The final witness for the prosecutionthe medical examinerwill be called on Tuesday. It's not yet known if any of the defence lawyers Balfour Der, David Chow, Gavin Wolch or Ryan Claxtonwill call any evidence.

"It's obvious what happened,my son didn't fall on a knife, he didn't beat himself to death," said Hird.

"It's a horror story going on in there ... he was begging for mercy and they destroyed him."

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