'I'm scared,' Hilary Bonnell texted cousin before death

Hilary Bonnell sent three alarming text messages to a cousinbefore her death,the jury in the first-degree murder trial of Curtis Bonnell heard on Tuesday.

"OMG Haylie, I want to leave," Hilary texted to her cousin Haylie at about 7:25 a.m., Const. Joany Paradis testified in Miramichi provincial court.

"Please answer me, I'm scared,"the 16-year-oldwrote at 7:52 a.m., said Paradis.

"OMF, text me, I'm scared," wasHilary's last message, sent at about 8:20 a.m., the officer told the courtroom.

Curtis Bonnell, of the Esgenoopetitj First Nation, is charged with the murder of Hilary, his firstcousin, in 2009.

The Crown alleges Bonnell, 32,picked upHilary on Sept. 5, as she was walking alongMicmac Road in the northeastern community following a party the night before.

Bonnell is accused ofholding Hilary against her will, sexually assaultingher, killing her and then driving her to an isolated location, far from the reserve, all within a half an hour, prosecutor Bill Richards said.

Hilary was reported missing two days later. She had run away eight times in the previous two years, according to police.

Herbody was discovered in a wooded area near Tracadie-Sheila after more than two months of searching.

Led police to body

Bonnell, who has been in custody awaiting trial since December 2009, took police to the wooded area, where Hilary's body had been buried, Richards said.

Bonnell also made several statements to police, which will be shown to the jury, he said.

The police focused their investigation on Bonnell fairly early in the case,he said.

Bonnell travelled downMicmac Road to visit his sisterat about the same time Hilary was walking there,said Richards.

Hilary was about 30 minutes from her destination, Richards said. Her last communications were the three text messages to Haylie's cellphone, which was seized by police. Haylie isthe sister of the accused, the courtroom heard.

The 12-memberjury will see some graphic pictures, Richards warned during his opening remarks.

Bonnell showed littleemotion during the court proceedings. He turned his chair to face the judge instead of the jury and took notes throughout the day.

Hilary's mother to testify

His parents and Hilary's parents were asked by the judge to leave the courtroom. He didn't want their testimony to be influenced by previous witnesses, he said.

Bonnell's family and Hilary's family told CBC News they'rehoping the judge will reconsider.They've been waiting three years for the trial, they said.

At the very least, they are hoping the lawyers will take their wishes into consideration in deciding the order in which the witnesses are called to testify, they said.

Hilary's mother, Pamela Fillier, could testify as early as Wednesday.

The Crown called a total of four witnesses on Tuesday, including three RCMP officers and a mapping specialist with the Department of Natural Resources who makes maps based on GPS points and analyzes distances between specific locations.

One of the officers analyzed seven cellphones, including the one owned by Haylie.

The other officer, a forensic identification specialist, took hundreds of photos in the case, including ones of a home in Esgenoopetitj, a 1995 Chevy pickup truck, the excavation of Hilary's body, and of the autopsy conducted at the Saint John Regional Hospital.

The trial is expected to last up to eight weeks.

About45 witnesses will be called, including Hilary Bonnell's parents, Pam Fillier and Boyd Bonnell.

In his instructions to the jury, Judge Fred Ferguson urged them to keep an open mind and not to discuss the case with anyone, other than fellow jurors.

Bonnell has pleaded not guilty and must be presumed innocent unless otherwise proven beyond a reasonable doubt by the Crown, the judge said.