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A woman who was involved in a romantic relationship with a London man accused of shooting a teenager at a bush party says she didn’t contact police to tell them what she saw because she was loyal to “the wrong people.”
Kaiah Edmonds, 21, took the stand for a second day Friday at the trial of Carlos Guerra Guerra, 23, and Emily Altmann, 22, both charged with second-degree murder in the death of Western University student Josue Silva, 18.
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Edmonds previously had told the 14-member jury how Guerra Guerra, her “friend with benefits,” held a handgun and had a sword in his SUV as he drove her and two other friends to a bush party in southwest London on July 31, 2021.
Altmann had called Guerra Guerra, who was at another party with Edmonds and the two other friends, and told them she was going to get “jumped” at the party in a wooded area near Pack Road, Edmonds said.
Once at the party, a masked Guerra Guerra and Altmann took off looking for the people with whom she had clashed, eventually finding them after they emerged from hiding in the bushes, and there was a confrontation before a gunshot rang out, Edmonds said.
“I just felt stupid to put myself in that position,” she said. “I feel like (Guerra Guerra) didn’t really care about the other people he was affecting.”
Edmonds, Guerra Guerra and the other two friends returned to their vehicle and they drove away, but nobody called 911, she said.
Edmonds said she knew someone was “hurt” but it wasn’t until a day later she learned Silva had died.
“And when you learned that he passed away the next day, who did you think was responsible?” Crown attorney Jennifer Moser asked.
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“Carlos,” Edmonds said after a brief pause.
But Edmonds still didn’t contact police despite blaming herself for what happened. Police showed up at her home almost eight days after the shooting and she provided a statement, though she admitted to withholding information from investigators.
“I put my loyalty into the wrong people,” she said.
Edmonds also told the court about an incident one week before the fatal shooting when Guerra Guerra was cleaning six handguns inside his father’s apartment.
After telling him she didn’t like guns, Guerra Guerra passed her one of the weapons to hold, Edmonds said.
“I pointed it up toward him,” she said.
Guerra Guerra said, “Whoa,” and that made her think the gun was loaded, she said.
Edmonds will continue testifying Friday afternoon.
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