Jury hears more details about the night Pat Stay died

CBC

22-05-2025

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More details are emerging about the chaotic scene in a downtown Halifax bar the night Dartmouth battle rapper Pat Stay was fatally stabbed.
The jury trial of Adam Drake, the 34-year-old charged with second-degree murder in Stay's death, is now in its second week in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Dartmouth.
Several people have testified that they recognized Stay and saw him staggering through the Yacht Club Social with a large bloodstain forming on his shirt early on the morning of Sept. 4, 2022.
Brennan Hartling, a provincial enforcement officer, said he could see the colour draining from Stay's face. The compliance officer and two police constables were already in the bar before the stabbing occurred, investigating a complaint from the previous week that the bar was exceeding its capacity of 195 people.
Hartling said he counted 188 people the night of the stabbing. He was on his way to the front of the nightclub to compare numbers with bar staff when he noticed the commotion.
Hartling and one of the police officers followed Stay outside, where he stood for a time in the middle of Lower Water Street, trying to maintain his balance. The 36-year-old then staggered back to the curb where he collapsed next to a planter.
The second police officer had by then gone back into the club to order it to shut down.
The jury has now seen several replays of a video showing the moment when the stabbing occurred.
It shows Stay making his way to the VIP section at the back of the bar. He has his back to the camera, so the actual stabbing is not shown.
But Stay turns to his right and a large stain can be seen on his chest. Someone can be seen coming out of the crowd behind Stay and sucker-punching him, knocking him to the floor. He gets up and staggers out of range of the camera.
Bar co-owner Kevin MacLean testified Monday, describing the scene in the bar that night and tracking his own movements on the video. Immediately following the stabbing, MacLean said he went to the front of the bar, where he instructed the DJ to turn down the music.
The video also showed someone, later identified as a security guard, with a mop and a bucket near where Stay fell inside the bar. MacLean testified the man appeared to be cleaning blood from the floor but said he didn't order him to do so.
The court heard the police officers inside the club at the time of the stabbing recognized a man they considered a person of interest and sent out word that he was arrestable. Two patrol officers who set up a checkpoint on Quinpool Road intercepted and arrested that man, who was eventually charged with murder. The jury has not been told what became of the murder charge.
Wednesday's court session ended with testimony from two employees of the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, including one who worked at the front desk. She testified that Drake checked in on Sept. 2, paying cash for a room after showing up without a reservation.
The second employee was a loss prevention officer who narrated security video taken from six of the hotel's cameras. They showed people moving around the hotel, including Drake.