‘He was hit by a car and then executed’

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This article was published 13/01/2025 (289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The second Manitoba trial for a man accused in the 2021 shooting death of his neighbour began Monday, a year and a half after a judge was forced to declare a mistrial when the accused’s lawyer fell ill.

Eric Wildman, 38, is charged with first-degree murder in the June 7, 2021, slaying of 40-year-old Clifford Joseph.

Wildman and Joseph lived on neighbouring properties near Stead, about 90 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Crown prosecutors allege Wildman caught Joseph stealing from him early that morning, ran him down with his vehicle, then moved him elsewhere, where he shot him three times, including once in the back of the head.

Wildman had initially begun to stand trial in May 2023 in front of Court of King’s Bench Justice Richard Saull and a jury, but a mistrial was declared in June after his lead defence lawyer, Martin Glazer, came down with a medical issue that wouldn’t allow him to proceed.

After a lengthy jury selection process Monday morning in front of Saull, Wildman’s trial began. He has pleaded not guilty and is again being represented by lawyers Glazer and Mitchell Enright.

Crown prosecutors Christian Vanderhooft and Bryton Moen gave jurors — six women and eight men — an overview of the allegations and facts in the case.

After a fire in May 2021 in which Wildman’s house and a number of vehicles burned (he fixed up and sold cars and trucks), Joseph went onto Wildman’s land to steal, but never came home, Moen said.

“Clifford Joseph wasn’t an angel,” said Moen. “He was a thief, a drug user and he cheated on his girlfriend … but that, however, did not make it OK for Eric Wildman to kill him.”

Joseph was reported missing by his girlfriend, Cristin Wise, that same day, but his remains were not found until July 18, 2021.

Wise had gone to the property to look for Joseph and found his truck across the road with his keys and phone inside. She also found tire tracks, and Joseph’s hat, shoes and headlamp. Later, she found Joseph’s tools near a trailer and reported him missing to RCMP.

Wildman called RCMP from his mother’s Winnipeg home on June 9 and claimed on the night of Joseph’s disappearance, he had been staying at a friend’s, Moen said. The prosecutor said that man later told RCMP that Wildman had never stayed there.

Investigators found Wildman’s car outside another friend’s house in Winnipeg.

Inside the Chevrolet Impala, RCMP found an empty gun case and a receipt for an auto part store from June 9, where Moen alleged Wildman purchased a new hood and replaced it in the parking lot. Moen accused Wildman of doing that to cover up damage to the vehicle that occurred when he allegedly struck Joseph.

After RCMP towed Wildman’s vehicle, he again called Mounties to report a handgun missing from his Stead property and learned he had been identified as a suspect in the killing. Mounties advised him to stay at his mom’s home, from where he had made the call, Moen said.

Instead, Wildman took a taxi to the airport, rented a car and fled to Belleville, Ont., where Ontario Provincial Police located him on June 16, Moen said.

He was later arrested on June 18, 2021, said Moen, and found with a legally owned pistol.

RCMP search and rescue found Joseph’s body on July 18, a short distance from Wildman’s property, the prosecutor said. He had a broken leg and a broken jaw, “but those injuries didn’t kill him,” said Moen.

“He was hit by a car and then executed.”

Moen said the Crown will call a number of people who knew Joseph to testify. The prosecution also plans to call police investigators and experts.

Prosecutors called two RCMP officers to testify Monday.

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The first, Cpl. Kyle Beech, was working at the Selkirk detachment and was assigned to investigate the missing person’s report Wise filed.

He visited Wildman’s property on June 7, 2021, and took photographs of the area and located Joseph’s hat, shoes and headlamp.

The second, Cpl. Adam Wood, works as a forensics identification officer.

Wood went to the area the following day and was assigned to take photographs of where Joseph’s truck was reportedly found. He said he found no significant evidence, beyond a tire trail without significant tracks within it.

The trial continues Tuesday with testimony from Wise. It is scheduled for five weeks.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
Reporter

Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.  Read more about Erik.

Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.