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Survivor of deadly attack testifies in Denecho King trial

Colin Digness, the survivor of a deadly 2014 attack allegedly carried out by Denecho King, testified Thursday he has no memory of the brutal assault that left him with lasting injuries and claimed the life of his best friend.

The 43-year-old Yellowknife man’s testimony marked day four of King’s trial, which began Monday with heightened security in NWT Supreme Court. The 25-year-old is charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with the December 2014 killing of John Wifladt.

A bloodied and badly injured Digness was found in his Sunridge Apartments unit alongside Wifladt in the early hours of Dec.14.

Answering to Crown prosecutor Alex Godfrey and King’s lawyer Jay Bran, Digness testified he remembers little of the fateful December night. He said he began drinking by himself in his apartment, before running out of alcohol and taking a cab to an uptown liquor store in search of more.

After being denied service for being too drunk, Digness testified he went to the downtown liquor store, where he was denied again. The same occurred at the Gold Range bar and the Raven nightclub, prompting Digness to walk to the TD bank to take out cash for a cab home.

There, he told the court he ran into his longtime friend Wifladt, who invited him to the Black Knight pub. On Monday, Wifladt’s brother, Tommy – who met up with the pair at the same bar – corroborated Digness’ testimony.

After having a beer and some laughs at the Black Knight, Digness testified he blacked out. When he awoke next, he was laying in an Edmonton hospital with his mother by his side.

“I was very confused,” Digness said, before being shown a series of photos of his injuries by Godfrey. One showed Digness, with a bruised and bandaged face, bound to a hospital bed, while others displayed long gashes to his forehead and stomach.

A family member of Digness’, sitting in the Yellowknife courtroom Thursday, exhaled deeply as the photos appeared on screens that flanked either side of Justice Andrew Mahar.

Through an agreed statement of facts, the court heard Digness was transported to Edmonton, where he underwent surgery for extensive wounds to his skull, eye and small bowel. Digness suffered “cognitive deficits” due to a traumatic brain injury and remained in an Edmonton hospital for 20 days.

Digness detailed the enduring effects of his injuries, including blurred vision that makes it “hard to concentrate.”

Bran, King’s lawyer, pressed Digness on his drinking and video game habits –asking the witness how he behaves when he’s drunk and whether or not he gets riled up, or even angry, when playing violent games with friends.

Digness said he doesn’t become hostile when drinking or when playing video games. Bran then turned his attention to a set of swords – three in total, each varying in length – that the witness had displayed in his Sunridge apartment living room. Digness said he would pose with the swords for photos, sometimes offering visitors a look and feel of the weapons.

Brendan Burke/NNSL photo.
Twenty-five-year old Denecho King, charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with a 2014 attack that left John Wifladt dead and seriously injured Colin Digness, enters the Yellowknife courthouse Tuesday morning.

Bran then asked if it was possible that on Dec. 14, 2014, the pair, fueled by alcohol, got carried away while play fghting with the swords, leading to Digness' injuries and the death of Wifladt.

“No,” Digness replied.

Digness told the court he had never heard the name Denecho King before the attack took place and that he’d never let him into his apartment.

Before Digness took the stand Thursday, his 16-year-old son testified, telling the court his father has changed “a lot” since the violent incident.

“He cries a lot. He can't sleep at night,” the youth said, wiping away tears.

Wednesday's proceedings saw two witnesses, who were living below Digness as tenants in the same building at the time of the of the attack, testify remotely via video.

A male witness said he went up to Digness' apartment after being awoken by loud music and thuds, only to come across the bloody crime scene, according to media reports.

The man said he found Digness – covered in blood – and Wifladt laying on the ground still breathing.
Wifladt later died of his injuries. The man's partner took to the stand to say she saw King through her apartment room peephole earlier in the night, media stated.

Through expert testimony, the Crown is expected to present evidence that King carried out the attack using the swords Digness had in his home.