And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: NATIVE ACTIVIST FOUND NOT GUILTY OF MURDER The Vancouver Sun, May 1, 1999, Chris Morris Canadian Press [S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or context. It is provided for reference only.] MIRAMICHI, N.B. -- Noah Augustine gambled that telling his story his way would prove him innocent of murder, and he won. Augustine, 28, a prominent native rights activist, was found not guilty Friday of second-degree murder in the shooting of Bruce Barnaby of the nearby Eel Ground First Nation. Although the trial lasted two weeks, it took the jury of seven men and five women just two hours to reach their decision. Augustine hung his head and looked relieved as the verdict, which drew cries of shock and surprise throughout the courtroom, was announced. He said nothing as he left the courthouse, keeping his head down and his look impassive. His lawyer, Gary Miller of Fredericton, said Augustine would not speak publicly because of the coming trial of his friend, Thomas Haddad, who has been charged as an accessory in the Barnaby killing. Augustine's acquittal turned on the issue of self-defence. The eloquent native rights activist took the stand in his own defence and told the jury he shot Barnaby to save himself. "You're still a murderer," Barnaby's daughter, Michelle Patles, shouted at Augustine as he left the Miramichi courthouse. "Nothing has changed." Crown prosecutor Paul Veniot said an appeal will be considered. The prosecution has 30 days to make a decision. Augustine told the court in dramatic testimony earlier this week he shot Barnaby to save himself. "Mr. Augustine gave evidence that he believed Mr. Barnaby would hurt him badly," Justice Alex Deschenes told the Court of Queen's Bench jury in his four-hour charge. Deschenes told the jury that certain facts in the case were beyond question. They include the fact that Augustine shot Barnaby dead in his Eel Ground home in the early morning hours of Sept. 19, 1998. There's also no argument that Augustine, a rising star in the native rights movement, fled across the border to the United States. He surrendered to authorities in Florida about a week after the killing. He was accompanied by Haddad, a former native police officer. Augustine and Barnaby had argued about what happened to 17-year-old Darren Augustine, Noah's cousin who died in a 1986 road mishap. Augustine suspected Barnaby was involved. He went to Barnaby's house to ask questions about the incident. Augustine testified that when he decided to ask Barnaby about his cousin's death, Haddad told him to take his police revolver, a .357 Magnum revolver, for protection. Augustine took Haddad's gun and tucked it behind his back in his belt. Augustine told the jury that when he raised the issue of his cousin's death, Barnaby flew into a rage and lunged at him. Barnaby pushed back Augustine's head against the sofa he was sitting on and with his other hand reached towards a coffee table where Augustine had seen a hunting knife. Augustine then pulled out the gun and fired. The gun went off again, this time fatally wounding Barnaby in the head. The prosecution said firing the second bullet was murder. A SUDDEN FAME: Noah Augustine enjoyed wide support from friends and the community during his murder trial. Even police testifying for the prosecution described him as a likable man. Here's a brief look at the 28-year-old Micmac businessman, writer and agitator for native rights: - A native logging dispute in 1997 and 1998 catapulted Augustine to prominence. - Augustine brought reasoned arguments and eloquent explanation to the dispute over whether aboriginals have a treaty right to harvest timber in Crown forests. - The essays and poems by Augustine published locally showed there's more to him than the crusader. "When asked, 'Who are you?' I am like many who can't respond," Augustine wrote. "I've challenged the system all my life and I feel that I've always given it my best. I have been proclaimed as role model and a fool. I believe in helping people and have often hurt people. I sometimes don't know who I am. I am a product of an Indian reservation." - He has been in trouble with the law before. In 1997, he pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a police officer and mischief. He was given an absolute discharge. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: Letters to the Vancouver Sun - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 EMAIL : <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send "subscribe sovernet-l" in the body of an email message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information on sovernet-l, contact S.I.S.I.S. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
