The mother of slain senior Customs officer Nigel Christian delivered emotional testimony Monday as the murder trial over his 2020 killing continued, recounting how armed men forced her son from their McKinnons home while she watched helplessly.
The witness broke down in tears twice while describing the events of July 10, 2020, prompting the court to briefly pause proceedings.
She told the court she was in her kitchen when she saw three men enter the yard — two dressed in camouflage and one in black with police markings on the back. Christian was raking in the yard when the men approached, grabbed him and forced him toward the other side of the property.
When she called out asking where they were taking him, one of the men pointed a firearm at her and ordered her to remain quiet. Frightened, she said she retreated inside and locked herself in her bedroom.
When she later emerged, the scene had changed. The kitchen door had been kicked in, the home’s security recorder dismantled, the truck gone and the gate locked.
She described her son as a loving and caring family man and told the court he had previously feared for his safety, prompting the family to install security cameras at the home.
Under cross-examination, defence attorneys questioned differences between her testimony and a statement she gave police five days after the incident, including whether she initially reported seeing four men rather than three and discrepancies about the clothing worn by the gunman. The witness said she could not recall some details and maintained that three masked men entered the yard, noting that time had affected her memory.
The court also heard the conclusion of cross-examination of an FBI forensic DNA expert who testified virtually. The expert acknowledged that while the FBI has systems to detect contamination, it is impossible to determine how DNA is transferred to an item.
She confirmed Christian’s DNA was not found on clothing recovered at Perry Bay and that no DNA profile was obtained from several other items, while the victim was excluded from a backpack linked to the investigation.
The expert also agreed that handling evidence improperly — such as placing damp items together or using the same gloves — could lead to DNA transfer, though she noted the items were individually packaged when they arrived at the FBI laboratory.
A police constable also began giving evidence before the trial was adjourned until Tuesday.
Saleim Harrigan, Wayne Thomas and Lasean Bully are accused of abducting Christian from his home on July 10, 2020 and fatally shooting him later that day on a dirt road in Thibou’s.
Prosecutors say a cooperating witness drove the men that day, saw Christian forced into his truck at gunpoint and later directed police to evidence recovered at Perry Bay.