Stabbing victim testifies in Nadia Gonzales case

A man who was stabbed the night Nadia Gonzales died has begun to tell the jury about her last day.

John Patterson, 72, testified Thursday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court at the trial of Calvin Joel Maynard Sparks, 26, and Samanda Rose Ritch, 22. They are both charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Patterson said he met Gonzales, a mother of two, on New Year’s Day in 2017, and often rode with her “for company” as she delivered crack cocaine to clients around the Halifax Regional Municipality. He said they had an arrangement where in exchange for registering a silver Honda Accord in his name, Gonzales gave him crack.

Patterson said on the morning of June 16, 2017, he rose early to drive his friend Wayne Andrew Bruce, who he called Batman, to a local food bank to pick up groceries. They returned to Bruce’s apartment at 33 Hastings Drive in Dartmouth.

Patterson said Gonzales arrived to pick him up for a late breakfast at Chez Cora, followed by an afternoon of drug deliveries to at least three clients. At around 5:30 p.m., Gonzales, Patterson and a second man returned to the apartment for another drug delivery.

On Wednesday, the jury heard that police were called to the area at 7:44 p.m. by a witness who found an injured Patterson on the ground.

The jury was also told that about 15 minutes later, Gonzales’ body was found folded inside a black hockey bag in the stairwell between the third and fourth floors of the apartment building. She had been stabbed 37 times, the Crown said.

Halifax Regional Police officer Will Penfound was the first responder at the scene. He testified Thursday that Patterson told him, “My girlfriend is in there, they killed her.”

Paramedic Darrell Bardua, who opened the hockey bag, continued his testimony Thursday. He said Patterson told him he had fought off a man who he described as being in his 30s. Patterson also made reference to a woman he called his girlfriend, Bardua said.

Bardua told the jury that Patterson had been stabbed six times in the torso and had a broken arm.

The Crown will continue questioning Patterson on Friday, with cross examination by the defence expected Tuesday.