A mistrial has been declared in the trial of Zakk Lafferty after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Lafferty, 26, was charged with second-degree murder in the August 2023 death of 17-year-old Deijean Drybones.
The jury began deliberations on Friday morning following a week-and-a-half-long trial. They were tasked with determining whether Lafferty was guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter, or neither charge.
RCMP officers, the coroner who performed Deijean’s autopsy, and several people who had been with Deijean at a home in Behchokǫ̀ in the hours before he died testified during trial.
Deijean died early on August 4, 2023 at Stanton Territorial Hospital of a single stab wound to the chest.
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The key piece of evidence in the Crown’s case was a statement Deijean gave to police in which he said Lafferty had stabbed him.
The four other people in the home that morning testified during trial that they were intoxicated and had difficulty recalling what happened.
Police did not recover the weapon used and did not find Deijean’s DNA on Lafferty’s shirt or hands.
While prosecutor Brendan Green argued the jury should find Lafferty guilty of second-degree murder, defence lawyer Kim Arial argued the Crown had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that her client had stabbed Deijean.
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Following several days of deliberations, Arial told Cabin Radio the jury concluded on Sunday evening that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the case.
Justice David Gates declared a mistrial, Arial said, meaning the trial has been terminated without a verdict.
The Public Prosecution Service of Canada confirmed a mistrial was declared Sunday evening.
“Mr Lafferty maintains his defence and is disappointed the case was unable to come to a conclusion at this time, but we appreciate and respect the jury’s efforts and the considerable time they devoted to this case,” Arial stated.
“We will await direction from the court regarding the next steps.”
It is unclear if or when Lafferty may be retried.
Correction: October 20, 2025 – 13:46 MT. This article initially stated the jury began deliberations on Thursday afternoon. In fact, while justice Gates began charging the jury on Thursday afternoon, they did not begin deliberations until Friday morning.
