Witness admits playing role in cabbie slaying

The key witness in a trial of a cab driver's killing burst into tears Thursday as she admitted she opened the car trunk that the victim was stuffed inside.

Cathy Fiddler, a chief witness for the prosecution in the death of Hassan Yussuf, gripped a tissue and wiped tears from her face as she was being cross-examined in an Edmonton courtroomThursday.

In her testimony, she said she opened the trunk of the cab for the three people accused of killing him.

"You actually committed an act which helped in the killing of Mr. Yussuf?" said defence lawyer Naeem Rauf.

"If you want to say that, yes," said Fiddler, bursting into tears.

History of lying to the court

Yussuf, 41, was discovered in the trunk of his cab in April 2005, stabbed to death. The former Ottawa residentwas afather of seven.

Ronald Adrian Crane, 27,Deidre Renne Baptiste, 23,and Karl Blair Strongman, 25, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, unlawful confinement and robbery.

Fiddler is a friend of the accused and a key witness for the prosecution, who said she went to police after the killing out of sense of remorse.

For much of Thursday's cross-examination, the defence called into question Fiddler's credibility, saying she has a history of lying to court.

She has admitted to lying to judges in three previous cases.

Fiddler was asked if she knew anything about a $1.3 million lawsuit filed against her and the three accused by Yussuf's family.

Fiddler looked shocked and told court she hadn't heard anything about it.

Yussuf was still alive after first attack, Fiddler said

Earlier inthe week,Fiddler testifiedthatshe was drinking with the three accused, who were also doing drugs, in her inner-city apartment the night Yussuf died.

The group later caught a cab and Strongman asked the driver to stop on a side road because he was going to be sick, she said.

Crane and Baptiste attacked Yussuf, stabbing him despite his pleas to be spared, Fiddler said. Yussuf was then thrown in the trunk of his taxi, but he kicked and banged as they drove off.

FiddlersaidCrane then told the others: "Let's go finish this."

The cab stopped and after Strongman and Crane jumped out,the noise stopped, Fiddler said.