Lawyer argues Saskatoon man acted in self-defence when he punched friend, who then died

Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.

The Crown prosecutor in the case disagreed, arguing Smith's account of events was "self-serving" and "victim-blaming."

Smith was back in Saskatoon provincial court on Friday for closing arguments at his trial, which began last month.

During four days of testimony, court heard that Smith, 46, and Waddell, 37, were socializing in Waddell's home when they got into a drunken fight on Nov. 17, 2024. At some point after Smith punched Waddell at least twice in the head, Waddell fell and hit his head on a coffee table.

Waddell died of the combined effects of a concussion (caused by blunt force trauma to the head) and extreme alcohol intoxication, his autopsy indicated.

Smith testified in his own defence that Waddell attacked him by punching him in the back of the head, then grabbed onto the collar of Smith's shirt and kept swinging at him. Smith said he told Waddell to let go, then punched him a couple of times.

According to Smith, Waddell fell down after they disengaged, and presumably hit his head on the coffee table, where his blood was found. According to testimony from a mutual friend, the only other person in the house at the time, Waddell fell down right after Smith hit him.

Either way, Smith's lawyer Brady Knight argued Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Waddell.

“He was simply defending himself from the force and, in our submission … all of the evidence supports Mr. Smith's own words that he was not out to cause harm to Mr. Waddell,” Knight said.

“To say it’s a tragedy is an understatement, but the question before this court is whether it’s criminal or not, and we say it is not.”

Crown prosecutor Lesley Dunning argued Smith's version of events shouldn't be believed. She pointed to how he lied to police when they arrived at the scene, saying there had been a home invasion.

Smith testified he panicked because he knew it looked bad.

“Of course he panicked. He knew he had done something wrong to Mr. Waddell,” Dunning said.

Dunning also focused on the evidence around two distinct prints on Waddell's chest that matched Smith's shoes. Smith testified he "nudged" Waddell with his foot after he was down, but Dunning said that didn't make sense. She characterized the motions as "stomping," which she said is not an act of self-defence.