During a videotaped interview played in court Monday, Devon Saunders told a homicide detective he had no idea who would want to kill his ex-girlfriend.
Shernelle Pierre was shot in back of head and set on fire on March 12, 2008.
She died behind the wheel of her car while it was parked on 170th Street.
On the video, homicide detective Rob Mills described the murder scene to Saunders.
“It was horrific what happened to her,” Mills said. “I was at the scene. It’s not something I will ever forget.”
During his police interview, Saunders told the detective he had no idea about what happened to Pierre, and insisted their break-up was amicable.
“Shernelle is a nice girl,” he said. “Why would I hurt her?”
Saunders was released after his interview with police. He was arrested almost four years later and charged with first-degree murder.
Pierre, 26, was licensed practical nurse at the Misericordia Hospital.
The Crown has argued that Pierre had just ended a late shift at the hospital, and walked out to the parking lot to find her ex-boyfriend waiting for her.
She let Saunders into her car and they drove away together.
Moments later, while the car was stopped on the side of the road just outside West Edmonton Mall, Crown alleges that Saunders shot the young nurse in the head, doused her body with gasoline, then set it on fire.
The Crown has argued that Saunders walked away from the car carrying Pierre’s purse.
Police say the fire destroyed much of the evidence in the case.
The dead woman’s Bible was the only thing to survive the flames.
