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"Jason Tessier saved my life," witness tells murder trial

A witness testifying at the trial of Jason Richard Tessier told the jury that Tessier “saved my life.
A witness testifying at the trial of Jason Richard Tessier told the jury that Tessier “saved my life.”

Tessier, 30, of Sudbury, was one of three people originally charged after the badly beaten body of North Bay resident Alex Levesque was found in the second floor apartment of a Sturgeon Falls house July 29, 2002.

Levesque was taken to the West Nipissing General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Also charged were Warren England and Devlin McCosham, both of Sudbury, whose matters have already been dealt with through the courts.

Tessier has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder.

Loud noises and the sound of fighting
Sandy Bunyak testified at the trial Tuesday. According to other witnesses she was in the kitchen of the apartment with Levesque and three other men.

Things got heated inside the apartment, witnesses who were out on the porch have already testified, and they heard loud noises and the sounds of fighting.

Minutes later after Bunyak and the three men left, Levesque’s body was discovered on the kitchen floor propped up against the kitchen cabinet.

Bunyak, who had owned the King Edward bar in Sturgeon Falls, testified the three men in the apartment July 29 were Tessier, England and McCosham.

She said at one point England decided to go downstairs and wait outside.
Levesque then began accusing McCosham of sleeping with his girlfriend, Bunyak said.

Deserved everything he got
That’s when temperatures started to rise.
“He was out of it and he was foaming at the mouth, grinding his teeth and being stupid, wide-eyed,” Bunyak said of Levesque.

McCosham, Bunyak said, was getting “just as pumped up” and began yelling and screaming at Levesque.
Bunyak said Levesque had assaulted her in the past, so she decided to “get into it with him too.”

“I just started shooting off my mouth about what he did to me, I called him a piece of scum and told him he deserved everything he got because he uses women as if they’re nothing, and he’s going to have to live with that,” Bunyak testified.

Levesque, Bunyak said, had “wanted me to work the streets for him” because he had known “I was going bankrupt.”
Tessier then asked Levesque why he had assaulted Bunyak.
“She’s a lying whore Jason,” Bunyak said Levesque responded, “she’s a f**king, lying c*nt.”

Would have been dead
That’s when Levesque grabbed a 12-inch knife from the kitchen counter and began lunging toward Bunyak, she testified.

“He said he was going to rip me to pieces, that I was a lying bitch.”

At that point Tessier, who was sitting on the washing machine, jumped up, grabbed Bunyak and hustled her out of harm’s way onto the deck, she testified.

“Jason saved my life and he’s on trial right now and that’s not fair,” Bunyak cried out.

“He’s a good person and if wasn’t for Jason Tessier I would have been dead.”

Superior Court Justice George Valin stepped in at that point.

“You are here to answer questions and not give speeches," Valin said.

Scuffle breaks out
Bunyak took several minutes to regain her composure. She said as she was being taken out of the kitchen by Tessier, “a scuffle” broke out between Levesque and McCosham.

“Devlin grabbed him from behind and then pounded him in the face and gave him a bloody nose.”

Bunyak said she didn’t see anyone else striking Levesque. Nor did she hear him call out for assistance.

“I was under a lot of shock when all of this was happening.”