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Dean Penney sat calmly in the witness box as he began his testimony in his first-degree murder trial on Thursday. He's charged in the death of his estranged wife, Jennifer Hillier-Penney, on Nov. 30, 2016. It's up to the jury to decide whether the murder was planned and deliberate.

On Thursday, Penney spoke in court about his life in the fishery, and the life he built with his wife, Jennifer Hillier-Penney.

Penney, who has pleaded not guilty, also spoke on multiple occasions about how he struggled to grasp why his marriage was falling apart in late 2016. He spoke of how hard he worked to provide for their family.

On Nov. 30, 2016, the day his wife died, Penney said he was on a hunting trip at his cabin, about 50 kilometres outside St. Anthony. He said he came back to town once around supper time to get a coffee, and came back again around 11 p.m. To get his duck decoys and see his daughter, Deana. He came back to his house, where Hillier-Penney was staying while he was away.

He spoke of how he faced death threats in the immediate aftermath of his wife's disappearance, and that it went as far as a bullet being shot into the back wall of his home. The finger was quickly pointed at him, he said, and that the RCMP "weren't looking at anyone else."

Penney was introduced to Vic, an undercover RCMP officer in need of a hunting guide, around 2019. Penney and Vic grew close, with Penney testifying he thought of Vic as a best friend and as close to family as an outsider can get. They connected on a deep level, gave each other gifts, and Penney said Vic was there for him following the death of his mother in 2021.

Odd jobs from Vic began coming to Penney during that period, with Penney saying it was a much-needed morale and financial boost. Vic vouched for Penney within the fictitious criminal organization set up to get close to Penney and squeeze information out of him regarding his wife's disappearance. Penney said he felt the weight of the voucher, and that he felt crossing the group negatively could lead to consequences.

Penney's testimony will resume on Friday at 10 a.m. NT. 

That is the final testimony that will be heard this afternoon. Dean Penney’s testimony will resume on Friday. 

A juror has been excused from the case due to a personal matter, meaning one of the alternates will step into the jury.

Friday is a half-day in court, meaning the trial will only sit until around 12:30 p.m. NT. Ryan Cooke and I will be back tomorrow morning when the trial resumes.

As part of the fictitious crime organization, Vic vouched for Penney and the work he was doing. Vic told Penney that if he were to double-cross him, it would “break his heart.”

Penney said he felt the weight of that voucher, and said he knew going against the group could bring consequences.

Penney told the fictitious crime organization that he was never violent toward women. He added he wasn’t raised like that.

Just before, he reiterated that all of the work he did and money he made was for Jennifer Hillier-Penney, his wife of 18 years.

Members of Jennifer’s family continue to watch quietly. Some have their eyes locked on him. Others, like his daughter Marina, aren’t making eye contact with Dean Penney.

They’re now discussing a conversation that was played for the court, where Penney told Vic about multiple missing people from St. Anthony, including his wife. 

St. Anthony — named for the patron saint of the lost — has seen more than its fair share of missing people who have never been seen again.

Penney says he wanted Vic to understand how he was feeling, to understand he wasn’t always like this.

During that conversation, Penney was adamant he had nothing to do with Jennifer Hillier-Penney’s disappearance and called her his "sunshine."

"I was just tired of people blaming me for something I didn’t do," Penney testified. "Vic seemed like a good person to vent to, so I started talking to him about it."

Penney says he had death threats, people who were violent towards him, a bullet shot through the back wall of his house, and more.

On top of his own bills, Penney was also given his childhood home by his mother when she died. Penney said he felt he had a responsibility to upkeep the home, adding to his financial pressures.

Vic said in his testimony that he saw Penney lose around 20 pounds after his mother’s death. It was around this time Vic started approaching Penney with odd jobs in order to give him financial support.

"That was a pretty big advance for me," Penney said.

Penney is talking about the loss of his mother, Ruby, in 2021. She ran the family fishing business, which fell apart in her absence.

Penney said this was "another big emotional loss." His lawyer, Mark Gruchy, asks what the other big loss was.

"My wife, who went missing, was a very big emotional loss because there were no answers and we didn’t know what was going on," Penney says. "She was a very big part of my life."

There’s an audible sigh from Hillier-Penney’s older brother. 

Penney says he suffered financial and emotional hardship, and Vic was there for him on both fronts — offering support in friendship and money.

The break is over, and we’re back underway.

The undercover officer, Vic, testified earlier in the trial about his close relationship with Dean Penney. They gave each other “bro hugs” and exchanged gifts on multiple occasions. He said Penney gave him a locally sourced, carved soapstone polar bear, which he says is still one of the best gifts he’s ever received. 

Vic said they were best friends — to the point where he hoped their investigation would prove Penney didn’t kill his wife.

Penney has been testifying for an hour, and the court is now in recess for a short afternoon break.

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