The trial of the teenager accused of murdering Lise Danais draws to a close at the Winnipeg courthouse as the Crown and defense presented their closing arguments on Monday
Crown prosecutor Jennifer Mann first presented her case in a last-ditch effort to convince the jury of the defendant’s guilt.
She explained that for the teenager, it was a very simple crime.
According to her, he would have killed Lise Danais early when she was sleeping, early in the morning of March 26, 2019, in her residence in the Southdale district. He then allegedly used the bleach container under the kitchen sink to hide his tracks.
In this case, the accused cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Moreover, Radio-Canada does not reveal certain details of the case so as not to identify this minor.
To create an alibi. Ms. Mann explains that the accused allegedly drove Ms. Danais’ dog to the dog daycare center before going shopping.
Ms Danais had a very protective and aggressive dog, which could have alerted her to an intruder or tried to protect her, Crown prosecutor Jennifer Mann said during closing arguments.
According to the Crown, the fact that he committed the crime while Ms. Danais was asleep proves that he had planned his murder in advance.
For his part, the defense lawyer argues that the evidence against his client is essentially circumstantial. He asks why other possibilities had not been explored further.
According to Me Matt Gould, the police did not sufficiently investigate a former colleague as a possible suspect, even though the woman said she was afraid of him.
During the trial, the former colleague, whose identity is prevented by a publication ban, testified that he was at work that day. Video tapes were also presented and proven according to a policeman who testified that he was at his place of work.
Me Gould believes that these video sequences could have been falsified. He told the jury that the man’s boss could not say with certainty that her employee was in the office that day. He adds that the surveillance cameras in his house were turned off the day before Lise Danais died.
According to him, the accused would have no motive to commit this crime.
It is based mainly on the text exchanges between the accused and the victim which were respectful according to him.
The trial will resume on Wednesday, when jurors receive instructions from Justice Anne Turner of the Court of Queen’s Bench.
With information from Anne-Charlotte Carignan and Sarah Petz
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
