VANCOUVER — Jury members deciding the fate of two accused terrorists broke early yesterday evening as a judge contemplated their confusing questions.
British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce said she would need some time to prepare a response as jurors wrapped up Day 2 of deliberations in the case of John Nuttall and Amanda Korody.
Jurors asked the judge how Nuttall and Korody's perception of themselves, whether lone-wolf terrorists or part of a larger group, should impact the verdict.
In her submission, defence lawyer Marilyn Sandford called the jury's query extremely complex and difficult, made all the more so by the fact that their arrest was part of an RCMP sting operation.
Crown argued the pair's belief should not impact the jury's verdict, and what matters is whether the two saw themselves as members of a group with terrorist intent.
Korody and Nuttall have each pleaded not guilty to three terrorism-related charges. They are accused of plotting to detonate pressure-cooker bombs at the B.C. legislature on Canada Day two years ago.