Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Jury In Case Of Montreal Man Michel Cadotte On Trial In Ailing Wife's Slaying Asks To Hear His Testimony

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Feb, 2019 12:01 AM

    MONTREAL — The jury deciding the fate of a Montreal man on trial for the killing of his ailing wife wants to hear his testimony again.

     

    Late Friday, jurors sent an envelope making the request to Quebec Superior Court Justice Helene Di Salvo, asking to relisten to Michel Cadotte's testimony.


    Cadotte, 57, is charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of Jocelyne Lizotte in February 2017.


    Lizotte, 60, was suffocated in her long-term care bed at a Montreal facility where she was receiving treatment for the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, which had left her incapable of recognizing her family or taking care of herself.


    Cadotte had been told in 2016 that his wife of 19 years did not qualify for a medically assisted death because she couldn't consent and was not considered to be at the end of her life.


    Cadotte's lawyers have argued their client was in a depressed state and was unable to cope after watching Lizotte suffer for nine years. The Crown has countered that Cadotte understood the impact of his actions and intended to kill Lizotte when he held a pillow over her face.


    The jurors have two possible verdicts open to them: They must decide whether the crime carried the intent requisite for second-degree murder or if it was manslaughter.


    The request to re-listen to Cadotte came after a second full day of deliberations that went an hour longer than usual.


    Arrangements were made to have the jurors listen to the testimony beginning Saturday. During the trial, Cadotte's testimony and cross-examination by the Crown lasted about two days.


    "They are a conscientious jury who are doing their job, so we have a lot of faith in them," Elfriede Duclervil, Cadotte's lawyer, told reporters, with fellow defence attorney Nicolas Welt adding Cadotte's testimony is central to his state of mind.


    "It's exactly what we asked them to do, and it's what they're doing," Duclervil added.


    The eight-man, four-woman jury was sequestered Wednesday after receiving lengthy instructions from Di Salvo.


    The jury will remain sequestered until they reach a unanimous verdict.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Avalanche Warning Issued For B.C.’s South Coast, Island As Weak Snowpack Persists

    Avalanche Warning Issued For B.C.’s South Coast, Island As Weak Snowpack Persists
    Avalanche Canada says there is a weak layer in the snowpack that is about 50 centimetres deep, prompting a warning until Sunday.

    Avalanche Warning Issued For B.C.’s South Coast, Island As Weak Snowpack Persists

    Sell Regulated Heroin To Drug Users To Reduce Overdose Deaths: B.C. Group

    Sell Regulated Heroin To Drug Users To Reduce Overdose Deaths: B.C. Group
    The BC Centre on Substance Use is proposing a policy to sell legally regulated heroin as part of an urgent response to reduce opioid overdose deaths from a toxic drug supply that is profiting organized crime groups.

    Sell Regulated Heroin To Drug Users To Reduce Overdose Deaths: B.C. Group

    Few Incentives In Spending-Heavy B.C. Budget, Global Downturn Worries Business

    VICTORIA — British Columbia's budget pays too little attention to the potential impacts of a slowing global economy and a shifting housing market, business leaders say.

    Few Incentives In Spending-Heavy B.C. Budget, Global Downturn Worries Business

    Proposed Edible Pot Rules Are Wasteful, Would Leave Products Tasteless: Critics

    Proposed Edible Pot Rules Are Wasteful, Would Leave Products Tasteless: Critics
    Canada's proposed edible pot regulations would result in tasteless products wrapped in wasteful packaging, shutting out medical patients and fuelling a continued black market, critics say

    Proposed Edible Pot Rules Are Wasteful, Would Leave Products Tasteless: Critics

    Man Arrested, Charged In String Of Four Bank Robberies Over Four Hours In Surrey

    Man Arrested, Charged In String Of Four Bank Robberies Over Four Hours In Surrey
    Richard Orr, 24, Is Charged With Four Counts Of Robbery And Remains In Custody Following The Four-Hour Spree On Feb. 12.

    Man Arrested, Charged In String Of Four Bank Robberies Over Four Hours In Surrey

    Alcohol Policies Fizzle For Canadian Governments As Harms Overflow: Reports

    Alcohol Policies Fizzle For Canadian Governments As Harms Overflow: Reports
    VICTORIA — Two new studies say the federal and provincial governments must do more to reduce alcohol consumption after determining damages from drinking have surpassed tobacco use.

    Alcohol Policies Fizzle For Canadian Governments As Harms Overflow: Reports