Laura Babcock Murder Trial 12.06.17 - Closing Arguments - Day 2

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)

Cameron shows the photo of the bones burning in the incinerator. "These are not deer bones," she says.

Cameron says the experts who tried to identify the bones didn't know all the contextual information that the jury knows.


"Given the mountain of evidence you have heard, you know those aren't deer bones. That is a picture of what is likely Laura Babcock, after they got through with her," Cameron says.

 

[Jasper52]

Lisa Hepfner@HefCHCHNews

Millard thought he'd have the incinerator a few days after July 3rd. "He is literally standing over Laura's body when he texts Shane "BBQ trailer is the next highest priority." Why a barn smell check? Millard would only be worried if the smell was profound, and horrific.

"Millard put her body in the barn. In July." If he was worried about her being found, he might do a smell check, Cameron says.

They couldn't transport Laura by that time because they would be even more worried about the smell. The incinerator became a top priority. July 23rd it was ready. Millard didn't want Marlena there, but Smich said she could wait in the car "while we speak to that girl."

They wouldn't have to hide drugs or a deer from Marlena Meneses, Cameron says. "That girl was Laura."

Millard didn't try to hide the incinerator.. until he was using it. If they were burning garbage they wouldn't care if Marlena was there.

"They loaded Laura into the incinerator, then realized they needed power for the incinerator. So they went to the hangar." Cameron says. At the hangar, Meneses didn't have to be told to look away. #LauraBabcock was already in the machine.

Crown plays video of sparks flying the night of July 23rd. Internet search about temperature for burning a body. Photos of Smich 11:14pm holding the incinerator rake, posing in front of it at the hangar. More of same photo

Then the photo of something burning at the bottom of the incinerator, then #Smich records his rap song. Those are not deer bones, Cameron says.

When Millard got word that the incinerator was ready, he told his "brother" #Smich, The BBQ is ready for meat.

Forensic anthropologist Tracy Rogers was very fair, all she had to work with to identify human bones was a couple of blurry photos. The jury knows much more than that, Cameron tells them.

August 28, "Another dead deer at the farm," Millard says, in the context of needing Shane to refill the incinerator. Was there another deer at the farm? Cameron assures us not. We know when Millard was at the farm by his phone records, Cameron says.

 

[e3brown]

Was this in the tweets before in any form?

I think it was Marlena's testimony that Smich told her to stay in the front of the car and keep her head phones in while Smich and Millard were moving the incinerator. I think she said that Smich would often tell her to stay somewhere and listen to music. I am guessing that the crown is able to say this is what happened on the 3rd because of her testimony. I don't remember seeing this in the tweets.

 

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)


"Why would he need to burn a deer that died on his expansive property? It's a pretty expensive machine to burn the odd deer," Cameron says.

"It makes no sense that they burned anything other than Laura in there that night."

Cameron tells the jury if they have any doubt at all, ready the letters from Millard that were found at Noudga's home.

 

[CJPRINCESS]

Was this in the tweets before in any form?

I’m thinking the crown may be tying in stuff that wasn’t tweeted but was said in court. Both sides have access to the court tapes.

 

[ab-initio]

"Regarded" does NOT always mean past tense? could be saying "You of all people know how I THINK ,SEE,JUDGE,VIEW,Laura,"

Or possibly I'm wrong just looking for clarification?

Then the text could read "You of all people know how I regard Laura."
Intent is still the same.
Meaning changes with the tense.

 

[Shaz14]

Anyone in court today and can tell us what DM’s demeanour is like?

 

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)


Cameron says when Millard wrote the letters, it's clear he was still "deeply in love" with Noudga. He signs off I love you in several of them.

"He did not think these letters would ever end up before your eyes," Cameron says, showing all the places where Millard said to destroy the letters.

 

[ab-initio]

Was this in the tweets before in any form?

No. I think she is inferring this as a reasonable explanation because of how they repeatedly treated her (ie a call back to the night of the incineration.)

 

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)


Cameron says it's clear that Millard was asking Noudga to lie for him -- "to commit perjury."

"Christina was his confidant. He loved her, He trusted her. If he had nothing to do with the death of Laura Babcock, he would not have come up with a lie about how she died," Cameron says.

 

[Jasper52]

Lisa Hepfner@HefCHCHNews

When was Millard at the farm July 4th several times, then July 23rd several times, then September. When he sent the dead deer text, he hadn't even been to the farm. "Perhaps he needed the rest of the propane to burn the rest of #LauraBabcock."

Why would a hunter leave their kill in the woods? Why would anyone need a $40k dollar incinerator to get rid of the odd deer? That doesn't make sense, Cameron says.

If they jury has any doubt, they should read the letters left in Christina Noudga's home... written before Millard and Smich were arrested for #LauraBabcock's murder.

Noudga and Millard were clearly in love in the letters, Cameron says. She's reading the examples. Millard did not think Noudga would keep these letters. "Destroy this letter. Destroy this letter to protect me." Millard trusted Noudga to have her back, and she did.

"The police had to dig those letters out of her house," Cameron says of Noudga. Millard was clearly asking Noudga to lie for him. Millard says why not call Noudga, to interpret the letters. "He's the one who wrote them," Cameron counters.

"Only the craftiest of coyotes will be able to avoid charges like perjury." She's gotta be really smart to outsmart you, Cameron says of Noudga. Millard thinks he's going to be charged with Laura's death, that's why he wrote his confidante the way he did.

If #Millard was innocent, he would have urged Noudga to go to police. He would have no reason to go to her and make up a lie.

 

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)

Cameron is referring to the letter in which Millard suggests that Babcock OD'd, doing coke with Smich. Cameron says Millard had to blame Smich -- because he was the only other person there, at Maple Gate.

"He knew he was going to be on trial for the murder of Laura Babcock before he was going to be charged -- because he killed her," Cameron says.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Crown attorney JC: "Marlena is not an issue, Smich just tells her to stay in the room with her headphones in."

Was this in the tweets before in any form?

Not that I recall, IIRC.

JC might have framed that statement as a suggestion, not evidence (?)

 

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)

Cameron says to the jury, if you still have doubt, look at Mark Smich's face in the photo of him smiling in front of the incinerator. "Look at his smiling face. Look how proud he looks in front of this monstrous machine."


"You don't help get rid of a body, if you weren't part of making it," Cameron says about Smich. "It doesn't matter how they killed her. We will never know. But they killed her, and they tried to cover her up by burning her body. And they sure seemed pleased about it."

"Fortunately for us, they didn't do a very good job covering up their crime," Cameron says.


"They thought then, and they argue now, that no body equals no murder. And they are wrong. They may have successfully eliminated Laura's body, but what can't be eliminated is that mountain of evidence before you," Cameron says.

 

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)

Cameron asks the jury to let the evidence guide them. She's done with her closing. bbm

 

[Jasper52]

Lisa Hepfner@HefCHCHNews

"You saw her alive with Mark," #Millard wrote in his fake scenario. That's so he'd have someone else to blame. Millard says "write me back with any revisions." This was not a true story. He knew before he was charged because he killed her, crown says. No other reason for a story.

Laura Babcock was using drugs, she did have some problems, but this was not what happened to her, crown says. Millard's plan was to have Christina Noudga lie for him, because he killed #LauraBabcock, Cameron says.

Look at Mark Smich's face when you're in the jury room. His smiling face in this photo. "How could he be happy if he didn't want her dead. Mark confessed. Look how proud he looks in front of this monstrous machine. He calls her a ***** and he smiles."

It doesn't matter how they killed her. We may never know. They tried to cover it up by burning her body. They took photos. They kept her possessions as if collecting trophies. Fortunately for us, they didn't do a good job of covering their tracks, Cameron says.

"They thought then, and they argue now, that no body equals no murder, and they are wrong. What can't be eliminated is the mountain of evidence before you."

It's hard to imagine one, let alone two people would do this, but let the evidence guide you, Cameron tells jury. Nothing else makes sense. She is done.

Judge will start addressing the jury at 10am tomorrow.

 

[Nosey Parker]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)

Cameron asks the jury to let the evidence guide them. She's done with her closing. bbm

Excellent closing IMO.

 

[brightii]

What a stellar closing from Jill Cameron for the Crown! :takeabow:

Let justice follow swiftly and surely.

All MOO

 

[DeaconBrodie]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)

Cameron says to the jury, if you still have doubt, look at Mark Smich's face in the photo of him smiling in front of the incinerator. "Look at his smiling face. Look how proud he looks in front of this monstrous machine."


"You don't help get rid of a body, if you weren't part of making it," Cameron says about Smich. "It doesn't matter how they killed her. We will never know. But they killed her, and they tried to cover her up by burning her body. And they sure seemed pleased about it."

"Fortunately for us, they didn't do a very good job covering up their crime," Cameron says.


"They thought then, and they argue now, that no body equals no murder. And they are wrong. They may have successfully eliminated Laura's body, but what can't be eliminated is that mountain of evidence before you," Cameron says.

Closing with a picture of Say10 standing merrily in front of the Eliminator with his 'pitchfork' in his hands s a great touch!

I always thought that picture made him look like the devil or at least a D-Man.

 

[brightii]

Adam Carter's blog (CBC)

That's it, she's done. We're back tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. as Justice Code begins his charge to the jury.