GUILTY Canada - Renee Sweeney, 23, murdered, Sudbury, Ont, 27 Jan 1998 *arrest in 2018*

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  • #161
Gina20 said:
I'm wondering if something that happened at the store could have made the perp angry enough to kill Renee, thus the second degree murder charge. Would showing ID send him over the edge, or was it something else?
Click to expand...

You'd think that if it was just a matter of needing ID that he would return at another time with something "suitable". Murdering this young woman was senseless.

He's going to speak in his own defence. What will he say, I wonder.
 
  • #162
Steven Wright was charged with first degree murder initially.


The charge was reduced to second degree murder at some point. I'm not sure when that happened.

  • (6.2) Irrespective of whether a murder is planned and deliberate on the part of a person, murder is first degree murder when the death is caused by that person while committing or attempting to commit an offence under section 423.1.
  • Marginal note: Second degree murder
    (7) All murder that is not first degree murder is second degree murder.
From: Criminal Code

Robbery is an indictable offence. Sexual assault is an indictable offence. Theft Under $5000 is a hybrid offence; the penalty can be a fine, time in jail or both. Theft Over $5000 is indictable. Clearly, the value of the items was under $5000.

mpjlaw.ca

Theft Under $5000 Theft Over $5000 Criminal Code 322

Michael P. Juskey is a Theft Under $5000 lawyer that has successfully defended hundreds of criminal charges. Call now for a free consultation.
mpjlaw.ca mpjlaw.ca

I haven't seen any mention in media coverage of theft charges at all.
 
  • #163
  • #164
An internet search reveals that safety pins can be used to smoke hash. Investigators would know if the top of the pin was blackened or tested positive for trace substances/blood.
 
  • #165
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  • #169
northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Testimony at Robert Steven Wright trial focuses on first murder suspect, canine track

The first person charged with the murder of Renee Sweeney was put in the spotlight Tuesday at the trial of Robert Steven Wright.
northernontario.ctvnews.ca northernontario.ctvnews.ca

This article discusses the first suspect who was initially arrested, but subsequently had the charges dropped. Just wanted to share that I went to school with that guy, and saw and talked to him at a bar after he was arrested and released. He was a petty criminal type with a tough backstory, but a nice person generally. He had a twin brother, and was around 30 at this time.

What he told me at the bar was that he was arrested because of a fingerprint - not sure if it was a partial or improperly matched or if it was good, but had no explanation - and he was let go pretty quickly because he had a rock solid alibi. He said he was not in the city at the time of the crime, and I seem to remember a bus ticket was part of the story somehow. He was very credible with exactly the expected mix of relayed shock and fear and outrage at the accusation. It was a harrowing story, and easy to identify with the horror of being randomly arrested for a terrible crime you know nothing about.

I'm fairly confident that I also recall that at another point after the fact he told me he eventually sued the police, but was unsuccessful.
 
  • #170
JuneBug67 said:
northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Testimony at Robert Steven Wright trial focuses on first murder suspect, canine track

The first person charged with the murder of Renee Sweeney was put in the spotlight Tuesday at the trial of Robert Steven Wright.
northernontario.ctvnews.ca northernontario.ctvnews.ca

This article discusses the first suspect who was initially arrested, but subsequently had the charges dropped. Just wanted to share that I went to school with that guy, and saw and talked to him at a bar after he was arrested and released. He was a petty criminal type with a tough backstory, but a nice person generally. He had a twin brother, and was around 30 at this time.

What he told me at the bar was that he was arrested because of a fingerprint - not sure if it was a partial or improperly matched or if it was good, but had no explanation - and he was let go pretty quickly because he had a rock solid alibi. He said he was not in the city at the time of the crime, and I seem to remember a bus ticket was part of the story somehow. He was very credible with exactly the expected mix of relayed shock and fear and outrage at the accusation. It was a harrowing story, and easy to identify with the horror of being randomly arrested for a terrible crime you know nothing about.

I'm fairly confident that I also recall that at another point after the fact he told me he eventually sued the police, but was unsuccessful.
Click to expand...
That's good to know because I expect Wright will say that he was in the store but didn't kill Renee. He'll say she was already stabbed and he was trying to help her, and that he was so traumatized all these years that he never came forward as having been at the scene of the crime. It would create doubt in the jury if there was another person who could be blamed.
 
  • #171
Do we know what high school grade Wright was in when this murder occurred? He was 18 yrs old, so he could have been in grade 12 or 13(OAC), but I haven't read the answer anywhere.
 
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From the CBC article:

He told the court there were wounds on her face, shoulders, chest, abdomen and hands, but focused on a cluster of stab wounds on her neck.

Uren said these cuts partially severed Sweeney's carotid artery and her jugular vein, leading her to lose maybe as much as a litre of blood in just a few minutes. He said that's about 10 per cent of all the blood in her body.

I don't know if the hand wounds were defensive. I'm sure the way this attack occurred and where the injuries were tells investigators some important information about this murderer and his motivations. It was brutal.

This was a difficult day in court. Court is adjourned until Monday.
 
  • #178
  • #179
Gina20 said:
Now a North Bay hospital porter has been charged in another murder, this one from 1980.

North Bay man faces murder charges in 40-year-old case - BayToday.ca

Roger Deschenes of North Bay, a porter at the North Bay Regional Hospital, faces a first-degree murder charge. He appeared in court on November 19 and is remanded into custody until a bail hearing can be scheduled.

Detective-Inspector Kurtis Fredericks says back on July 10, 1980, the body of 20-year-old Micheline St. Amour was found in the bedroom of her East Ferris home.

"She had died of her injuries caused by stab wounds," said Fredericks.
Click to expand...
www.baytoday.ca

Deschenes gets life, in stabbing death of Micheline St. Amour

'Pure evil. I am 100 per cent guilty of her murder'
www.baytoday.ca www.baytoday.ca

From the article:

In a statement to the court, Deschenes described his actions as “nothing short of atrocious. Pure evil. I am 100 per cent guilty of her murder."

Also:

She was stabbed 23 times in the chest and sexually assaulted on July 10, 1980. She was also stabbed in other parts of her body.

Deschenes had no criminal record before or after St. Amour’s killing.
 
  • #180
Updated:

Many in the Sudbury courtroom were holding their hands over their mouths and wiping away tears with tissues handed out by court staff.


FYI: Up to four hours of counselling is available for jurors at the conclusion of a criminal trial. IMO, this may not be enough for some jurors affected by what they see and hear. This type of program should be determined by need for those who step up to do this important job. Already compensation has been adjusted due to hardship in this trial.

www.ontario.ca

Jury duty in Ontario

What you need to know about the jury duty process and what to do if you’re selected.
www.ontario.ca www.ontario.ca


The judge also told the jury he will be raising their compensation to $100 per day from the standard $40 per day.
 
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