GUILTY Canada - Vida Smith, 69, enroute Chestermere, Alta, to Calgary, 21 Jul 2020 *Arrest*

[jash]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/chris-lee-vida-smith-calgary-murder-trial-verdict-1.6633097

“A Calgary man has been found not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of manslaughter for killing his friend and blackjack partner of 30 years during a fight over money.

Chris Lee, 63, a.k.a. Kevin Barton, admitted to fatally choking Vida Smith on July 21, 2020, while the two sat in his car.

Jurors had been deliberating since Thursday morning.

Lee and his lawyer Cory Wilson appeared to show relief as the jury foreperson read the verdict Friday night around 8 p.m.

Lee will be allowed to remain on bail ahead of a sentencing hearing set for next week……

…….Lee never denied killing Smith and offered to plead guilty to manslaughter on the first day of the trial — a move rejected by the prosecution.

On the day she was killed, Lee testified that Smith had offered to sell him her ex-husband's passport for $10,000.

But on the day they met, after grabbing a coffee together at a northeast Starbucks, the two counted Lee's cash and then Smith handed over a birth certificate instead of a passport, according to the Lee's testimony.

He said she then tried to get out of the car with his money.

Lee testified he had a "split-second reaction" and grabbed Smith to prevent her from leaving with his money.

The pair struggled, and Lee had his arm around Smith's neck. After 30 seconds, she went limp, he said…..”

Well this is disappointing. Even with second-degree murder, he'd likely be out in a flash. Now with just manslaughter? Ugh. The poor family.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I don't understand how it's not murder.

 

[MistyWaters]

I don't understand how it's not murder.

I wouldn’t have wanted to sit in that jury, it’s a fine line between the two. So I can only speculate but it may be, if the jury believed KB’s story, that his act of choking her was an act to force her to give back his money, not intending to kill her. But it could be argued that by killing her with intent, he was certain to retrieve his money.

 

[JerseyGirl]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/chris-lee-vida-smith-calgary-murder-trial-sentence-1.6641559

A Calgary man who admitted to killing his friend and gambling partner of 30 years has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter.

Chris Lee, who also goes by Kevin Barton, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the July 2020 death of Vida Smith, 69.

A jury found Lee, 63, guilty of manslaughter last week. At the beginning of the trial, Lee pleaded guilty to firearms offences stemming from the seizure of guns from his vehicle during his arrest.

 

[Gina20]

Calgary police, RCMP descend on Chestermere acreage for investigation - Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Dozens of members of the Calgary Police Service and Alberta RCMP were on the scene of a property east of Chestermere, Alta., searching the grounds behind a shop space on Friday.

globalnews.ca

Has Vida Smith been found?

 

[Gina20]

The police search continues on an acreage east of Chestermere, Alberta.

'It's unnerving': Police remain tight lipped on investigation east of Chestermere

A rural acreage east of Chestermere had dozens of Calgary police officers and forensic specialists continuing a days-long search.

calgary.ctvnews.ca

 

[MistyWaters]

The police search continues on an acreage east of Chestermere, Alberta.

'It's unnerving': Police remain tight lipped on investigation east of Chestermere

A rural acreage east of Chestermere had dozens of Calgary police officers and forensic specialists continuing a days-long search.

calgary.ctvnews.ca

Quite fascinating, this search. It seems like a very large police presence, if only to search for one body. This is taking place in area of Langdon, where a gang leader was shot dead last fall.

 

[Gina20]

Quite fascinating, this search. It seems like a very large police presence, if only to search for one body. This is taking place in area of Langdon, where a gang leader was shot dead last fall.

Police are still saying nothing. This article mentioned cadaver dogs.

Probe at acreage near Chestermere continues into fourth day

Calgary police are scouring an acreage near Chestermere in what appears to be a days-long forensic probe related to a criminal investigation

calgaryherald.com

 

[Gina20]

The warrant for this search was issued to the Calgary Police Service. CPS is leading the investigation. Whatever or whoever they're looking for remains unknown. Officers from the CPS and RCMP are present.

Another possibility is that they're looking for the remains of Shane Smith, a young man shot to death in 2020.

Friends of fatal shooting victim Shane Smith resume search for his body near Calgary city limits - Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Friends of Shane Smith, who was shot and killed last year, resumed a search for his body on Sunday.

globalnews.ca

 

[MistyWaters]

I think there’s no connection to this search and Vida Smith. The incidents for which this suspect is now facing charges for resemble the early days of Robert Picton IMO.

Calgary man charged with drugging and kidnapping sex workers, then assaulting them on acreage

A Calgary man is facing a litany of criminal charges for the alleged kidnapping, drugging and sexual assault of multiple sex workers.

calgaryherald.com

A Calgary man is facing a litany of criminal charges for the alleged kidnapping, drugging and sexual assault of multiple sex workers…..

…….The charges, announced Monday, come after a lengthy investigation by Calgary police and RCMP at an acreage east of Chestermere where 59-year-old Richard Robert Mantha allegedly brought his victims after drugging and kidnapping them in Calgary…..”

 

[Gina20]

I think there’s no connection to this search and Vida Smith. The incidents for which this suspect is now facing charges for resemble the early days of Robert Picton IMO.

Calgary man charged with drugging and kidnapping sex workers, then assaulting them on acreage

A Calgary man is facing a litany of criminal charges for the alleged kidnapping, drugging and sexual assault of multiple sex workers.

calgaryherald.com

A Calgary man is facing a litany of criminal charges for the alleged kidnapping, drugging and sexual assault of multiple sex workers…..

…….The charges, announced Monday, come after a lengthy investigation by Calgary police and RCMP at an acreage east of Chestermere where 59-year-old Richard Robert Mantha allegedly brought his victims after drugging and kidnapping them in Calgary…..”

Cadaver dogs tell me there is more to this story. Not likely Vida, but have they found the man responsible for the 1990s murders of Calgary sex trade workers?

 

[Gina20]

Perhaps for other threads:

Victimization of Prostitutes

Skip down to "Calgary Cases Since 1985".

 

[MistyWaters]

I hope Vida’s body has finally been found so her family and other loved ones can lay her to rest.

“Lee told jurors on Monday he left her tarped body in the mountains near Banff.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/chris-lee-kevin-barton-vida-smith-calgary-murder-trial-accused-testifies-1.6627470

Human remains found in Banff National Park in Alberta, police say - Canada News

Calgary police say their homicide unit is working with RCMP after human remains were discovered in Banff National Park.

www.castanet.net

“Calgary police say their homicide unit is working with RCMP after human remains were discovered in Banff National Park.

Police say investigators were surveying an area near a rest stop off the eastbound Trans-Canada Highway, east of Banff, Alta., after receiving information that remains may be there.

They say officers found the remains in the area Tuesday.

Police say the remains are believed to be related to a Calgary homicide investigation but did not provide further details….”

 

[Gina20]

I hope Vida’s body has finally been found so her family and other loved ones can lay her to rest.

“Lee told jurors on Monday he left her tarped body in the mountains near Banff.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/chris-lee-kevin-barton-vida-smith-calgary-murder-trial-accused-testifies-1.6627470

Human remains found in Banff National Park in Alberta, police say - Canada News

Calgary police say their homicide unit is working with RCMP after human remains were discovered in Banff National Park.

www.castanet.net

“Calgary police say their homicide unit is working with RCMP after human remains were discovered in Banff National Park.

Police say investigators were surveying an area near a rest stop off the eastbound Trans-Canada Highway, east of Banff, Alta., after receiving information that remains may be there.

They say officers found the remains in the area Tuesday.

Police say the remains are believed to be related to a Calgary homicide investigation but did not provide further details….”

Remains found near Banff identified as woman missing since 2020 - Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Last October police received information about a possible location. Terrain and winter weather conditions made a search 'not possible,' and on May 9, officers revisited the site.

globalnews.ca

 

[tarabull]

Remains found in Banff National Park belong to woman who vanished in 2020: police - Canada News

Police say remains found last week in Banff National Park are that of a woman who vanished nearly three years ago.

www.castanet.net