CHML
5/10/2012
Will there be justice for Victoria Stafford? Only time will tell.
Jurors have begun deliberations in the first degree murder trial of the man accused of murdering the eight year old girl.
Michael Rafferty has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder, sexual assault causing bodily harm and kidnapping.
Justice Thomas Heeney spent all day giving detailed instructions to the jury, and reminded the panel to disregard any arguments by the lawyers that aren't backed by evidence.
The Crown alleges that Rafferty and girlfriend Terri-Lynne McClintic kidnapped Stafford outside her school in Woodstock, then drove to a rural area where the girl was raped and killed.
McClintic, who pleaded guilty two years ago to first-degree murder, initially told police Rafferty killed the girl, but testified at his trial that she delivered the fatal blows.
Now that jurors are deliberating, information that was discussed while the jury was absent from the courtroom can now be published.
It includes the video of Rafferty's interrogation by police after he was arrested in May of 2009.
During the nearly four-hour interrogation, a trembling, sniffling Rafferty starts hyperventilating and gagging when a police officer likens him to convicted sex killer Paul Bernardo.
His attitude and emotions run the gammut from despair, to frustration, to defiance and even nausea.
Throughout the interview, Rafferty denies any involvement with Tori's abduction and murder, insisting his only mistake was getting involved with 'bad people.'
Justice Heeney was worried the frequent pronouncements of guilt by investigators would be prejudicial, coupled with the fact Rafferty said nothing incriminating, he decided to keep the video from being seen by the jury.
|