Watch above: jury takes a road trip as the first degree murder trial of David Woods continues
SASKATOON – The jury in the David Woods murder trial travelled the route his vehicle took in January 2012, two days before the body of his wife Dorothy was near Blackstrap Lake south of Saskatoon.
Police has tracked the route Woods’ vehicle took on Jan. 2, 2012 using GPS tracking units.
Her body was found in a culvert in the area on Jan 4, 2012 and police charged Woods two days after that with first-degree murder.
Although reluctant at first to agree to the trip, Woods’ lawyer eventually agreed.
“It occurred to me that it would be a valuable experience for the jury from the defence’s perspective as well,” said Michael Nolin.
Nolin said it was important to note a couple of kilometres separated where Woods’ vehicle went down a grid road and the culvert where Dorothy’s body was found.
“I want to be able to show distance, and distance is notoriously hard to describe in an artificial setting like a court room when you’re basing it off pictures.”
Nolin acknowledge the trip would have been hard on the Woods’ family, who travelled the route along with the judge, the accused and members of the media.
The judge told jurors the route viewing in and of itself is not to be used as evidence but rather to be used as a way of better understanding the evidence presented in court.
The trial continues Thursday in Saskatoon.
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