A jury of seven men and five women will soon deliberate the fate of a Saskatoon man charged with second-degree murder.
Alvin Naistus, 26, is accused of stabbing William Johnston to death at the Northwoods Inn & Suites during the early morning hours of April 18, 2015.
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On Wednesday, the jury heard closing arguments from both lawyers in the case. The group is expected to begin deliberations on Thursday.
Naistus and Johnston were involved in an altercation outside of a hotel room prior to the stabbing, according to testimony. Both lawyers referred back to an eye-witness who said the men had bladed weapons in their hands and Johnston was the initial aggressor.
However, Crown prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczko pointed to video evidence that shows Johnston backing up as Naistus came toward him. She argued that the video proves Naistus was not acting in self-defence.
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However, defence lawyer Patrick McDougall contended that if Naistus had turned to walk away from Johnston, he would have been the one stabbed to death instead. McDougall told the jury that if someone is being attacked, they have the right to defend themselves and stop the attack from happening.
“Alvin Naistus was trying to survive, he wasn’t trying to kill William Johnston,” McDougall said during his closing argument.
McDougall also described the video evidence as “suspect” since it’s hard to make out much of the footage. He added that if the jury does not conclude Naistus acted in self-defence, they should still find him not guilty of second-degree murder.
“At best it’s manslaughter,” McDougall said.
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