A man accused of raping and killing a Calgary mother of four has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
Curtis Healy, who is 29, slouched in his seat after he was convicted in the death of Dawns Baptiste, whom he’d met on a light-rail transit train hours before he killed her.
Several of Baptiste’s loved ones were in the gallery, many wearing T-shirts with a photo of the smiling pink-haired woman.
Several sighed and weeped after the verdict was read.
The jury heard that Healy became enraged when Baptiste told him to leave her alone and that he stomped her head, dragged her into a back yard, raped her and struck her head with a large rock.
The Crown argued it was first-degree murder because the killing, sexual assault and unlawful confinement happened together early on Feb. 11, 2015.
The defence asked the jury to convict Healy of second-degree murder because the sequence of events was unclear.
Jury deliberations were paused for several hours on Friday after it was revealed that jurors had drinks the previous night in their hotel’s restaurant, where televisions were switched on and other patrons were present.
Jurors are not to access the internet, read the news or interact with other members of the public while they are sequestered.
Healy’s lawyer asked for a mistrial but Queen’s Bench Justice Charlene Anderson denied the request.
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