The man accused of murdering a popular Vancouver park caretaker three years ago told a Vancouver courtroom on Thursday he did not know if he had killed the man.
Brent White, 54, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 77-year-old Justis Daniel. Daniel was found in his home in Tatlow Park with more than 40 stab wounds on Dec. 10, 2021.
White who has taken the stand in his own defence, has testified he attacked Daniel in self defence, after he claims the caretaker took a bite out of his neck and threw a knife at his face.
Under cross-examination on Thursday, he testified he did not know if Daniel had taken his last breath after the altercation.
The Crown suggested that White ensured Daniel would die, because he locked the door when he left the crime scene and took the senior’s cellphone with him.
White has testified that he did not intend to visit Daniel the day of the killing, but ended up there and was invited in.
White, who has been attending court with the help of a cane, testified earlier in the week about painful mobility issues he lives with as the result of a motor vehicle accident years ago.
But Crown pointed to video evidence from the time of the crime that showed White walking without a cane, and at an apparently normal pace.
On Wednesday, the court heard how White was concerned Daniel may have consumed his blood, so he researched how to cleanse himself of evil. The accused, however, testified he did not believe Daniel had “vampiric tendencies.”
The defence has already told the court White did not want to pursue a mental illness defence.
— with files from Rumina Daya