WINNIPEG — The man accused of sexually assaulting and killing a 73-year old grandmother, told officers he didn’t do it.
But in a shocking twist during his murder trial Thursday, Thomas Brine admitted to police he saw Elizabeth Lafantaisie’s body in the trunk of her car.
Brine has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder in the brutal attack, sexual assault and murder of the 73-year-old who cleaned homes for a living.
Earlier this week, a pathologist testified Brine’s DNA was found on the grandmother.
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In a videotape of Brine’s interrogation by Winnipeg Homicide Detectives played for the jury Thursday, Brine denies seeing or knowing anything about a body until he was pressed by detectives.
Brine admits to stealing a car from an apartment on Adamar Road just off Pembina Highway where Lafantaisie lived, then drove it to the Summerland Apartment parkade where he claims to have opened the trunk and panicked when he saw her body.
“I have this car with a (expletive) body in it, I was like holy (expletive) what was I going to do,” Brine said, getting emotional during the interview. “I didn’t (expletive) kill her man, there was stuff all over the trunk I didn’t kill her.”
Brine then admits to driving to a car wash on Osborne Street to get rid of his fingerprints.
“I washed it. I sprayed everywhere I could think of, the door handles, the doors,” Brine said.
He then says he bought drugs then dumped the car on a residential street in Osborne Village knowing Lafantaisie’s body was still in the trunk, but denies ever hurting her.
“There is no boogeyman that put her in that trunk,” the detective said.
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“I never put that lady in there,” Brine fired back. “I never put her in there.”
Brine then demanded to call his lawyer.
The Crown Prosecutor wrapped up its case late Thursday. The Defence said it had no witnesses to call and that Brine would not be testifying in his defence.
The jury will begin deliberating next week.