A man and woman charged in a bizarre Edmonton bus shelter mischief spree had their day in court Thursday.
Cynthia Zambrano, 38, pleaded guilty to mischief and will be back in court for sentencing on Jan. 6, 2017.
Leonardo Autera, a 56-year-old from Italy, took his charges to trial and pleaded not guilty to mischief under $5,000 and possession of a weapon.
Autera testified in his own defence and became emotional when asked if he damaged a bus shelter.
“I would never allow myself to do it,” Autera told the court through his Italian translator.
Autera testified he came from Italy for a photography project and he has two children back home – a six-year-old and a 10-year-old. He said he is married and his wife is battling cancer.
In February, the Edmonton Police Service was investigating a rash of bus shelter vandalism. More than 70 shelter window panes had been destroyed, with costs for cleanup and repairs estimates at $30,000.
The pair originally faced more than 40 charges and were accused of using a slingshot and marbles to smash bus shelters.
READ MORE: Police search for vandals that smashed dozens of bus shelters, cars and homes
Autera testified he and Zambrano went to a store hours before they were arrested and had bought a slingshot to give to a child.
Const. Jeffery Benedict testified that on Feb. 27, 2016, just before 2 a.m. he saw a red van drive past a bus shelter at 50 Street and 140 Avenue.
Benedict told court his window was unrolled and he heard a loud bang. He said the van had slowed down well below the posted speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour.
There was nobody else around.
The van was pulled over and Zambrano, who was driving, was arrested; Autera, who was in the passenger seat, was taken into custody. Benedict said he found a bag on the floor in the van.
“I could see clearly inside there was a slingshot with a black handle,” Benedict told the court.
There were seven marbles inside, he said.
During cross examination, Benedict told the court he could not say how the bus shelter was shattered, nor could he say who the slingshot and marbles belonged to.
Autera’s lawyer asked the court to dismiss the weapon charge, stating a slingshot’s intended use is not that of a weapon.
Judge Harry Bridges disagreed. He told the court one of his favourite toys as a child was a slingshot, and some of them fire at high speed.
“I went around the neighbourhood terrorizing birds,” he said.
Zambrano told Global News the entire situation has been “extremely hard.”
“My name was everywhere,” Zambrano said. “I’m a private person.”
READ MORE: ‘This is not like her’: Family of woman charged in Edmonton bus shelter vandalism
Zambrano said she developed an online relationship with Autera for six months before he left Italy to come to Edmonton.
The pair had met with a Postmedia reporter who wrote about their art project – taking pictures of people at bus stops.
They told reporter Madeleine Cummings they were intrigued by the diversity of people at bus stops and they had planned on publishing a photo book.
READ MORE: Middle-aged man and woman face dozens of charges in connection with Edmonton vandalism spree
Zambrano admits to being involved in seven bus shelter smashes, but the updated charge only relates to one.
Zambrano said she is looking forward to paying her debt to society. She called the case embarrassing, but said her arrest put an end to what she called a manipulative and controlling relationship.
“I don’t understand how I got so confused and caught up,” she said outside the courtroom.
“I’m not easily manipulated or swayed.”
Autera’s lawyer asked the court for an acquittal. Trial arguments are expected to wrap up on Friday.
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