The case of a Halifax man who had his second-degree murder conviction overturned made its way to Canada’s highest court on Monday.
Following 20 hours of deliberations, a jury found Paul Trevor Calnen guilty of killing his girlfriend, Reita Jordan, in November 2015.
WATCH: ‘Reita is much more than just this.’ Jordan family speaks as murder trial nears end
Jordan went missing in March 2013. Two months later, police charged Calnen with her murder and also committing an indignity to a human body.
On the first day of his trial, Calnen pleaded not guilty to murder – but guilty to the indignity charge.
READ: Paul Calnen pleads guilty to committing an indignity to human remains as murder trial opens
In a videotaped statement with police that was played at his trial, Calnen told investigators that he and Jordan got into a fight on March 18, 2013.
During the argument, Jordan threw things at him and kicked his belongings. Calnen told police Jordan had her back to the stairs and swung at him. He ducked and she went down the stairs. He says when he checked on her, she was dead.
WATCH: Paul Calnen reenacts events of Reita Jordan’s death
From there, the court heard Calnen tell police he put Jordan’s body in his truck and drove to Ingramport, where he dumped the body in the woods and burned her belongings.
Some time later, Calnen returned to the scene and moved Jordan’s body from the woods to Musquodobit. Once there, he started a fire and burned the remains.
In June 2017, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal tossed out Calnen’s murder conviction, saying there was insufficient evidence to support the charge and inadequate instructions to the jury by the trial judge.
READ MORE: Crown wants Paul Calnen murder conviction upheld
The Crown is appealing the decision by the province’s appeal court to overturn the murder conviction.
Both the Crown and Calnen’s lawyer, Peter Planetta, stated their case for the Supreme Court on Monday afternoon. A decision has been reserved until a later date.
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