No verdict reached in Nicholas Butcher murder trial, deliberations to continue Saturday

Deliberations in the second-degree murder trial for Nicholas Butcher are set to resume on Saturday, after the jury was unable to reach a verdict Friday evening.

Butcher, 36, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Kristin Johnston. The 32-year-old was found dead at her home on Oceanview Drive in the Purcells Cove area on March 26, 2016.

READ: Jury in Nicholas Butcher murder trial start deliberations

The Crown has alleged Butcher fatally stabbed Johnston hours after she broke up with him.

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The defence has offered a different theory of what happened – they say that Johnston attacked Butcher when he was sleeping and that her death was the result of self-defence.

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On Friday, Justice Joshua Arnold delivered lengthy instructions ti the jury before they officially started deliberating the case shortly before 3 p.m. By 6 p.m., the jury had not reached a verdict and were sequestered overnight.

Deliberations are set to resume Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Nova Scotia Supreme Court.