What was supposed to be a three-week trial will now be longer is what Justice Rodney Jerke told the jury in the Jillian Across The Mountain trial on Friday.
Across The Mountain is accused of manslaughter in the stabbing death of her former partner and friend, Frances Candy Little Light.
During closing arguments, Crown prosecutor Clayton Giles told the jury how Across The Mountain provided three different accounts of what happened when Little Light died in Lethbridge on Feb. 7, 2016.
The first version of events was when she was interviewed by police and told them she didn’t know what happened to Little Light. In the second instance Giles cited, Across The Mountain didn’t recall her involvement in the struggle she had with Little Light as being self-defence until the trial was underway.
In the third instance Giles cited, Across The Mountain said she knew she had defended herself, but didn’t tell police at the time because she didn’t think they would believe her.
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The Crown also said the number of wounds, depth of wounds and where they were located does not fit with a claim of self-defence. Giles said Across The Mountain testified the knife never left Little Light’s hand .
“Could Candy truly have held the knife that plunged into her own back?” he asked.
The judge will give his charge to the jury on Monday morning and then deliberations will begin.
On Friday, the judge instructed the jury to disregard part of the defence’s closing statements.
“Some of the comments made by defence counsel in his address to you ought not to have been made,” Jerke said.
He added the defence must refrain from engaging in inflammatory rhetoric.
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