‘It has to stop': Advocates warn impacts of impaired driving are far reaching
A string of collisions in Nova Scotia sparks concerns about ongoing impacts of impaired driving.
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CBC
37 minutes ago
- CBC
Sisters angry at their mother attacked her as she slept, murder trial hears
Two sisters accused of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of their 88-year-old mother were angry at how they said she treated them, struck and strangled her as she slept, then called 911 and told the dispatcher and police that they had killed her, their trial heard Tuesday. Chau Lam, now 59, and Hue Lam, now 62, have both pleaded not guilty in Superior Court in Ottawa to murdering their mother Kieu Lam. The salt-and-pepper-haired sisters sat in the courtroom Tuesday directly behind defence counsel as the judge gave her opening instructions to the jury and the Crown opened its case. Jury selection was completed Monday. Assistant Crown prosecutor Tasha Bobrovitz told the 13 jurors — seven men and six women — that in the days leading up to the killing on Oct. 31, 2022, the sisters discussed a plan to kill their mother. "They entered her bedroom as she slept in the comfort of her bed, used a hammer to strike her head, and throttled her with a string cinched across her neck," Bobrovitz said. "You will hear each of them in their confessions to police describe how they did it, why they did it and when they did it, in detail. "They were mad — angry at their mother for how they say she treated them." Co-operated with police The sisters were waiting at the front door when police arrived and pointed them up to the second floor of their townhouse where Kieu Lam was lying unresponsive in her bed. Lifesaving efforts had no effect and she was pronounced dead. A forensic pathologist is expected to testify that the cause of death was compression to the neck with a component of ligature strangulation, Bobrovitz said. One officer spoke to the sisters, who speak Vietnamese and participating in the trial with the help of live translation, in the kitchen, using broken English and Cantonese. Bobrovitz told the jury that when the officer asked them what happened, Hue Lam pointed at herself and her sister, clasped both of her hands together in a fist, raised it above her head, then made a downward striking motion. Witnesses for the Crown include police and paramedics who responded to the scene, a forensic pathologist who visited the scene and performed the autopsy on Kieu Lam, and the homicide detectives who interviewed each sister separately and heard "exacting details about the murder of their mother," Bobrovitz said. 'Me and my sister kill my mom' The dispatcher who took Chau Lam's 911 call was the first witness to testify. Marlo Villalobos said it was his birthday the day of the call, and colleagues had just finished singing him happy birthday when he offered to pick up an incoming call. That call was played in court. In the recording, Lam says she needs police and that "Me and my sister kill my mom." "Sorry, I'm having a really hard time understanding," Villalobos replies. "Kill my mom," Lam says before spelling out the word kill. The dispatcher puts Lam on hold to get a translator. When he and the translator hop back onto the line, the translator confirms that Lam is saying she and her sister killed their mother. "Yeah, too angry, so they took a hammer and hit her and strangle her. I don't know if she's dead or not," the translator says. The dispatcher asks if their mother is breathing and if they can go check, and Chau Lam replies through the translator that she doesn't know and will let police check. Moments later police are heard arriving, and the call ends a short while later. Friend of the court appointed for Hue Lam Justice Narissa Somji is presiding the approximately five-week trial. Chau Lam is being represented by defence lawyers Ewan Lyttle and Brett McGarry. Hue Lam is representing herself. To ensure her right to a fair trial, Paolo Giancaterino was appointed by the court to act as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, to raise any important issues, ask questions and make submissions and objections during the trial. That may sound a lot like a defence lawyer's role, but amicus curiae don't act quite the same. The bar for raising issues is typically higher for an amicus curiae than for defence counsel, and is limited to interventions aimed at preventing a miscarriage of justice. Bobrovitz is prosecuting the case alongside assistant Crown attorney Julian Whitten.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
P.E.I. judge to decide this fall on legality of DNA taken from Byron Carr murder suspect
Dates have been set for court proceedings that will determine whether the DNA collected from Todd Joseph Gallant as part of the investigation used to charge him with the murder of Byron Carr violated his rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Gallant has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of interfering with human remains connected to the 1988 killing of the 36-year-old Montague Regional High School teacher. Charlottetown Police had long said they believed Carr had consensual sex with a young man he brought to his Charlottetown home, and presumed that person was his killer. Advances in technology prompted the force to reopen the Carr cold case in 2007. Last year, Charlottetown Police announced it had used genetic genealogy to match a DNA sample taken from underwear at the Carr crime scene to Gallant, who lived on P.E.I. at the time of the murder but left the province shortly afterward. He returned to the Island in 2022. Gallant's lawyer, Chris Montigny, told CBC News on Tuesday that the defence is taking issue specifically with one step in the process that investigators said they used to match the crime scene DNA to Gallant. "We're alleging that the seizure of some of the evidence was contrary to the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure," Montigny said. "An accused person is allowed to ask a court to consider whether or not that evidence was collected in violation of their Charter rights — and if so, what is the appropriate remedy? "In this case, we're asking that that evidence that we say was gathered improperly be excluded from the trial." Sample gathered in 2023 Montigny said this comes down to "an opportunity to get DNA" from Gallant in 2023 when had returned to P.E.I. and was living in Souris. No details have emerged in court about how this DNA was gathered. Gallant has already pleaded not guilty and elected for his case to be heard before a judge and jury in the Supreme Court of P.E.I. But the arguments on whether the DNA evidence can be produced will be made before a judge alone, starting Oct. 8. In the meantime, both Montigny and the Crown prosecutor handling the case will be preparing for that hearing. They have to file documents with the court on dates that were fixed during a court appearance on Tuesday. The hearing in October will involve calling witnesses, which Montigny said will likely include police officers who took part in the investigation. Gallant has been in jail for a year and a half so far and will stay there until his next scheduled appearance, at the October hearing.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Edmonton police say shootings are down from last month
Edmonton police say that shootings have been on the decline. There were eight recorded shootings last month, a decrease from 11 shootings recorded in April and the 10 shootings recorded in May 2024. 'The drop in shootings last month is certainly a positive and hopefully is a trend,' says Staff Sgt. David Graham of the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) Firearms Investigation Section. 'The EPS has built a strategy to not only fully investigate every shooting and the individuals and groups involved but also trace the origins of the firearms in an effort to work towards prevention.' EPS Edmonton police say shootings have gone down from last month. (Supplied) Of the eight reported shootings in May, seven were believed to be targeted and five resulted in reported injuries. There was one death as a result of a shooting last month. Police also seized 56 firearms in May, contributing to a total of 312 seized so far this year. Last year at this time, Edmonton police had confiscated 332 firearms.
