Latest news with #MichaelLacy
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
‘It's unacceptable': Adam Drake's defence lawyer blocked from leaving court, followed
The defence lawyer for the man accused of killing battle rapper Pat Stay says he was blocked from leaving the parking lot of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Dartmouth and subsequently followed. Michael Lacy told Justice Scott Norton about the incident before the judge delivered his final instructions to the jury in Adam Drake's second-degree murder trial on Tuesday. Lacy said justice system participants deserve to do their jobs 'without being harassed, intimidated, physically accosted, followed away from the courthouse.' Lacy acknowledged the need for defence lawyers to have 'thick skin,' but said people are not entitled to 'physically intimidate counsel, whether it's the Crown of defence counsel, to get in their way and impede them from leaving, following them after they leave the courthouse.' 'This is the kind of thing that's happened over the last two days in this trial,' he said. 'Not once in the 28 years that I have practised, have I been subjected to that conduct and I watched Ms. (Jennifer) MacDonald be subjected to that conduct.' After eventually leaving the courthouse on Monday, Lacy said he was followed, and that fellow defence lawyer Jennifer McDonald was behind the 'thug' who was following him, calling the person 'one of the thugs from the mob of the misinformed.' He said there was video of that person 'aggressively driving' with no licence plate, following them and circling in a parking lot they ended up in, to the point where police were called. Lacy said he wanted to make it part of the court record, but it didn't impact his ability to defend Drake. He said he didn't want to become a complainant for the purpose of doing his job, but he did want to ensure the jurors weren't impacted and that they didn't see or read about what happened. 'It's unacceptable, it shouldn't happen,' Lacy said. Ultimately, after learning through video surveillance footage that jurors were not present, he decided not to ask that the judge's instructions to the jury reflect the incidents. Drake is accused of fatally stabbing Stay at a Halifax nightclub on Sept. 4, 2022. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. The jury began deliberations Tuesday afternoon following a six-week trial. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Defence lawyer tries to poke holes in Crown's case, asks jury to find Adam Drake not guilty
Adam Drake's defence lawyer Michael Lacy (centre) made closing arguments on Monday, asking the jury to find his client not guilty of second-degree murder. (CTV Atlantic / Callum Smith) Adam Drake's defence lawyer tried to poke holes in the Crown's case against him on Monday. The defence made their closing arguments to the jury, asking them to find Drake not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of battle rapper Pat Stay. Defence lawyer Michael Lacy said the Crown is asking jurors to use 'confirmation bias' to deliver a guilty verdict – something they took an oath to reject, vowing to judge fairly. He called out several flaws in the quality of surveillance video, which is a key piece of evidence for the Crown. If it was that clear, the Crown would've played the video and sat down, he said. The defence described the footage as grainy, saying people can't accurately identify movement, and that the camera's distance from the stabbing creates another challenge. Lacy raised several questions, saying jurors might wonder why another man chased down Stay and sucker punched him after, asking if that man was 'finishing off what he started?' The jury heard that man was arrested after the stabbing along with another. Lacy argued there's no evidence whatsoever that Adam Drake made physical contact with Pat Stay. He suggested the Crown has simply not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Drake – to the exclusion of other potential suspects – stabbed Pat Stay. The only 'just' decision, according to Lacy, would be to return a not-guilty verdict. He also highlighted testimony that Drake's demeanour didn't change after the stabbing, that he went to a hotel room with a friend's family and left the next day wearing the same clothing. He also pointed out that no blood or DNA was detected on Drake's satchel which he wore that night. He acknowledged Stay was beloved, that he deserves justice, his family deserves answers, and the community wants closure. However, he added 'real justice' doesn't come from convicting someone 'to find peace.' 'You can't convict Adam Drake on suspicion, uncertainty, or desire to resolve a tragic case,' he said. 'You require clear, reliable proof.' Lacy said finding proof beyond a reasonable doubt is a 'heavy burden' to reach because it's to avoid the risk of convicting an innocent person. 'The defence does not have to prove anything. The burden is on the Crown to overcome the presumption of innocence,' Lacy said. While wrapping up his closing arguments, Lacy reminded the jury that the Crown gave 19 reasons to convict Drake. But he said jurors only 'need one to acquit: reasonable doubt.' He told the jury they could not rule out at least three other people that he suggested could've been responsible and asked them to return a not guilty verdict. The jury will begin deliberating on Tuesday, after Justice Scott Norton gives final instructions. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Defence asks jury to disregard video evidence in trial of man accused of killing Pat Stay
The defence presented its closing arguments Monday morning in the second-degree murder trial of Adam Drake. Drake, 34, is accused of fatally stabbing Pat Stay in a Halifax bar in the early hours of Sept. 4, 2022. The Crown's key piece of evidence is video surveillance from inside the Yacht Club Social the night the Dartmouth battle rapper was stabbed. It shows Stay with his back to the camera getting into an altercation with someone. He turns around, brushes what appears to be blood from his chest and is then punched. He stumbles to the floor, gets back up and walks out of the camera's view. Defence lawyer Michael Lacy spent most of Monday morning urging the Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury to disregard the video evidence. Lacy, who didn't submit any evidence during the trial, also urged the jurors to disregard a Facebook post Drake made a couple of weeks prior to Stay's death in which he wrote "can't wait to give you a big hug." Lacy said the post says nothing about what happened inside the club the night Stay was stabbed. Lacy showed video of Drake outside a nearby hotel in the hours after Stay's death, pointing out Drake was wearing the same clothes he wore while he was at the Yacht Club Social. That, the defence lawyer said, was not the behaviour of a guilty man. The trial at a Dartmouth courthouse has been emotionally charged. On Monday morning, sheriffs had to reprimand members of the visitors' gallery for making loud comments during the defence's closing arguments. After Lacy had finished his arguments late in the morning and was attempting to leave the parking lot, his path was blocked by a man on a motorcycle. Several sheriffs urged the motorcyclist to get out of the way — one even suggesting he'd be arrested if he didn't move his bike. The man eventually complied and then followed Lacy's SUV as he pulled out of the parking lot of the Mellor Avenue courthouse. The Crown presented its closing arguments on Friday. It's expected Justice Scott Norton will deliver instructions to the jury on Tuesday.
