Closing arguments from the Crown in the double murder trial of Travis Vader wrapped up late Wednesday afternoon.
In front of a packed courtroom, Crown prosecutor Ashley Finlayson opened his lengthy argument by telling justice Denny Thomas that having heard all the evidence “his lordship should find Mr. Vader guilty” on two counts of first-degree murder.
The prosecution used the full day to detail the circumstantial evidence they claim proves Vader killed missing St. Albert couple Lyle and Marie McCann.
With Vader watching intently from the prisoners’ dock, Finlayson said the accused was a desperate man on July 3, 2010 – the day the retired couple was last seen.
According to the prosecution, something violent occurred after the McCann’s filled their motorhome with gas and they ended up dead at the hands of Vader.
Finlayson said Vader used the McCann’s cellphone to call, then text, an ex-girlfriend. He was allegedly seen later that day in the couples’ SUV by two “associates” – Dave Olson and Myles Ingersoll.
The Crown pointed to DNA from the accused, along with a fingerprint on a beer can, that was later found in the SUV as “crucial”.
The defence is set to deliver its closing argument on Thursday and is expected to claim that the crown has failed to prove the McCann’s are deceased, witnesses profited from testimony, and the RCMP had plenty of opportunity to plant evidence.
With files from David Ewasuk
