The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG–The lawyer for a man accused of killing a teenaged girl in Winnipeg three decades ago says the Crown’s evidence is deeply flawed.
Saul Simmonds told court DNA testing and the handling of the crime scene was far from thorough, and his client, Mark Edward Grant, should be found not guilty of second-degree murder.
Grant is being retried for the murder of 13-year-old Candace Derksen, whose frozen body was found hog-tied in a shed in an industrial yard in January, 1985.
Simmonds said DNA found on the twine is infinitesimal, and may have come from one of the many yard workers or police officers who entered the shed.
Simmonds also is questioning the DNA testing methods at the lab the Crown used.
Closing arguments in the judge-only trial are expected to wrap up this week.
