Pynn-Butler trial: End of testimony, final arguments Monday

Testimony has concluded in the Pynn-Butler trial underway in St. John's Wednesday. Final arguments by lawyers will be presented to the jury on Monday.

The lawyers for neither Pynn nor Butler called witnesses after the Crown concluded its case Wednesday afternoon.

A police officer told a Supreme Court jury today about how investigators delved into a web of phone calls and text messages made before and just after Nick Winsor was shot to death in July 2011.

Sgt. Tom Warren, one of the police investigators who handled the homicide investigation, testified about a number of phone calls and text messages that were made by people involved in the investigation before and just after Winsor died in the garage of a home on Portugal Cove Road in St. John's.

Warren is the final witness in the Crown's case against Philip Pynn and Lyndon Butler, who are charged with second-degree murder in Winsor's death, as well as attempted murder against Tom "Billy" Power, who owned the house that the Crown says was the target of a botched robbery.

"Get a good phone and call from it," said an early-morning text message sent from the phone of Allyson Hatcher, the former girlfriend of co-accused Philip Pynn, to Felicia Pynn, Pynn's sister. The text was sent just a few hours after Winsor was shot in the throat.

Warren told the jury that a "good phone" meant a phone that cannot be traced.

Records obtained from Telus shows that multiple outgoing calls were made from between Hatcher's and Butler's phones on the day after Winsor's death.

'Comprehensive case'

Following the discussion surrounding phone records, Warren described how expansive the investigation into Winsor's death was three years ago.

Warren, who worked as a field investigator at the time, said 220 tasks were given to officers assigned to the investigation.

He described it as the "most comprehensive case" he has worked on in his lengthy policing career, with 104 interviews conducted in relation to the killing.

The most recent interview was done just weeks ago, when Ashley and Allyson Hatcher decided to give police a statement about their dealings with the accused.

No deal struck

Warren also attempted to clarify the circumstances surrounding Power's Sept. 5 confession that he hid drugs in bags that left his house the night Winsor was shot.

Power told Warren that following a discussion with the Crown, he decided to come clean about placing "a bit of weed" in his stepdaughter's bags. Surveillance video presented to the court shows Megan Reddigan running from the house with the bag shortly after the fatal shot was heard.

The defence had previously suggested that Power had struck a deal with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary so that he would not face perjury and drug charges in exchange for giving a statement.

However, Warren said Wednesday that no deal was made with Power or his lawyer Randy Piercey.

Rather, Warren said, he allowed Power to give police a witness statement instead of a warrant statement because the second-degree murder trial was mere weeks away.

He said he wanted the information from Power before the case went to trial.

Warren said that an independent officer will review Power's statement and decide whether or not charges will be laid.

Follow the live blog below as CBC reporter Ariana Kelland tweets from Supreme Court.