Closing arguments wrap up in trial of Russell Tessier, accused of fatally shooting friend
Closing arguments in the Calgary murder trial of Russell Tessier wrapped up on Thursday.
Tessier is accused of first-degree murder in the shooting death of his friend, Allan Berdahl, who was found dead on the side of a rural road east of Carstairs, Alta., on March 16, 2007.
Berdahl had been shot five times in the head.
Crown prosecutor Jillian Pawlow urged the jury to return a guilty verdict as she wrapped up her case, telling them the evidence points to a planned murder.
She said first-degree murder needs to be planned and deliberate, "but it doesn't have to be complicated or make sense."
Pawlow walked jurors through the evidence, from video surveillance to phone records and bank records.
She also focused on a cigarette butt found near Berdahl's body that had Tessier's DNA on it.
Defence lawyer Rebecca Snukal questioned the DNA evidence from the cigarette butt in her closing arguments, saying it could have been transferred from another item and that it was found almost a kilometre away from the body.
She also said Berdahl had a lot of enemies and owed a lot of money, suggesting there were a number of people who could be suspected in his death.
The jury received instructions from the judge Thursday afternoon before being sequestered to deliberate on a verdict.
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