Fredericton court sees crime scene photos in accused shooter trial
The Fredericton jury in the quadruple murder trial of Matthew Raymond was presented with crime scene photos collected over four days.
RCMP corporals Chris Kean and Francis Coutu testified Tuesday in the third week of the first-degree murder trial.
Matthew Raymond, 50, has admitted to shooting Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright, then Fredericton Police Force Constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello when they responded to the call of shots fired at 237 Brookside Dr. on Aug. 10, 2018.
Raymond's defence lawyers are arguing he was not criminally responsible for the act because of a mental illness. They've entered into evidence dozens of pages of mathematical calculations they say were made by Raymond, along with newspapers with the words "serpent" and "hoax" written on the front pages.
Photos of the parking lot
Crown prosecutor Darlene Blunston warned the family of the victims who were in the gallery about the graphic nature of some of the photos presented. The photos, taken by Kean, showed the bodies of Costello and Robichaud on the ground around a silver Ford Fiesta. Inside the Ford, photos showed Wright's body slumped in the passenger-side front seat.
Some family members wiped away tears as the photos came up on large TV screens.
Raymond looked away from the monitor when photos of the victims appeared.
The court previously heard Burns was moved out of the parking lot and handed to an ambulance that morning.
The photos also showed bullet holes in the windows of the Ford, as well as damage to the doors and interior.
Kean also took photos of gouges on the pavement of the parking lot, possibly from bullets and ricochets, he said.
They also showed a blue fishing tackle box and two fishing rods laying by Robichaud's body.
Kean also took a photo of the registration of a motorcycle belonging to Donnie Robichaud. The motorcycle was parked next to the Ford Fiesta and covered, Kean said.
Photos of Raymond's apartment
Kean took photos inside Raymond's apartment after he was arrested. The photos show a cluttered one-bedroom with shotgun and rifle shells littering the living room and bedroom floors. They also show coolers and furniture stacked against the wall of a storage room, under a window looking out on the parking lot where the victims were found.
Photos of the living room shows more clutter, and a picture window riddled with bullet holes and bigger holes made by tear gas canisters shot in by police.
The living room photos show a rifle on the floor and a shotgun on a yellow couch. This was where Raymond was arrested after being shot in the stomach, the court previously heard.
Photos of the bedroom show newspapers with "serpent" and "hoax" written on the front page. The newspapers were laying on the bed when police found them.
Police also found multiple practice target sheets under Raymond's mattress, Kean says.
Defence asked Kean to describe photographs showing Raymond's wallet and dollar bills of different denominations with "serpent" written on them in red marker. Kean also described a photo of inside Raymond's freezer showing a box of wild blueberries with "666" written on it.
Kean also presented a photo of a notebook lying on top of a calendar of the month of August, 2018. The calendar has Aug. 4 through 9 marked with red Xs, and "666" written between Aug. 3 and 9. The notebook was opened to a page that reads "you serpents picked the wrong man to test. I am not alone. He's watching..."
Photos of inside apartments
Coutu testified he took multiple photos of the inside and outside of apartment buildings in the complex. He testified three apartments aside from Raymond's had bullet damage through their windows and into the walls and cupboards.
Coutu said he also seized items from Building A, Apt. 9, including multiple bullets and bullet fragments. A photo of the floor plan shows it's the apartment opposite Raymond's, on the top floor.
Inside Apartment 9 of Building A, Coutu found multiple bullet holes and fragments. This includes a bullet lodged in an artificial vanilla bottle, as well as one inside Robin Hood binder.
He also took photos inside Apt. 5 in Building A. This was where Sayad Motallebikia lived with his wife and two sons. Motallebikia testified Monday he had to duck when he heard a bang and his bedroom window break. Coutu found multiple bullet holes in his and his son's bedroom window and walls.
Coutu also took photos of Building B Apt. 9. That's where Martin Vezina lived. He testified last week that he barricaded himself and his family is his bedroom after hearing the shots, and hearing glass shatter in his apartment.
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