"Reasonable Doubt All Over:" Lawyer
Feb, 02 2007 - 3:10 PM
EDMONTON/630CHED - A defence lawyer wrapped his final arguments in a murder case by telling the judge "there’s reasonable doubt written all over" the case.
For more than two hours Friday morning, Andrew Fong poked holes in the crown's theory and the credibility of crown witnesses at the murder trial of 26-year-old William Taylor. Taylor is charged with the torture-killing of 23-year-old Tim Salsman in August 2004, in the basement of a house near Provost.
Police failed to find Salsman's body, the weapon allegedly used to kill him is a skill saw. Fong told Justice Vital Ouellette that he can't safely say beyond a reasonable doubt someone died, let alone his client is the killer.
He said crown witnesses are drug-dealers, drug-users and paid-informants who can't be trusted.
"There's reasonable doubt written all over this," he said.
And he said, the papers are full of wrongful convictions and "just because people are charged does not mean that the crown is right."
Crown prosecutor Ashley Finlayson presented her case at the end of Friday afternoon.