It’s day three (Oct. 25) of deliberations for the jury in the Supreme Court trial of Langley’s Robert Bradshaw who is charged with the first degree murders of Marc Bontkes and Laura Lamoureux in March 2009.
Bradshaw took the stand last week saying he had nothing to do with either murders. In a complicated defense, he said he was caught on police tape talking about details about each murder because he was going along with a story convicted murderer Roy Thielen had told him earlier. He agreed to be implicated in both murders so Thielen could get into this gang he wanted to be part of.
Also last week, his defense lawyer attempted to call a mistrial after his client’s driving record was revealed in his Supreme Court jury trial on Friday.
Lawyer Paul McMurray said the Crown brought in Bradshaw’s driving record, which includes impaired driving and driving while prohibited charges, without notifying the defence. McMurray told the judge that the driving record contains references to convictions that are irrevelant to the trial.
“Bradshaw’s right to a fair trial has been fatally impaired and the only option is a mistrial,” said McMurray.
In Crown’s defense, counsel Chris McPherson argues it was Bradshaw who mentioned his own driving convictions and claims of being prohibited from driving the night Laura Lamoureux was killed.
“If he says he was prohibited at the time of the murder we are going to see if that is true and it wasn’t,” said McPherson.
“Having a poor driving history is minimal compared to what Bradshaw has already admitted.”
Bradshaw says he was home at the time Lamoureux was killed and wouldn’t have been driving because he wouldn’t want to have his car impounded. He also claims because he was given a prohibition in February 2009, he was switched to the day shift in his dial-a-dope job as to “better blend in with traffic” while he drove.
The Crown is asserting that Bradshaw sold Lamoureux drugs the night she was shot and killed and that he drove double murderer Roy Thielen back to where she was so he could shoot her. Thielen himself, in a video re-enactment for police, said Bradshaw was his driver and the two went back to his house after the murder.
Justice Bruce Greyell said the application for a mistrial hadn’t met any of the tests that the trial has been prejudiced. Greyell also said the Crown has a right to challenge Bradshaw on what he claims to be true.
