Pickton's fate to be in jury's hands by nightfall
Last Updated: Friday, November 30, 2007 | 3:50 PM PT
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The jury in the Robert William Pickton murder trial will begin to consider his fate by the end of the day Friday.
Robert William Pickton is accused of killing six women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
(Jane Wolsak/artist/Canadian Press)
The jury of seven men and five women will get their last set of instructions from Justice James Williams in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on Friday morning before being sequestered to begin their deliberations, likely after 4 p.m. PT.
Pickton, a pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of six women who went missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside — Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Marnie Frey and Georgina Papin.
He is to face a second trial later in connection with deaths of 20 other women.
Pickton, 58, has pleaded not guilty to all 26 charges of first-degree murder.
The judge began his final instructions to the jury on Tuesday, reviewing the mountain of evidence presented during the 10-month trial, which included testimony from more than 100 witnesses.
Williams has advised the jury to be careful about being tripped up by details in the testimony.
"The hard work is going to land squarely in your lap," Williams told the jury Thursday.
'Hoping justice will be served'
Jurors are expected to spend upwards of 12 hours a day mulling over the case, during which time they will staying at a motel, unable to return to their homes or talk to their friends or family.
They will be watched constantly by sheriffs officers to ensure they don't watch the news, read newspapers or get exposed to anything that could influence their decision.
Families say waiting for the jury to reach a verdict will be emotionally draining. Frey's father and stepmother, Rick and Lynn, said they will be at the courthouse every day to ensure they'll be there when the decision is announced.
Lynn Frey said she'll pass the hours by knitting and crocheting in the court or taking power walks nearby.
"I can't sit still anyway, so for me just to sit there and wait will be totally impossible," Lynn Frey told CBC News on Friday morning. "We'll be staying close by and holding on … and hoping justice will be served."
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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