Jury begins deliberations on Main St. beating death of woman

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This article was published 20/02/2015 (3865 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jury deliberations are underway for a Winnipeg man accused of a Main Street beating death.

Max Maurice Richard, 39, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for the August 2011 killing of April Hornbrook. The body of the 24-year-old woman was found leaning against the wall of an abandoned warehouse commonly known as the yellow warehouse, just off Main Street north of the CP Rail underpass.

Jurors received their final instructions on Friday morning following a two-week trial. They will remain sequestered until they reach a verdict.

The were no witnesses to the homicide, but the Crown’s case rests largely on the fact the victim’s blood was found on Richard’s shoes. As well, he was seen with the victim on surveillance video near the scene of where her body was found.

“The Crown’s case should not leave you with a doubt,” prosecutor Daniel Chaput said in his final arguments on Thursday.

Jurors have heard that Hornbrook and her boyfriend were at the Northern Hotel early on Aug. 26, 2011. Hornbrook was then assaulted by her boyfriend, Jeremy Flett, who was thrown out of the hotel and assaulted by a group of males that included Richard.

The Crown alleges Richard then spent the rest of the evening “wooing” Hornbrook, only to stomp and kick her to death for some unknown reason. One of their theories is that she may have rejected his advances for sex.

“It has an air of reality,” said Chaput.

But Richard’s lawyer urged jurors to disregard what she called “pure speculation” and said any number of suspects could be responsible.

“This is a real-life whodunit,” Kathy Bueti said Thursday. “What happened to Ms. Hornbrook was tragic and horrific. Ms. Hornbrook knows what happened, but we don’t get to hear her side of the story.”

Bueti noted some 30 hours passed between when Hornbrook was seen on Main Street with her client and when Hornbrook’s body surfaced. Bueti said there were plenty of “homeless people and transients” around and even suggested that maybe Hornbrook’s boyfriend came back and killed her.

“You will have to decide who had the opportunity to harm her,” said Bueti. “Perhaps she was killed by whoever else has been killing Aboriginal women in Winnipeg.”

As for the blood on Richard’s shoes, Bueti said it wasn’t a large amount and could have been transferred when Hornbrook was initially assaulted by her partner at the hotel.

www.mikeoncrime.com