Brandon jury begins deliberation in murder trial

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This article was published 10/12/2021 (1559 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — A Manitoba jury has begun deliberating on whether to convict a man of second-degree murder in the 2019 death of his wife.

The nearly two-week trial of Robert Hughes, 65, who pleaded not guilty, came to a close Thursday morning, with both the Crown and defence giving closing statements.

The sides outlined drastically different versions of the events that occurred Oct. 22, 2019, in Brandon.

Defence lawyer Saul Simmonds asked the jury of eight women and five men not to convict Hughes and instead let him walk away as a free man.

He said Hughes’ testimony Tuesday was filled with emotion but he was unshaken that he did not kill Betty Hughes, 63.

The accused told the court a physical fight broke out when he came home and took off concrete dust-covered coveralls in the kitchen. He told her to “f— off” when she got angry and turned away.

“(Betty) would not tolerate it anymore,” Simmonds said, saying her resentment built up to a powder keg.

“Her bitterness rose to the surface, words were not enough at that stage. She struck out with the very broom that was in her hands. She couldn’t find the words; instead, she found actions.”

Hughes maintained he was only trying to control Betty during the ensuing fight, not hurt her.

Simmonds also took issue with the police investigation, calling it “tunnel vision.”

He pointed to the fact swabs were not taken of what appeared to be blood on the stove in the house’s kitchen — but police made an itemized list of everything in Betty’s purse.

Pathologist Dr. Dennis Rhee testified the fatal wound to an artery near Betty’s face was rare and not one someone would inflict if they were trying to kill a person, Simmonds said.

The lawyer argued the 11.7-centimetre cut was consistent with a struggle.

“If there’s that struggle, do you know where that knife is going to go?” Simmonds asked the jury while holding a knife in question in his right hand.

Hughes could be heard crying at times during Simmonds’ closing statement.

It was a stark contrast to the Crown’s statement.

“Betty Hughes died because her husband slashed her to death with a knife, beat her and let her bleed to death in her own kitchen,” said Crown attorney Christian Vanderhooft, arguing there is no reasonable doubt in the case.

Vanderhooft said there were multiple issues with Hughes’ testimony, and pointed to an emotional outburst from the accused when he was being questioned about Betty’s death.

“In cross-examination, his true colours shone through. Consider that when answering questions in cross-examination, he was combative, yelled and swore,” Vanderhooft said.

Hughes’ version of events in the kitchen that night are not credible, the Crown argued, calling his words “convenient” and “contrived.”

Vanderhooft stressed the level of wounds found on Betty’s body.

“They were excessive, lethal and terrifying. The horror Betty Hughes experienced with her face and head cut open is unimaginable,” he said.

“He murdered his wife, and Robert Hughes is guilty of second-degree murder.”

Justice Scott Abel laid out the principles of law and the charge to the jury before they began deliberations.

He said there are three possible outcomes: guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty to either.

— Brandon Sun