The fate of a man accused of killing his girlfriend is now in the hands of the jury.
Twelve jurors have begun deliberations in the murder trial of Duran Redwood on Friday.
Redwood has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Celeste Yawney.
Yawney died after an altercation in a Regina home in May 2015.
The defence is asking for Redwood to be found guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter.
Justice Guy Chicoine said that the Crown must prove Redwood’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in his charge to the jury.
He explained to the jury how to consider the credibility of the witnesses, telling them to consider if the witnesses seemed honest, whether they had ulterior motives and how well the witness remembered events.
Chicoine went into the essential elements of the Crown’s case. He said the jury must decide if Redwood committed an unlawful act, if that unlawful act caused Yawney’s death and if he had the intent required for murder.
The judge said Redwood has not disputed punching and kicking Yawney, which is the unlawful act. An expert witness testified that those actions did cause her death.
Chicoine said a large part of the jury’s decision will depend on his intent.
The defence had argued that Redwood was highly intoxicated at the time and did not intend to kill Yawney. In closing arguments, the prosecution said drunken intent is still intent.
Chicoine went through the evidence of the case, including text messages and calls between Yawney and Redwood.
He told the jury to consider those messages to gauge Redwood’s state of mind, noting that he was coherent enough to make calls and texts.
The jury will remain sequestered until it comes to a verdict.
