Opening Statements 03/05/2012 in MRT's Trial

[maxfactor]

Chapter 8. Rafferty's connection to the Mount Forest area.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

 

[margaret_diane]

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

BBM

If, as many of us hope, Tori was drugged, why would Rafferty's blood be on the gym bag? Sadly, this fact makes me question if poor Tori may have been aware of what was happening at some point and fought him off and hurt him enough that he bled, too.

Could be he hurt himself somehow, I suppose. I hope so.

Maybe the blood got on the gym bag and on the inside of the car post mortem? Perhaps it was transferred from someone's hands or clothing to the car / gym bag?

 

[daisy.faithfull]

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

BBM

If, as many of us hope, Tori was drugged, why would Rafferty's blood be on the gym bag? Sadly, this fact makes me question if poor Tori may have been aware of what was happening at some point and fought him off and hurt him enough that he bled, too.

Could be he hurt himself somehow, I suppose. I hope so.

If it was a mixture of their blood possible MTR hurt himself with the hammer or possibly a rock. I saw in one of the articles that Tori was brutally beaten, I think sometimes when people are beating a person their own hands can become injured. A lot of rage going on here.

If both were beating Tori at the same time, one with a hammer, one with a rock or their fists then TLM could have injured MTR.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

McClintic kept a journal "which you may conclude is a script for Terri-Lynne McClintic if she was ever accused," Gowdey said.

Thank goodness criminals do the dumbest things.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

After police questioned him, Mr. Rafferty attempted to get rid of his car, Mr. Gowdey said. He also tried to switch cell phones and removed his car’s back seat, which has never been recovered.

Does this mean he only tried to get rid of the seat after he was questioned by police?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-blows-to-the-head-jury-hears/article2358818/

That's what it sounds like to me.

 

[Kamille]

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

BBM

If, as many of us hope, Tori was drugged, why would Rafferty's blood be on the gym bag? Sadly, this fact makes me question if poor Tori may have been aware of what was happening at some point and fought him off and hurt him enough that he bled, too.

Could be he hurt himself somehow, I suppose. I hope so.

I shudder at the thought that perhaps the beating that she received on her torso was as a result of fighting off the sexual assault prior to the murder. He could have gotten injured that way. Especially if it was in the confines of the backseat of a car.

MOO

 

[matou]

Police questioned Rafferty May 15 and noticed his Honda Civic seemed similar to the one in the video, but had no back seat. After the interview, police later learned, Rafferty spent the weekend contacting auto wreckers and rental agencies about getting another car. He also went to Masonville Place in London to get a new BlackBerry.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

 

[matou]

The surveillance video showing Rafferty driving up the street outside Tori's school

He DID drive outside of the school! His car was 'similar' to the one in the video? Which video?

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

 

[matou]

Chapter 9: Comments Rafferty made to friends after April 8. "He had some interesting things to say to other people about Terri-Lynne McClintic and about the kidnapping itself," Gowdey said.

Chapter 10: The May 15 weekend and Rafferty's actions.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html

 

[matou]

May 15th 2009 was the Friday right?

 

[matou]

So he removed his seat AFTER May 15th?

 

[ChaChaCha]

Just finished catching up with the day's news and the forum .... I am sick and heartbroken that Tori suffered prior to her abductors taking her life. I cannot imagine how her family must feel having known for some time now ... grief, rage, sorrow, horror ... I think I would be in a ball for the rest of my life if it was one of my children. I admire their strength in being able to go on both in their personal lives and in the public eye.

 

[matou]

When did Rafferty start wearing glasses? Only since the trial?

 

[Wondergirl]

Maybe the blood got on the gym bag and on the inside of the car post mortem? Perhaps it was transferred from someone's hands or clothing to the car / gym bag?

This is what I was wondering.

If is Tori and MTR's blood that is "mixed", and is on the bag, it is likely in a very small amount, otherwise MTR would have disposed of the bag.

I was wondering if there is a scientific method to determine if a blood is post-mortem or not?

 

[daisy.faithfull]

May 15th 2009 was the Friday right?

Right.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

When did Rafferty start wearing glasses? Only since the trial?

I can't remember ever seeing him with glasses on in any of the pics before. But maybe he used to wear contacts and he can't anymore because he's in jail.

Are you thinking that it is about projecting an image?

 

[matou]

I can't remember ever seeing him with glasses on in any of the pics before. But maybe he used to wear contacts and he can't anymore because he's in jail.

Are you thinking that it is about projecting an image?

Yes I do. Disassociation with how he looked when he was arrested. Creating a disconnect, a new persona. JMO

 

[ChaChaCha]

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/raffertytrial/2012/03/05/19463111.html


Quote:

But jurors don't have to determine which actions Rafferty and McClintic took individually, only that together they killed Tori, said Gowdey as he neared his quietly dramatic ending to an opening delivered in measured, sombre tones.

"Your task will be to decide whether they acted together when they picked up Tori . . ., whether they acted together when they . . . bought the garbage bags and the hammer, whether they acted together when they took to Tori to an isolated location where all of her clothing was removed but her T-shirt, whether they acted together to bring about the sexual assault of Tori, whether they acted together when Tori was killed, when she was placed in garbage bags and when heavy rocks were placed on top of her."

Outside court, Rafferty's lawyer Dirk Derstine called the Crown's dramatic opening statement fair, but incomplete.

"I expect that the picture that will emerge through the course of the trial, there will be things in there that were certainly not covered by that (opening)," he said. "It's not surprising one party paints a picture very much in their favour."


My interpretation of this is:

That TLM may have downplayed her participation in the murder

That the Crown does not want to allocate blame between the two ... their position is that Rafferty is as guilty as TLM as they were in it together - in for a penny in for a pound Makes me wonder if perhaps the defense intends to defend its client by refuting TLMs testimony, and the Crown's case is based on a no matter what the participation, the result was the same, hence a guilty verdict is called for. My personal opinion is that TLM is the more violent of the pair and more likely to be physically abusive to the point of murder given her history.

That TLM's credibility will be called into question makes me wonder if perhaps she was angling for a deal with the devil although she got twice the sentence Holmoka did she may have been hoping for better and possibly the faint hope clause of early parole.

To me, she seems to have been the planner and instigator ... but hey, time will tell. I expect that the defence will be ruthless in questioning her in order to thwart the Crown's position that both are equally liable.

PS please excuse the typos! Broken wrist in a cast means many a mistype!

 

[nonfictionrocks]

I can't remember ever seeing him with glasses on in any of the pics before. But maybe he used to wear contacts and he can't anymore because he's in jail.

Are you thinking that it is about projecting an image?

Many people need to get glasses as they get older. He has probably done more reading in the past 2.5 years then he has done over his entire life.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

Yes I do. Disassociation with how he looked when he was arrested. Creating a disconnect, a new persona. JMO

I think you're right.

ETA: Now he looks like the kind of man that a young girl (TLMc) could manipulate, YKWIM?