A man accused of killing his 16-year-old cousin has been found guilty of first degree murder.
The
jury delivered its verdict today after deliberating late Friday and
Saturday morning in the case of Curtis Bonnell, who had pleaded not
guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Hilary Bonnell.
The
32-year-old Bonnell had testified that he woke up from a night of
drinking and drugs on Sept. 5, 2009, to find his cousin dead in his
pickup, but he insists he doesn't know how she died.
He says he panicked and buried her body in a wooded area in Tabusintac.
When
the trial opened six weeks ago, Crown attorney Bill Richards told the
jury that Bonnell held Hilary against her will, sexually assaulted her
and killed her.
He said Bonnell buried her body near an old firing range to avoid detection.
Courtesy of The Canadian Press.