The jury in a manslaughter trial being heard in Rossland will soon start deliberating.
During closing arguments today, defense attorney Paul McMurray asked the 12-person panel to consider Sean Tiessen’s state of mind and what was going on in his head in a matter of split seconds.
Tiessen alleges he shot Joshua Lockwood when the 33-year-old lunged at him with a raised hatchet.
McMurray said an alleged hatchet mark in bedroom door of Tiessen’s rural Grand Forks trailer, Lockwood’s intoxication, the path of the wound, and Tiessen’s 911 call all raise doubt of the 46 year-old’s guilt.
Prosecutor Rebecca Smythe argued Tiessen initiated the final fatal confrontation out of anger and not fear, stating that the accused had other choices on the early morning of April 16, 2023.
She argued he could have called police, left to seek help from neighbours since Lockwood and girlfriend Keera Roberts were in their room and not in the hallway, or waited the situation out in his bedroom since he had the gun.
Meanwhile, McMurray called Roberts an unreliable witness with a faulty memory citing her long-term fentanyl addiction. She has consistently denied seeing Lockwood holding a hatchet before he was shot and killed. McMurray suggested she could have moved the weapon from Lockwood’s side.
Prosecutor Rebecca Smythe said Roberts truthfully admitting to her addiction as well as to the couple’s constant drug and alcohol use and their violent relationship is proof of her credibility.
Smythe argued Roberts was too emotional after the shooting to have had the presence of mind to move the hatchet. Smythe maintained there was no physical evidence to prove Lockwood was armed. Smythe also stated the accused could have avoided the fatal confrontation instead of initiating it.
McMurray argued shooting Lockwood was reasonable as Tiessen believed his life was in danger. He asked the jury to remember that Tiessen was not a professional witness and urged to consider how they would react in a life-threatening situation.
Smythe called audio of the incident recorded by Tiessen the only irrefutable witness.
She argued the amount of time it took for Tiessen to consider what to do, find and load his pistol, and then take action is proof he wanted the altercation, believing the fact he owned the home led to an unjustified use of force.
Justice Lindsay Lyster began giving the jury its final instructions on Monday afternoon, but it’s unclear if they will start deliberating today.
