A Nanaimo woman accused of murdering and dismembering her ex-boyfriend did so in self-defence, her lawyer is arguing.
The trial of Paris Jayanne Laroche continued Monday, Feb. 12, with defence lawyer Glen Orris saying the killing could be considered self-defence given LarocheB次元官网网址檚 state of mind from an allegedly abusive relationship and the strangling of her cat.
Laroche, 28, who has pleaded not guilty, is on trial for first-degree murder and interference with a dead body in the case of ex-boyfriend Sidney Joseph Mantee, who was 32 when he was reported missing by Nanaimo RCMP in 2020.
The trial, presided by justice Robin Baird, is being held in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
The defence called expert witness Amy Fitzgerald, professor and undergraduate chair of the department of sociology and criminology at the Great Lakes Insititute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor.
Fitzgerald suggested alleged violence against LarocheB次元官网网址檚 cat by Mantee could support the contention that Laroche killed Mantee in self-defence. The professor has studied abusive relationships including how pets become instrumental in abusive intimate relationships.
Orris said the relationship between Laroche and Mantee disintegrated into a physically and psychologically abusive one, and alleged that Laroche developed a condition called battered spouse syndrome. He said Mantee amplified his ability to carry out threats made against Laroche, her friends and family by telling her stories about past criminal and gang activities, even though, according to police evidence, he didnB次元官网网址檛 have a criminal record.
B次元官网网址淪o, if thatB次元官网网址檚 the case those are all lies, but that doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter because he was believed, cleary, by Miss Laroche,B次元官网网址� Orris said. B次元官网网址淪o, sheB次元官网网址檚 not only subjected to the abuse, that the evidence clearly indicates she has, but sheB次元官网网址檚 threatened by somebody she believes to be from a criminal background and quite capable of carrying out his threats.B次元官网网址�
Orris said that about two months before the killing, Mantee and Laroche began sleeping apart, Mantee on a mattress in the living room of the apartment they shared and Laroche in in the bedroom, and Mantee allegedly became more abusive.
Alleged abuse of LarocheB次元官网网址檚 cat was the final straw that led to the murder, defence counsel said. The accused came home from work and discovered Mantee had allegedly strangled her cat and it was after that the animal began urinating throughout the apartment and hissing at its kitten.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 interesting to note B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 what she said happened to her and that on B次元官网网址� many occasions sheB次元官网网址檇 be strangled to unconsciousness,B次元官网网址� Orris said.
He said the criminology professorB次元官网网址檚 evidence would explain the role pets play in intimate partner violence and how women in such situations have a different relationship with their pets, which become a source of calming, comfort and respite from assault and usually results in the abusive relationship lasting longer because of fear that the pets will be taken away by the abuser or harmed through the separation. In some cases the abused partner will be so B次元官网网址渂eaten downB次元官网网址� that they will disregard the value of their own life and possible consequences of their actions to protect the animal.
B次元官网网址淭he other aspect of this B次元官网网址� the pets will become a surrogate of the individual being abused B次元官网网址� abusers who are abusing their partners will think of many ways to do that and, one of the ways to do that is to take something that they love and abuse them, abuse the pets, and effectively what theyB次元官网网址檙e doing is abusing the person theyB次元官网网址檝e been abusing for years,B次元官网网址� Orris said.
The trial started Jan. 22 and is scheduled to last 20 days.
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