NEW WESTMINSTER - Beatrice Thomas has elected not to testify at her murder trial.
Thomas, 38, is accused of stabbing her common-law husband, Quannah O'Soup, to death in the tiny half-duplex the couple rented in North Delta.
She’s being tried for second-degree murder in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.
O'Soup, 37, was stabbed on July 3rd, 2011.
“I can advise Ms. Thomas elects not to call evidence at this trial,†Thomas’s lawyer Victoria Desroches told Justice Trevor Armstrong.
The Crown completed its case on Wednesday and is expected to deliver its final submissions on Friday while the defence is expected to present its final arguments on Monday.
The Crown’s final witness, forensic pathologist Dr. Carol Lee, testified that it would have taken between two to seven pounds of force to break through the victim’s chest skin with a sharp object.
The court heard O’Soup was stabbed in the couple’s living room, while guests were in the kitchen. He was a big man, at six feet tall and 257 pounds.
During cross-examination, Desroches asked Lee if the wound could have happened as O’Soup was coming toward Thomas.
“Easily he can be the aggressor coming toward the sharp object, correct?†Desroches asked.
“Yes,†Lee replied.
tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com