Attorneys for both sides have made their closing arguments to the jury in the Zachary Wittke murder trial in the death of Arnprior’s Sheila Welsh in 2017. The 22 year old Eganville man, charged with first degree murder, is accused of deliberately ramming into a car, killing a woman. The Crown says an explosive Facebook video made by the accused prior to another high speed incident in 2016 is telling, even if circumstantial. The Crown attorney says text activity from the accused the day of Welsh’s death parallels his 2016 state of mind, and any intention to commit suicide is not a defence for murder. Defence attorney Paolo Giancaterino says Wittke didn’t have to testify at all, but his evidence is credible and has been corroborated by others. Superior Court Justice Laliberte has addressed the jury on its options for conviction, which include second degree murder, the manslaughter verdict the defence is seeking, or the first degree murder conviction sought by the Crown. Laliberte concluded his charge to the jury and placed the case in their hands just before 4 o’clock this afternoon. The jury will sit until 5pm then continue deliberations tomorrow if the verdict is not reached quickly.
