Gruelling cross-examination for Kelowna, B.C. man accused of manslaughter
Global News
One of the men accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Esa Carriere during Canada Day festivities in 2018 was grilled on the stand in a Kelowna courtroom on Thursday.
One of the men accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Esa Carriere during Canada Day festivities in 2018 was grilled on the stand in a Kelowna courtroom on Thursday.
Crown prosecutor Colin Forsythe spent much of the day asking Vaten what he remembered when and trying to poke holes in his previous testimony.
Many of Forsythe’s questions centred around the police interview conducted after Vaten had been charged with manslaughter in January 2019.
“I wasn’t asking officers to prove that I did it, I was asking them if I did it,” Vaten told court.
Vaten has always maintained that he blacked out around the time of the Carriere’s killing.
“I didn’t believe I did it,” he said, adding that he didn’t know what had actually happened. “And that is why I was asking for evidence.”
The Crown noted that Vaten had never once told police that he was innocent.
“I didn’t know if I was innocent or not, so I didn’t want to tell them I was innocent, in case there was a possibility I wasn’t,” Vaten replied.
