Jury finds woman guilty of first-degree murder of St. Albert senior
CBC
WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Family members of a 75-year-old St. Albert man killed in 2017 cried and embraced one another Thursday as the woman found guilty in his murder was led out of the courtroom.
After beginning deliberations Wednesday evening, the jury returned with its verdict on Thursday afternoon. It found Beryl Musila, 34, guilty of first-degree murder in Worsfold's death.
Musila showed little reaction as the verdict was read. Afterward, she pursed her lips as she was walked out of the courtroom and back to the cells.
During a nine-week trial in Edmonton's Court of King's Bench, the jury heard from dozens of witnesses, viewed crime scene evidence and listened to hours of police interviews with Musila.
At least three of the jurors wiped away tears as Justice Larry Ackerl thanked them for the work on the trial after they delivered their verdict.
When the trial began, Musila admitted to one count of indecent interference with human remains but pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
She did not have a defence lawyer and represented herself during the trial. Lawyer Greg Worobec was appointed as amicus curiae — friend of the court — to ensure that Musila got a fair trial as a self-represented person.
Worobec did not give Musila advice but questioned witnesses for her at times and delivered the closing argument for the defence.
Musila's evidence during trial was that someone else killed Worsfold and that she was set up to take the blame
At the time of his death in July 2017, Musila was living with Worsfold in a suite in an St. Albert apartment building that he managed.
Crown prosecutors Patricia Hankinson and John Schmidt argued that the evidence showed Musila drugged Worsfold with Ativan — a medication used to treat anxiety disorders — and then panicked, fearing he'd overdosed.
They told the jury Musila deliberated and then decided to kill Worsfold by stabbing him with a knife and beating him with a hammer.
The next day, Musila put Worsfold's body in a Rubbermaid storage tub and moved it to several locations before it was ultimately left in a wooded area on a rural property, the jury was told.
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