Verdict expected Thursday in trial Ottawa realtor accused of attempting to kill wife
Posted May 25, 2015 08:43:16 AM.
Last Updated May 25, 2015 10:27:02 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – An Ottawa realtor accused of attempting to murder his wife should learn his fate today.
A verdict is expected in the trial of Chris Hoare, 45. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and choking, though he has pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon.
Hoare has testified that his wife Kristen Cote “dropped like a stone” when he hit her with an aluminum baseball bat in their garage in April of 2015.
Hoare also told court, at that time, he had maxed out the family’s credit card, and owed the Canada Revenue Agency around $222,000. He said he wasn’t ready to reveal that debt to his wife.
On the day of the attack, Hoare testified he drove his kids to school, returned home, and took an Oxycotin — something he had been doing daily at that time.
He said he then lured his wife into their garage with the promise of a surprise, before picking up his son’s baseball bat and striking her on the head with, quote, “half my strength…. or less.”
Hoare said he panicked when his wife didn’t fall unconscious, and struck her again, before trying to muffle her screams with a dish towel and shoe.
He told court she screamed and begged him to stop, asking him why he was attacking her. He told her, “we have nothing left. I have ruined us.”
He said his wife then managed to break free, open the garage door, and run for help.
