Final submissions at Howard Richmond trial
Posted Nov 17, 2015 05:12:19 PM.
Last Updated Nov 18, 2015 05:46:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – Final submissions have wrapped up at the first degree murder trial of Howard Richmond.
His lawyer has told the jury that “Justice in this case is a verdict of Not Criminally Responsible.”
The Defense does not deny Richmond killed his wife Melissa in July, 2013, but argues he should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.
Richmond was diagnosed with PTSD after serving tours in Bosnia, Croatia, and Afghanistan.
He maintains he killed Melissa when he had a flashback to an incident in Croatia while they were acting out a sexual fantasy at the South Keys parking lot.
Defense lawyer Joe Addelman told the jury Tuesday that PTSD is a real battlefield injury, “and soldiers like Howard Richmond are forgotten casualties of war.”
“It doesn’t take much to push these soldiers over the edge,” said Addelman.
Addelman told the jury that the Crown’s theory that Howard Richmond knew his wife was having an affair and was going to leave him is not supported with evidence.
“The Crown doesn’t want this to be about mental illness. They want it to be about jealousy and revenge,” said Addelman.
He also told the jury the Crown would need to convince them that Howard Richmond is “some kind of comic book supervillain” to concoct this plan to use PTSD to explain what happened to his wife.
“Justice in this case,” he said at the end of his final submission, “is a verdict of Not Criminally Responsible.”
Prosecutor Suzanne Schrieck spoke next, offering the Crown’s final submission.
“PTSD didn’t kill Melissa Richmond,” Schriek told the jury. “Howard Richmond did. But he used PTSD as an excuse to try to get away with murder.”
“We say Mr. Richmond’s story is theatre. Melissa Richmond’s murder was an executed plan.”
Schriek went on to say it is the Crown’s belief that Howard Richmond suspected or knew about an affair Melissa was having, and that he knew she was going to leave him.
She also suggested Richmond began working on his PTSD defence before Melissa’s body was found. She pointed out that during an interview with police prior to the discovery of his wife’s body, Richmond mentioned PTSD fourteen times. Schriek suggested that was Howard Richmond “setting the stage.”
The judge will give his instructions to the jury Wednesday morning.
