The trial of two men charged with being accessories after the fact to murder in the death of a Saint John man two years ago came to a halt this week when a Crown witness refused to testify or even take the oath to tell the truth.
On Thursdsay, the Crown called on Amber Smith to testify against Stephen Martin, 67, and Charles Pleasance, 59, who are accused of assisting Jinelle Thompson, 47, to escape, knowing she had murdered Allan Lee.
The body of Lee, 52, was discovered in a wooded area on the western outskirts of the city, near Lorneville, on Aug. 1, 2024.
Thompson was sentenced last fall to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years after she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Earlier this week, she testified that she shot Lee on July 31 in the back of the head with a .22 gun in Martin’s Jeep, then pulled him to the ground and shot him twice more “in the heart.”
The Crown alleges Martin and Pleasance cleaned the Jeep Patriot, which was later taken to a junkyard to be crushed.
On Thursday, Smith was already seated in the witness box when the jury entered the courtroom around 3 p.m. after a recess.
Earlier in the day,
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