Richard Bain murder trial: Gun magazine was illegally altered
Ballistics expert tells jury rivet can be easily removed from gun's magazine using a drill
Denis Blanchette was shot and killed with a prohibited device outside the Parti Québécois election-night party, a ballistics expert testified Thursday.
Gilbert Desjardins told the court the semi-automatic CZ-858 rifle was fed with a magazine, which should have been limited to five rounds, to comply with Canadian law.
But the rivet — or pin — was removed, allowing for thirty cartridges.
He said it's easy to do using a drill.
With a modified magazine, Desjardins said the weapon could theoretically fire all thirty rounds in less than a minute, except in this case the gun jammed moments after Blanchette was shot and killed, the jury heard.
Richard Bain is on trial at the Montreal courthouse for murdering Blanchette on Sept. 4, 2012, outside the venue where the PQ had been celebrating its election win.
Police found drill bit with a rivet on it at cabin
Photos of weapons and ammunition seized from Bain's home were shown to the jury on Wednesday.
One of the things police discovered at the cabin was a drill, with a rivet stuck to its bit, lying on the kitchen table.
Sûreté du Québec Sgt. Sylvain Benjamin testified about the items seized by police from the La Conception, Que. home the day after the shooting.
A second magazine with its rivet removed was also found lying on a chair in the cabin.
In total, investigators found 12 guns, more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition, and a crossbow on the rural property.
Several of the firearms were stashed inside a hidden cubby in the kitchen. Investigators found the compartment in the ceiling, behind a panel.
The defence made a point of establishing that all the guns found at the crime scene and at the cabin were legal in Canada.
Over and over, Bain's defence lawyer, Alan Guttman, asked the ballistics expert. "Is this a prohibited weapon?"
For each rifle and handgun police seized, the answer was no.
The trial began on June 9 and is expected to take until the end of July.
- Day 10: Richard Bain's off-the-grid cabin was stockpiled with weapons and ammo
- Day 9: 'His gun jammed. He could've shot us all,' jury hears
- Day 6: Richard Bain murder trial: 'Grace of God, the gun jammed'
- VIDEO: Richard Bain murder trial hears Metropolis head of security helped tackle gunman
- Day 4: 'Thank you, smile away,' surviving victim Dave Courage says to accused Richard Bain
- Day 3: 'I heard a scream, and I saw the blood': Stagehand tells jury he thought it was a joke