Leslie Greenwood murder trial zeroes in on Crown's key witness — a convicted killer

Jurors in the trial of a man accused of murdering a Nova Scotia couple will spend Friday deliberating his fate, following closing arguments by lawyers that zeroed in on whether to believe the prosecution's star witness — a convicted killer.

Leslie Greenwood, 48, is on trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Kentville for two counts of first-degree murder in the shootings of Kirk Mersereau and his wife, Nancy Christensen. The pair were found dead in their Centre Burlington, N.S., home in September 2000.

It is the second time Greenwood has gone on trial. He has pleaded not guilty.

The 12-member jury was sequestered Thursday evening after a lengthy day in court where they heard closing arguments from the Crown and defence and received instructions from the judge.

Justice Jamie Campbell said there is evidence Greenwood was affiliated with the Hells Angels, although is not a member, but jurors should not use that as an inference he was involved in killing Mersereau and Christensen.

The Crown's key witness is Michael Lawrence, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the murders. He testified earlier in the trial that he shot the couple with a .32-calibre handgun, but only after Greenwood first entered the home and killed them with .357 magnum revolver.

Lawrence said he took part in the killings to settle a $28,000 drug debt with a third man, Curtis Lynds, who wanted the couple dead. Greenwood came along because he knew Mersereau, Lawrence testified.

Campbell noted Lawrence has a lengthy criminal record and has admitted to his involvement in the murders. He was also using drugs at the time, was hallucinating and had mental-health issues. The judge said jurors should look for evidence that corroborates his testimony.

He also said that expert evidence at trial showed two guns were used to kill Mersereau and Christensen, but does not reveal whether there were two separate shooters.

Greenwood did not testify in his own defence, but in closing arguments defence lawyer Elise Pinsonnault told the jury that he has always maintained his innocence.

She noted inconsistencies in Lawrence's version of what happened that day and said there is no evidence, beyond his testimony, that Greenwood was even at the scene.

She said that after his arrest, Lawrence tried to implicate others because he was angry with them. And while he could seemingly remember many details of the killings, he could not lead police to the body of Charles Maddison, a pickup truck owner he'd killed the day before to use his vehicle during the getaway.

Pinsonnault also noted a recording of previous testimony from Jason Lindsay, an associate of both Lawrence and Greenwood. He said Lawrence boasted after the killings that he got both Mersereau and Christensen, while Greenwood looked pale and said nothing.

In his closing arguments, Crown prosecutor Peter Craig described the murders as an execution, and said Greenwood was one of the executioners.

He argued Lawrence's testimony was straightforward and methodical, and he didn't minimize his own role in the crime. Lawrence's credibility, he said, will be a big issue for the jury to consider.

"It would have been wonderful if a busload of nuns witnessed the crime," Craig said.

Craig said other witnesses and evidence corroborate Lawrence's story of that day. As for Greenwood, he gave contradictory statements while being interviewed by police, Craig said.

He noted that forensic evidence shows Mersereau and Christensen were shot with two different guns. Expert evidence, he said, contradicts the suggestion there was just one gunman and this was not a case of "Yosemite Sam," a reference to the gun-slinging cartoon character.

Even if the jury believes Lawrence did all the shooting and Greenwood was only a party to the crime, Craig said they can still find Greenwood guilty of murder.

He also noted one thing Greenwood told police: "I'm not the triggerman. I drive."

Blair Rhodes was live blogging from the court. On mobile? Follow along here.