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Covering up a killing

Grace Robotti admitted she took steps to cover up the killing of Roxanne Louie
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Grace Robotti admitted she took steps to cover up the killing of Roxanne Louie hours after her death.

It was around 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2015 害羞草研究所 hours after she inflicted about 26 wounds to Louie害羞草研究所檚 head and body with a 10-inch pry bar 害羞草研究所 when Robotti sent two text messages to Louie害羞草研究所檚 phone and left a one voicemail telling her she was about to miss her flight and asking where she was.

Messages she knew Louie would never receive.

害羞草研究所淭his was a cover-up. I害羞草研究所檓 not denying that. I害羞草研究所檓 just saying I 害羞草研究所 for some crazy reason that害羞草研究所檚 what I thought I had to do. I would do it differently now, but I started on that and that害羞草研究所檚 what I thought. I didn害羞草研究所檛 think about it,害羞草研究所 the soft-spoken Robotti told the Supreme Court jury, wearing a green blazer and a white shirt with blue polka dots. 害羞草研究所淚t didn害羞草研究所檛 make any sense now looking back and probably doesn害羞草研究所檛 make any sense at all, ever, but sure I would have done it differently. I wouldn害羞草研究所檛 have done any of that.害羞草研究所

Robotti faces one count of second-degree murder.

Louie was supposed to catch a flight back to Vancouver the day after her and Robotti got into a physical fight which stemmed from arguments over how to properly care for (specifically, hold) Louie害羞草研究所檚 son, Robotti害羞草研究所檚 great-grandson.

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The morning after the killing, Robotti cleaned the room where she bludgeoned Louie to death, covered Louie in two garbage bags and asked her brother to get rid of the body. She gathered up Louie害羞草研究所檚 clothing and personal items putting them in garbage bags.

She then told the jury she disposed of the items in Penticton dumpsters. Robotti said she disposed of the items in multiple containers, one on South Main Street. Later, she said she found more of Louie害羞草研究所檚 possessions, which she disposed of in another dumpster.

Her reasons for covering up the killing differed from those Crown counsel John Swanson suggested during the cross-examination of Louie on March 31 at the Kelowna Law Courts.

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Robotti said the steps she took to cover up the killing were to buy time to find arrangements for Louie害羞草研究所檚 son, assuming he would land in the custody of Louie害羞草研究所檚 mother, whom she did not want to take care of the child. The distrust, Robotti said, was due to things Louie had said about her own upbringing in the past.

害羞草研究所淚 just wanted a little bit of time, a few days, that害羞草研究所檚 all I wanted,害羞草研究所 Robotti said. 害羞草研究所淏y the end of the week or so, we were going to (turn ourselves in) there was no question.害羞草研究所

Robotti would get emotional at times during the testimony, wiping away tears when talking about the relationship between her and Louie.

害羞草研究所淲hat I害羞草研究所檓 suggesting to you Mrs. Robotti, is that the reason you did all this is because you were hoping to be able to carry the lie that you had created on the morning of Jan. 4 indefinitely,害羞草研究所 Swanson said. 害羞草研究所淵ou were hoping that if you could get rid of all traces of Roxanne, nobody would be able to tie her death to you.害羞草研究所

害羞草研究所淣o. If it had been that I would have done so much more to clean my house and do different things. I just knew that 害羞草研究所 it害羞草研究所檚 not something you can hide, it害羞草研究所檚 not something you want to try and get away with,害羞草研究所 Robotti said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 going to be haunting your mind, it haunts your mind. It haunts me today. No. I couldn害羞草研究所檛. It was something too horrible. You can害羞草研究所檛 bury something like that.害羞草研究所

She told the jury she did lie to police when stating Louie never showed up prior to her scheduled flight to Vancouver, and she was taking steps to buy time to find a safe place for her great grandchild 害羞草研究所 eventually planning to turn herself in.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 not suggesting the killing of Roxanne was planned, but I害羞草研究所檓 suggesting to you that it was intentional,害羞草研究所 Swanson said.

害羞草研究所淣o, it never was,害羞草研究所 Robotti replied.

害羞草研究所淵ou wanted Roxanne dead on that morning,害羞草研究所 Swanson said.

害羞草研究所淚f I wanted Roxanne dead we didn害羞草研究所檛 have to go through all that horrible nightmare that night. I could have just taken some swings at her really hard when I did have the crowbar. We didn害羞草研究所檛 have to go through all that,害羞草研究所 Robotti said. 害羞草研究所淚 didn害羞草研究所檛 want her dead. I wanted to confine her or constrain her, but I didn害羞草研究所檛 mean to 害羞草研究所 no, to hurt her that bad. I could have hit her so much harder and it wouldn害羞草研究所檛 have gone on the way it did. I was afraid to hit her too hard. I still did 害羞草研究所 I still did.害羞草研究所

Father of child takes the stand

The father of Roxanne Louie害羞草研究所檚 now five-year-old child and Robotti害羞草研究所檚 grandson, Dylan Spence, took the stand Friday.

Spence, 27, works in the oilfield in Fort McMurray and his relationship with Louie began in a Penticton nightclub in 2011.

The on-and-off relationship of two to three years had multiple instances of discord, Spence told the jury.

The relationship ended, resulting in multiple contacts with the RCMP and eventually a no-contact order between the two.

害羞草研究所淭here was a lot of violence. There was a lot of possession and controlling,害羞草研究所 Spence testified. 害羞草研究所淏ut more often than not it was the violence.害羞草研究所

Spence outlined three instances, one in particular where he testified Louie had attacked him with multiple bottles, stabbing him in both legs with a broken bottle before he struck her with an open hand to her mouth, ending the dispute. The incident resulted in at least seven stitches to Spence害羞草研究所檚 face.

All of which occurred with their son on the floor. Spence said in that incident, a neighbour had called the police, picking up his son and removing him from the residence where he was crawling amongst the glass of the broken bottles.

There were two more major incidents, Spence said, of a similar nature, but less severe.

Spence told the jury he was convicted for an unrelated 2014 assault in Whitecourt, AB.

Crown counsel during cross examination of Spence noted he was in the courtroom during Robotti害羞草研究所檚 testimony briefly.

害羞草研究所淭here was a brief moment where I was before it was known that I was not to be present,害羞草研究所 Spence said.

Spence said the violence was always caused by Louie.

害羞草研究所淣ever did I start any sort of physical altercation,害羞草研究所 Spence said.

The trial continues Monday at the Kelowna Law Courts, with one more defence witness planned to go before the jury.





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