Chris Lee was additionally seen cleansing out his Cadillac Escalade greater than per week after Vida Smith disappeared
Article content material
Police surveillance of homicide suspect Chris Lee captured him tossing away two gadgets at a northwest automotive wash, which had been later decided to be the important thing and fob to his sufferer’s automobile, jurors heard Wednesday.
Commercial 2
Article content material
Const. Kalle Sippola, then a member of the Calgary Police Service’s strike power unit, mentioned he video-recorded Lee, also called Kevin Barton, cleansing out his Cadillac Escalade greater than per week after Vida Smith disappeared.
Article content material
Within the July 30, 2020, footage, performed for the Court docket of King’s Bench jury listening to the case, Lee might be seen vacuuming the rear of the SUV earlier than slowly strolling previous a rubbish bin and tossing an merchandise into a close-by bush.
Sippola mentioned the video additionally confirmed Lee drop one other merchandise by a stucco wall that surrounded the automotive wash’s rubbish bin.
These gadgets had been subsequently seized by police and matched to Smith’s Nissan Altima, a automobile she was final seen driving on July 21, 2020, and later discovered deserted in a northeast car parking zone.
Commercial 3
Article content material
Whereas the physique of Smith, 69, has by no means been discovered, Lee has admitted being answerable for her demise, getting into a responsible plea via his lawyer, Cory Wilson, initially of his homicide trial on Monday. Crown lawyer Shane Parker declined to simply accept the plea to a diminished cost and is continuing with Lee’s prosecution for homicide.
Lee, 62, is charged with second-degree homicide within the demise of Smith, a former enterprise accomplice of their three way partnership of earning money by counting playing cards whereas taking part in blackjack. Smith, who on the time of her disappearance was visiting her daughter’s Chestermere dwelling, was banned from Calgary casinos.
Jurors heard proof of a number of strike power officers who performed surveillance on Lee on July 29 and 30, after he was seen getting into the northwest Calgary dwelling of his girlfriend, Winnie Lo.
Commercial 4
Article content material
Officers testified they trailed Lee, who they knew on the time as Barton, after he left the house in his Escalade the morning of July 30.
Sippola mentioned he watched as Lee went to a Safeway retailer, a Starbucks the place he purchased a espresso, and ultimately to a Crowfoot automotive wash.
“I used to be throughout the road roughly 30 metres away,” Sippola mentioned.
“He had the rear hatch open. He was vacuuming,” the officer instructed co-prosecutor William Tran.
“When he was behind the Escalade, Mr. Barton had a masks on. I discovered it odd as a result of it was his personal automobile,” Sippola mentioned.
“He was discarding gadgets in a trash bin.”
After vacuuming the again space, Lee went to the entrance passenger aspect of his SUV earlier than strolling previous the dumpster and discarding what turned out to be the important thing fob and Nissan key.
In the meantime, Appearing Sgt. Jessica Bowman-Griffin, who seized the gadgets, additionally mentioned she discovered maggots behind Lee’s automobile.
Twitter: @KMartinCourts
