The man accused of killing a Kelowna, B.C. teen 18 years ago testified Tuesday that he had sex with Jennifer Cusworth but did not murder her.
Neil Snelson, a church-going father-of-four, told B.C. Supreme Court that he now believes he met Cusworth at a house party on the night of the 1993 murder and had sex with her in his truck.
But when defence lawyer Wade Jensen asked Snelson if he caused her death, he answered, "No, I did not."
He had initially told investigators that he had never met 19-year-old Cusworth, but DNA evidence has shown that the two were together.
Under cross-examination by Crown prosecutors, Snelson was asked repeatedly about inconsistencies between his testimony and what he told family members during the investigation surrounding his truck.
But he refused to admit he lied, instead using phrases like "I didn't remember the truth," "I was mistaken" and "I exaggerated the truth."
Cusworth's body was found dumped in a ditch on Oct. 16, 1993. Snelson wasn't charged with the murder until 2009, after the DNA evidence emerged.
The case might never have made it to court if it wasn't for Cusworth's parents, who returned to Kelowna almost every year and refused to let the murder remain a cold case.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat
