Warning: This story contains content that some readers might find disturbing.
VANCOUVER - The court has now released a key piece of evidence at the trial of a man accused of killing a Vancouver couple: a security video from Canadian Tire.
The video played in court shows someone shopping at the store, and the Crown has told the court they expect multiple witnesses will identify the accused as the person seen buying a hatchet, gardening gloves and a baseball hat.
Rocky Rambo Wei Nam Kam is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Dianna Mah-Jones and her husband, Richard Jones. He has pleaded not guilty.
The couple was found dead in their Marpole home on Sept. 27, 2017. In an opening statement, the Crown said the court will hear evidence Jones died of multiple sharp force injuries, including stab and slash wounds, and Mah-Jones died of blood loss after her carotid artery was cut.
Stephen Pointon, the general manager of the Canadian Tire on southwest Marine Drive, testified the security video captured in his store on Sept. 13, 2017, shows a person pausing at the knife section. He testified the video later showed an axe, gardening gloves, and a baseball hat being rung through at the till.
Witnesses at the trial have testified about seeing an axe and knife on the ground at the front of the couple’s home, the day their bodies were found. The Crown has said DNA testing identified the couple’s blood on the hatchet.
The prosecution has also said a baseball hat found inside the home’s kitchen was found to have the couple’s DNA on it. A photo released by the courts shows a black cap with the word “Canada” across the front, and a picture of a loon in water over top.
Vancouver Police Det. Simon Cracknell testified he was involved in Kam’s arrest on Nov. 6, 2017, and told the court in his opinion, the man he arrested and the person then sitting in court was the same person in the video.
The Crown has told the court they have no evidence of any relationship or connection between the accused and the victims, but are arguing the killings involved planning and deliberation.
The defence has not yet presented its case.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
Warning: CTV News Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber is covering the case live from court. Follow along below.
