Superior Court Judge Eric Downs previously gave his final instructions to jurors.
“You must make every reasonable effort to reach a unanimous decision,” Judge Downs told the jury.
The victims’ mother and grandmother Sylvie Guertin, who has attended almost all of the hearings since the beginning, was present in the courtroom.
In front of the media, Ms. Guertin said she hoped that the jury would deliberate as quickly as possible “so that we can begin to mourn.”
Ms. Guertin, who displayed a photo of her family, also confided that she will not be making Christmas decorations for the holiday season.
“This is not a time for celebration. It will be a moment of relief,” she added.
The jurors will therefore have to determine whether the accused, who now identifies as a woman under the name Levana Ballouz, is guilty or not guilty of the murders of her partner Synthia Bussières and their two sons Zac and Éliam, aged 2 and 5 years.
Ballouz, 38, faces four counts; or unpremeditated murder of his spouse, premeditated murder of children and arson, on September 25, 2022.
“In making your decision, you must consider carefully and with an open mind all the evidence presented during the trial,” Judge Downs told the jury.
According to the Crown, the father stabbed his wife 23 times, then killed his two sons by suffocating them with a pillow. He allegedly cleaned the apartment and started a fire to burn the evidence. He finally tried to take his own life by ingesting windshield washer fluid.
Ballouz instead suggests that his partner would have killed his sons during the ten minutes when she went to get beer. It was at this moment that a surveillance camera filmed the father winking before heading into the home where the family was staying.
The cause of death of the two boys, however, has not been determined. Their little bodies bore no marks of violence. The pathologist indicated during the trial that these were white autopsies. No trace of smoke was detected in their lungs, nor trace of carbon monoxide in their blood. The pathologist said the absence of soot in their respiratory tract suggests that the children were not breathing at the time of the fire in the condo.
Remember that the accused chose to represent herself alone. She presented no defense and did not call any witnesses during the trial. However, she spoke directly to the jurors on Wednesday to convince them to acquit her. This exercise is usually done by the defense lawyer.
Ms. Guertin also pointed out the long delays in legal proceedings.
“Hopefully the laws change and it doesn’t take so long.”
See also – Triple murder in Brossard: Ballouz tells his version of the facts to the jury
The judge warned jurors that they must base their decision on all of the evidence presented in the courtroom, without being influenced by “their opinions, biases and prejudices.” He summarized the most important points from the testimony heard over the past few weeks.
The magistrate also recalled that the jury must be convinced “beyond a reasonable doubt” of the guilt of the accused.
“Even if you believe that Mohamad Al Ballouz is probably guilty or likely guilty, that is not enough. In these circumstances, you must give Mohamad Al Ballouz the benefit of reasonable doubt and find him not guilty, because the prosecutor has failed to convince you of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The jurors have the duty to reach a unanimous verdict on each of the four counts.
The guidelines are expected to be completed by Saturday afternoon. The jury will then begin its deliberations.
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