After two weeks of witness testimonies in the trial of 28-year-old Chad Colton Alphonse, charged with the March 2016 second degree murder of Waylon Jackson, the crown and defense are making their closing submissions.
The defense counsel made a submission to the judge Monday morning to have the jury consider the idea that Alphonse used self-defense when allegedly stabbing Jackson, who was reportedly hitting Alphonse over the head with a chair and pummelling him.
This physical altercation occured at a party in a Rutland home on March 11th, 2016, after Jackson confronted Alphonse, who was arguing with another party guest.
The defense claimed that Alphonse had stabbed Waylon with a switchblade as an immediate response to the attack, and as a means of self defense.
The crown, however, argued that, as per eye witness accounts, Waylon walked away from Alphonse following the altercation, providing a space between the fight and the stabbing, which meant that the stabbing would have been a delayed reaction as opposed to self defense.
During his initial interrogation following Jackson's death, Alphonse claimed to not specifically remember stabbing Jackson due to being "blacked out" from drinking too much. He was also reported to have been confrontational and difficult to deal with at the party due to being intoxicated.
All 27 witnesses in the case, which included RCMP officers, forensic experts, and guests at the party where the incident took place, testified during the first two weeks of the three week trial, which is expected to wrap up later this week following jury deliberations.