Mistrial called after Hamilton man accused of murder fires lawyer
Wayne Bell, 67, to remain in custody
The murder trial of a man accused of killing a woman and then setting her apartment on fire was stopped midway when the judge declared a mistrial.
Superior Court Justice Robert Reid called the mistrial and discharged the jury on Thursday after the accused, Wayne Bell, fired his lawyer.
A new trial will be scheduled for another date while Bell remains in custody.
Bell, 67, is charged with firstdegree murder in the 2016 death of Marilyn Mitton.
Mitton, 66, was in a relationship with Bell, who is now in a wheelchair. She was also a fellow tenant with her own unit at their 200 Jackson St. W. apartment building.
Court heard the relationship was volatile.
Mitton, a widow, and Bell spent time together in her apartment, socializing and drinking.
Mitton’s problems with Bell included him stealing her medications, family photos and money from her bank account, according to her son Christopher, the jury heard.
His mother was petrified of Bell because he walked around with a knife strapped near his boot, court heard.
On July 31, 2016, fire broke out in Mitton’s apartment. Responding firefighters found her face down in water in the bathtub and with stab wounds to her chest. They carried her out, but she had no vital signs.
Bell was arrested later that day.
Police said he was found with Mitton’s birth certificate, health card and library card.
His shorts had soot on them and later tested positive for blood that could be Mitton’s, the jury heard.
Police also found 77 cheques in the apartment building garbage room from Mitton’s account in various states of completion and partially filled out to Bell for $5,000.