Man drugged wife to cheat, Crown says
Philip Grandine drugged his pregnant wife with a powerful sedative so he could continue to lead a double life — a life which included an increasingly intense affair with a woman he met at the church where he was once a pastor, the Crown said in closing arguments Monday.
While drugged, Anna Karissa Grandine, 29, drowned in a bathtub on the night of Oct. 17, 2011 — making her hus- band guilty of manslaughter, prosecutor Donna Kellway said.
“Karissa Grandine died because she had been unknowingly sedated. She was drugged without her knowledge or permission. She was drugged against her will. And in that sedated state she drowned in the bathtub,” Kellway said. “Even though (Philip Grandine) didn’t intend her death, he was nonetheless responsible for her death.”
Grandine, 32, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter at his second trial.
Kellway told the jury that Grandine — a nurse at a long-term-care facility — had access to the sedative lorazepam.
Philip Grandine had access to the drug, also known as Ativan, through his work and used it to keep his wife incapacitated, disoriented or sedated so that he could continue his affair even after it was discovered and the Grandines started marriage counselling.
Days prior to her death, on Oct. 14, Karissa Grandine was taken to the hospital by her husband, Kellway said. By Grandine’s own admission — according to the doctor and medical records from the visit — she had symptoms of dizziness, sedation, disorientation and impaired muscle control that lasted about 12 hours.
These are symptoms consistent with lorazepam use, Kellway said, and the sedative was found in a blood sample taken that day, which was tested after Karissa Grandine died.
Karissa’s sister, Hannah Darvin, testified Karissa said she was scared because she didn’t know what made her feel that way, Kellway said.
Karissa’s mother, Maria Darvin, testified she was present when Karissa asked Philip Grandine if he’d given her a pill, Kellway said. Darvin said Grandine seemed surprised because he paused before answering no.
Kellway said both women told the police about these state- ments long before Grandine was arrested and before the toxicology reports came back showing the presence of a sedative. Grandine played “Russian roulette” with his wife’s life, Kellway said. He knew how she responded to the drug, and as her spouse, was obligated to keep her safe. Instead, Kellway said, he put her directly in harm’s way or sat back as she was at risk of harm.
There is no direct evidence of anyone seeing Grandine give Karissa the lorazepam, but the circumstantial evidence is “overwhelming,” Kellway said.
Kellway pointed to activity on the Grandines’ computer that she argued the jury can infer was done by Philip Grandine. Shortly after searches for female escorts and body rub establishments, were searches about Ativan, Kellway said, arguing the jury should therefore find it was Grandine who searched for “would 100mg of Ativan be fatal.”
Kellway said it would also be possible for the jury to find Grandine guilty of manslaughter if he did not drug his wife, but was aware she had taken the drug and, knowing how she reacted previously to the drug, he did not stop her from getting in the tub.
There is no evidence that Karissa would have taken the lorazepam willingly or that she would endanger her pregnancy, Kellway said. Kellway noted the Crown does not have to prove motive beyond a reasonable doubt, but said there is “evidence of motive galore in this case.”
Grandine would visit his mistress, in his home or at hers, while his wife was in hospital, Kellway said. He also removed a pornography filter from the home computer about 40 minutes prior to calling 911to report his wife was unresponsive in the bathtub, she said.
Grandine was arrested in May 2012, about six months after Karissa Grandine died. The defence will make closing arguments Tuesday.