Defence questions memory of murder victim’s childhood friend

The lawyer for a Halifax man accused of killing Montreal-born yoga instructor Kristin Johnston appeared to question the reliability of her friend’s memory today at Nicholas Butcher’s second-degree murder trial.

Lisa Abramowicz told the Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury she was hanging out with Johnston at a friend’s place hours before Johnston was found dead in her home on Halifax’s outskirts on the morning of March 26, 2016.

Abramowicz testified that the last message she sent to her childhood friend was, “How’s” – short for how’s it going – as she wanted to check in with Johnston after leaving her at their friend Mike’s place early that morning.

However, defence lawyer Peter Planetta noted the message also included several kiss-face emo- jis, and that Abramowicz had not mentioned those in her previous testimony.

Abramowicz said she had also sent Butcher one message that same morning, but Planetta pointed out she had actually sent him two messages.

He suggested that if she couldn’t recall certain details about the messages she had sent two years ago, perhaps her other memories were not complete.

“Certain things from that night stick out very clearly to me,” Abramowicz replied.

The Crown alleges that on March 26, 2016, the law school graduate killed Johnston and then tried to kill himself at her Halifax-area home.

Prosecutor Tanya Carter has said the medical examiner will testify that Johnston had 10 wounds on her neck, and that her death was caused by sharp force.

Butcher has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.