Accused claims self defence

Manslaughter trial continues

Jillian Across The Mountain remembers struggling with her former lover, who came at her with a knife while the two argued in an apartment more than two years ago. But what Across The Mountain says she doesn’t recall, is how Frances “Candy” Little Light was stabbed three times, including once in the middle of the back, during their tussle.

“I don’t know, it happened really fast,” Across The Mountain said Tuesday during the third week of her manslaughter trial in Lethbridge Court of Queen’s Bench.

As the two fought over the knife, Across The Mountain stopped and backed away, that’s when she noticed blood on Little Light’s body. Across The Mountain’s memory of what happened next is foggy, and she said she doesn’t remember Little Light falling to the floor.

“It was a blur after that,” she said under crossexamination by the Crown.

Across The Mountain is accused of killing Little Light Feb. 7, 2016 in her westside apartment, where the two women were seen arguing that morning. Little’s Light’s body was found several hours later, but Across The Mountain was gone.

During her statement to police three days after Little Light’s death, Across The Mountain said she left the apartment early in the morning on Feb. 7 and never returned. When an officer told her she killed her former intimate partner, Across The Mountain said she could only remember going to a relative’s home after leaving the apartment.

Other witnesses testified they saw the accused at the apartment building later in the day.

On Tuesday Across The Mountain admitted she returned to the apartment, and shortly after Little Light attacked her with the knife. “I was self-defending myself,” she testified. The accused said she and Little Light struggled over the knife, but during the struggle Little Light never lost her grip on the knife. She couldn’t explain how Little Light was stabbed twice in the back, once near one side of her torso and once near the spine, and once in the left bicep. Two of the stab wounds were about six inches deep.

Across The Mountain told court Little Light was agitated and acting strangely the day she was killed, and they were both drinking and consuming drugs. She said she became scared earlier in the morning and hid in an upstairs apartment. She could hear Little Light banging on doors looking for her and threatening to “kill somebody.” “There was something wrong with her that day.” Following the stabbing, Across The Mountain left the apartment, and she only remembers waking up outside on the street some distance away. She walked to a relative’s home a few blocks away and stayed there for three days before turning herself into the police after she learned they were looking for her.

Crown prosecutor Clayton Giles suggested Across The Mountain wasn’t just scared, but angry, as well, so she stabbed Little Light.

But Across The Mountain claimed Little Light never lost her grip on the knife, and even though the accused saw she was bleeding, she didn’t know what happened. “I didn’t realize she was that hurt.” Giles suggested the accused knew she had killed Little Light, and claimed self defence to escape responsibility for her friend’s death. Across The Mountain simply responded, “no.” Defence is set to continue its case today with testimony from a medical doctor and ostensibly some civilian witnesses. Defence is expected to wrap up its case Thursday.

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