Bizarre note naming Harper among Magnotta trial exhibits
MONTREAL — A bizarre note naming Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen was part of the evidence viewed by jurors on the second day of Luka Rocco Magnotta’s first-degree murder trial.
The jury took a closer look Tuesday at photos showing the contents of four parcels that were mailed to political offices in Ottawa and schools in Vancouver.
One of them contained a neatly written note on pink paper that included an obscenity and read: “Stephen Harper and Lauren (sic) Teskey will know who this is. They f—ked up big time!!” Teskey is Harper’s maiden name. Magnotta faces a first-degree murder charge in the May 2012 slaying and dismemberment of Chinese student Jun Lin, 33.
He is also charged with criminally harassing Harper and other members of Parliament; mailing obscene and indecent material; committing an indignity to a body; and publishing obscene material.
Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier told jurors in his opening statement Monday he intends to prove the act was deliberate and planned. He said the evidence will show Magnotta killed Lin, dismembered his corpse and sent his hands and feet by mail to Ottawa and Vancouver.
Magnotta, 32, pleaded not guilty on Monday to all five charges. He has admitted to authoring the crimes, but his lawyer has indicated he will mount a defence of mental disorder to seek a verdict of not criminally responsible.
On Tuesday, the jurors were able to view photos taken in 2012 by three Montreal police crime-scene technicians.
One officer’s photos showed the parcels that were mailed to Ottawa and Vancouver.
Caroline Simoneau testified about items recovered from their police counterparts in both cities in June 2012: Canada Post boxes and their contents.
One of the parcels mailed to Ottawa was destined for the Conservative Party of Canada, while the other was sent to Liberal party headquarters in Ottawa. The Vancouver ones were sent to two schools.
One of the Vancouver-bound boxes had a heart drawn in black marker at the bottom, while another contained dark stains.
Among the items recovered from the boxes were pink tissue paper, gift bags and a handwritten note in each, including at least one bearing the name of “Lauren Teskey.” While the name is misspelled, it clearly refers to Harper’s wife.
In another note addressed to the Liberal headquarters, she is mentioned again. “You need to speak to Laureen Teskey & her family, lots to hide!,” it read.
One of the boxes sent to Vancouver also contained a threatening poem that read: “Roses are red, violets are blue, the police will need dental records to identify you, bi—h.”
Another officer’s photographs took jurors inside the infamous Apt. 208 in a west-end Montreal building where Lin’s slaying is alleged to have occurred.
Chantal Turmel told the jury she was instructed by investigators that a video had been circulating on the Internet depicting the dismemberment of a man.
She testified homicide investigators asked her to find certain items that figured prominently in it — notably, a poster from the movie Casablanca, a yellow T-shirt and a wine bottle Turmel testified was used to sodomize the victim. The label on the bottle carried the words “Wish for Love.”
She says she found all three outside the building in a garbage truck.