Killer’s fate in hands of jury
Victim was stabbed to death at Crystal Beach home
The fate of a man charged with first-degree murder in connection with the 2021 death of a Crystal Beach resident will soon be in the hands of a jury.
Leonard Aquilina, 54, was stabbed twice in the torso after two men forced their way into his Mathewson Avenue home on June 9, 2021.
The knife wounds pierced several major organs and arteries.
He died on his living room floor. Tristan Skelton, 32, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
A three-and-a-half-week trial in Superior Court of Justice in Welland wrapped up Wednesday with closing arguments from the defence and the Crown.
The Crown maintains the defendant intended to kill the victim and the murder was planned and premeditated.
One witness testified earlier Aquilina’s girlfriend told several people she had been in an argument with her partner that night and she wanted Skelton to “scare him.”
Court heard the defendant and another man went to the victim’s home and forced their way inside using a metal baseball bat.
Video cameras installed outside the home captured a “guttural scream” about 23 seconds after the men entered the home. Less than 10 seconds later, Aquilina could be heard calling out, “He stabbed me.”
Court heard the second man was struck in the head with a baseball bat by the victim’s son, who also managed to hit Skelton in the ribs before chasing the duo outside. The video cameras captured the defendant running from the home, a large knife in his hand.
“This was not a modest butter knife,” assistant Crown attorney Stephanie Ford told the eight
woman, four-man jury. “It is a hunting knife and it is designed to cause injury.”
A pathologist testified earlier the victim sustained two deep stab wounds, one 13 centimetres deep, and he likely would have bled to death within minutes.
“The only reasonable inference to draw is that Mr. Skelton fatally stabbed Mr. Aquilina,” Ford told the jury.
“Trials are like puzzles. You now have the pieces and the time has come to assemble the big picture.”
While she conceded “some puzzle pieces may be missing or unclear,” Ford urged the jury to consider all of the evidence before making a decision.
Defence lawyer David Newton said there is no evidence to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the crime was planned and premeditated.
“Missing puzzle pieces are the essence of reasonable doubt,” he said.
He described the incident as “a chaotic brawl where everyone was taking and delivering hits.”
“What happened was a tragedy. What happened wasn’t murder.”
He asked the jury to return with a guilty verdict to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
A conviction of first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years. A manslaughter conviction carries no minimum sentence.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations Thursday.
Niagara Regional Police arrested five people in connection with the investigation.
Andrew Blais, 31, and Rebecca Eden, 42, of both of Fort Erie; 42-year-old Rikki Anger, of St. Catharines, and 63-year-old Hendrika Skelton, of Lincoln, also face charges. Their matters remain before the courts.