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CASE WRAPPED — The jury in the first-degree murder trial of Christina Asp has heard the last piece of evidence in the case. Her defence wrapped its case Tuesday afternoon. Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday. Photo courtesy YUKON SUPREME COURT

Murder case headed to jury next week

After nearly three months of testimony, the Yukon Supreme Court jury in the Christina Asp murder trial has heard the last piece of evidence.

By Ashley Joannou on June 13, 2012

After nearly three months of testimony, the Yukon Supreme Court jury in the Christina Asp murder trial has heard the last piece of evidence.

The 34-year-old's lawyer wrapped his side of the case Tuesday afternoon.

Asp was the only witness called for the defence.

Under cross-examination yesterday, Asp continued to deny striking Gordon Seybold with a bat, claiming she had exaggerated her role in his death to try to impress her new criminal friends and keep her job.

What she didn't know was that those new friends were actually undercover police officers, and many of their conversations were being recorded.

Seybold's body was found in March 2008 inside his Ibex Valley cabin after it burned to the ground.

On multiple recordings heard throughout the trial, Asp tells her new friends that she and her then-boyfriend, Norman Larue, went to Seybold's cabin and the men got into a fight.

When it appeared Seybold was getting the upper hand on her boyfriend, Asp is recorded as saying, she hit Seybold three times on the head with a bat before handing the weapon back to her boyfriend.

Asp now says she only gave her boyfriend directions to the cabin and never laid a hand on the 63-year-old herself.

During cross-examination, prosecutor David McWhinnie suggested Asp was telling the undercover officers the truth and is now lying to the jury.

He suggested Asp wanted help from the powerful criminal family to cover up the crime, so told them exactly what happened to Seybold.

Asp insisted she "wanted to belong somewhere” and enjoyed her new job with the family, which included getting paid and travelling around the country.

The lawyer questioned why she would lie to the crime syndicate's powerful and intimidating leader who she believed had deep connections within the police force and could easily find out the truth.

Asp said that once her lie started, "I couldn't stop.”

McWhinnie questioned why she would want to jeopardize a job she valued so much.

Asp added that she was hoping her new friends could help Larue by covering up the crime.

If that were true, the lawyer said, she could have told the same story she's told the jury, and did not need to lie about her involvement.

"They never said, ‘We'll help you but we won't help Norman,'” McWhinnie said.

"No,” Asp responded.

The prosecutor pointed to many times during the recorded conversations where Asp was told not to make things up, and the importance of telling the truth.

He also questioned Asp about a map of the Ibex Valley property recovered by police at the cabin where Asp and Larue were staying prior to Seybold's death.

A handwriting expert testified to matching Asp's printing to printing found on the map.

Other writing could not be identified.

On the stand, Asp said she doesn't remember anything about drawing the map.

McWhinnie pointed out that Seybold's property is difficult to find, and suggested Asp drew the map before his death to help find it.

Asp repeated that she doesn't remember drawing the map.

During her direct testimony nearly two weeks ago, Asp told the jury that on the morning Seybold died, Larue left her mother's house in Whitehorse, saying he needed to "take care of some business,” but said it was "against his rules” to let her come along.

After some arguing, he let her come, she testified.

"You knew this wasn't a social call,” McWhinnie said Tuesday.

But Asp insisted all she was thinking at that point was that she "didn't want to be by myself” and didn't know what kind of business her boyfriend was talking about.

When she learned where they were going and offered to give directions, she expected Larue to have a conversation with Seybold about disrespecting her mother, she said.

"You wouldn't go to somebody's house at five or six in the morning to talk about something minor,” McWhinnie said.

The prosecutor also asked about a letter sent from Asp to Larue following Seybold's death while the pair was in custody for parole violations.

It reads in part: "I don't know how to play ball let alone swing a bat LOL (Laugh Out Loud.) I'm too girlish.”

The Crown pointed to one conversation with undercover officers where Asp tells her friends Larue teased her about the way she swung the bat.

McWhinnie suggested that points to a private joke between the couple.

Asp insists that's not true.

Asp testified to other lies she now says she told undercover officers. These include lying about having conversations with her mother regarding what should happen to Seybold, about burning her own bloody clothes and about wearing a mask when she went to the cabin.

"It seemed like something a criminal organization would appreciate,” she said.

She insists she doesn't know how she came up with the lies.

"Things just came out of my mouth.”

The 12 women and two men on the jury will hear closing arguments from both sides on Thursday.

Justice Leigh Gower will give his final instructions next week. Then the jury will be able to begin its deliberations.

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