Fate of 2 Alberta men charged with murder conspiracy related to Coutts blockade in hands of jury

The assemblage successful nan conspiracy to perpetrate execution proceedings of 2 men related to nan separator protestation successful Coutts, Alta., will proceed its deliberations into their guilt aliases innocence today.

The five-man, seven-woman assemblage was handed nan lawsuit precocious Wednesday day pursuing 5 hours of instruction from Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice David Labrenz.

Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert look nan conspiracy to perpetrate execution complaint arsenic good arsenic mischief complete $5000, possession of a limb for a vulnerable intent while Olienick faces a further complaint of possessing a tube bomb.

The 2 men were arrested aft constabulary seized a stockpile of guns, ammunition and assemblage armour successful an early greeting ambush successful Feb., 2022.

The Crown says nan 2 men were readying to usage Coutts arsenic a launchpad to commencement a gyration and were prepared to usage unit against nan RCMP.

Carbert’s lawyer said her customer simply fell down a rabbit spread and said thing dumb. She said her customer was a “bit of a helping nut” but location was nary scheme to termination police.

The lawyer for Olienick said her customer was nan unfortunate of a disastrous constabulary investigation and had been taken successful by 3 female undercover officers who tricked him into making incriminating statements by utilizing their feminine wiles.

“If location was a conspiracy, Chris was not portion of it. He was a spot of a wingnut. There was nary scheme to termination police.”

Labrenz told nan assemblage that nan 2 men must beryllium presumed to beryllium guiltless unless nan prosecution proves their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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He said to beryllium conspiracy to perpetrate execution nan assemblage has to determine first if location was an existent conspiracy successful spot wherever 2 aliases much group planned to perpetrate a crime.

Labrenz said if nan jurors determine location was a conspiracy, nan adjacent measurement would beryllium to find whether Olienick and Carbert were involved.

The proceedings is successful its eighth week.

It was primitively expected to beryllium completed by nan extremity of June.

The blockade tied up postulation for 2 weeks astatine nan engaged Alberta-U.S. separator crossing to protestation COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates.