Jury in Alberta’s Coutts murder-conspiracy trial expected to begin deliberations this week

A communicative of femmes fatales, authorities conspiracies, nan devil, and an equipped penetration starring to a dystopian early has been playing retired for 7 weeks successful a Lethbridge courtroom.

This week, jurors successful Lethbridge, Alta., are slated to statesman deliberating nan destiny of Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert.

The 2 are connected proceedings successful Court of King’s Bench, charged pinch conspiracy to perpetrate execution astatine nan Coutts, Alta., blockade successful early 2022.

The barricade of trucks and different vehicles halted postulation astatine nan engaged Alberta-United States separator crossing for 2 weeks to protestation COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates.

Carbert and Olienick were charged aft RCMP seized weapons, assemblage armour and ammunition successful trailers adjacent nan blockade on pinch a firearms licence successful Carbert’s name.

They later located much weapons, buckets of ammunition, and 2 tube bombs astatine Olienick’s home.

The Crown has presented witnesser and beingness grounds to reason that Olienick and Carbert conspired to termination police.

Three female undercover officers, who posed arsenic volunteers during nan protest, befriended Olienick and testified he said extensively astir having a cache of guns and ammunition — and he said of hatred for police.

“(He said) this was his destiny and nan warfare he was expected to conflict in. He erstwhile again said that he knows he’s going to dice for this fight,” 1 of nan officers testified.

“Then he said he wants to termination them all.”

Olienick, she said, likened Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to nan devil, and called nan compliant Mounties nan “devil’s arms.”

He told them he didn’t expect to past nan blockade.

Olienick’s lawyer, Marilyn Burns, accused 1 of nan officers of utilizing feminine wiles to get accusation retired of her customer moreover though specified action is ethically and legally retired of bounds.

Burns pointed to bosom emojis connected matter messages betwixt nan serviceman and Olienick.

The serviceman said nan bosom messages indicated she liked nan message, not nan messenger.

“But it tin besides mean 2 group loving each other,” said Burns.

“I’m not judge really different group construe it,” replied nan officer.

The lawyer pushed on: “It should person been evident to you that Tony was opening to beryllium willing successful having a narration pinch you that was beyond friendly.”

The serviceman replied, “I didn’t consciousness that way. That wasn’t nan belief I was getting.”

Burns continued: “You were flirting pinch him.”

In a videotaped interrogation by constabulary aft his arrest, Olienick said he and his comrades only wanted to play nan domiciled of protectors for nan group successful Coutts.

He said he was dismayed aft learning nan blockade was over. It ended peacefully erstwhile constabulary made arrests.

“I’m sorry, God,” Olienick is seen telling nan walls of nan quiet interrogation room.

Olienick told constabulary nan extremity was to return a guidelines against a takeover of Canadian freedoms by tyrants, including United Nations troops and Chinese communists.

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“We’ve seen it each complete nan world … governments do bad things,” said Olienick.

On nan video, Olienick rejected nan allegation he would frighten officers, but qualified it by saying, “Unless you guys are shooting astatine america first.”

“But it wouldn’t beryllium you guys,” he added. “It would beryllium UN guys aliases Chinese.”

Carbert took portion successful a number of matter messages expressing anger complete COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions.

A self-proclaimed ‘prepper,’ he told tribunal he was prepared to caput to nan mountains and do immoderate was basal if personification tried to flick a COVID-19 vaccine into his arm.

Evidence included texts from Carbert to his mother during nan standoff.

One read, “Mom, I americium fine. If they commencement nan violence, I americium conscionable telling you location will beryllium warfare and casualties of war.”

The matter added, “I don’t deliberation you genuinely understand what this is for and about. If we suffer here, I will apt dice successful war.”

Carbert has admitted to bringing a restricted Panther Arms AR-15 battle firearm to Coutts, which was seized by police.

Carbert said he was embarrassed that he described constabulary officers arsenic “losers” and “the enemy.”

“Sometimes we opportunity dumb things that we regret,” he said.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday. The judge will manus nan lawsuit complete to nan assemblage connected Wednesday aft he gives it instructions.

There primitively were 12 jurors and 2 spares.

There is now conscionable 1 spare aft 1 was dismissed for falling dormant successful court.