Sudbury murder trial nears conclusion, closing arguments Monday
The second-degree murder trial of Robert Steven Wright resumed briefly Thursday morning, with the defence formally wrapping up its case.
Proceedings have been delayed after some jurors tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Jurors entered the court Thursday mostly wearing masks and were divided, with half sitting on either side of the court, spaced apart.
Wright, 43, is on trial for the stabbing death of Renee Sweeney on Jan. 27, 1998, while she worked as a clerk at the Adults Only Video store.
- Read more on the Sweeney Murder Case
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
New agreed statements of fact were read into the record by Justice Robbie Gordon on Thursday.
They focused on John Fetterly, the first man Sudbury police charged with the crime in February 1998, but later said they made a mistake and released him.
Wright’s defence has presented Fetterly as an alternate suspect in the murder.
FETTERLY'S EX-WIFE
Justice Robbie Gordon read the agreed statements of fact into the record. The first was from Fetterly’s former spouse, Donna-Lynn Sevigny, who gave a statement to police Feb. 19, 1998.
“Ms. Sevigny told police that Mr. Fetterly had always exhibited a fascination with different kind of knives such as butterfly knives and daggers,” the statement said.
“She knew him to go out in public in possession of a knife on occasion ... Ms. Sevigny described Mr. Fetterly as having a volatile temper. He could be nice one minute and then turn into a different person the next.”
Before Sweeney’s murder, she hadn’t seen him for two years, but in February 1998, he called her and said he had come into “a little bit of money and wanted to get her and their daughter a coffee.”
FETTERLY'S MOTHER
Fetterly’s now deceased mother, Alma, was the subject of the second agreed statement of facts. She told police Feb. 10, 1998, that her son lived in Mildmay, Ont., (near Walkerton) and that he lived alone
She said Fetterly was at her Sudbury home in early December 1997, but left after they had a dispute.
“He owed her money for the phone bill and rather than paying it he went out and blew his money on booze and drugs,” his mother told police.
She took Fetterly back home Dec. 13 and didn’t see him again until Feb. 1 or 2, when he called to say he was coming home, taking both the bus and hitchhiking part of the way.
“He had been at (Riverside Drive in Sudbury) ever since, except the night of Feb. 9 when he didn’t make it home,” his mother said.
She also said he did not wear glasses.
PRIOR ARREST
The next agreed statement of facts dealt with Fetterly’s arrest Jan. 30, 1998, for stealing six porn magazines and one adult calendar from a convenience store in Walkerton.
When police saw him walking near the scene, “he was then observed dropping magazines on the sidewalk. Upon further investigation, he was seen kneeling over the pornographic magazines. John Fetterly was arrested for theft and possession of stolen property.”
“There was no actual or attempted use of violence by John Fetterly when he stole the magazines nor was there any threatened use of force,” the statement said.
He told police he had not been in Sudbury for about a year, which was not true, based on his mother’s evidence.
“Mr. Fetterly was not in police custody on Jan. 27, 1998,” the statement said.
FORMER NEIGHBOUR
Finally, information from Fetterly’s former neighbour in Mildmay was also entered into evidence.
Charlotte Kupferschmidt told police she believed Fetterly was in his apartment Jan. 26, 1998, the night before the murder.
“She arrived home around 11:45 p.m. and parked her car,” she told police.
“She saw Mr. Fetterly looking out of the east window of his apartment. He had a few whiskers. That’s all she noticed. She couldn’t tell what he was wearing.”
She heard the sound of a TV coming from his apartment and she said she could still hear it when she went to sleep around 1 a.m.
“After completing her Feb. 12, 1998, statement, Ms. Kupferschmidt told the officer who was taking the statement that she was not sure if she saw Mr. Fetterly on the Monday night or the Sunday before that, Jan. 25, 1998.”
She didn’t see him again until Feb. 1, 1998.
NEVER SAW HIM DRIVE
“Ms. Kupferschmidt told the police that she has never seen Mr. Fetterly drive. When asked ‘have you ever seen him in any cars?’ she replied, ‘whenever I see him he is walking. Just his mom and dad when they came down. One day I seen him hitchhiking towards Walkerton. That was before Christmas.’”
She added it takes two hours to walk to Walkerton from Mildmay.
When asked what Fetterly wore that winter, she said, “I know he had a jean jacket he wore all the time. He wore a sweater under it but I am not sure of the colour. I only saw him in white running shoes. I don’t recall seeing him with any gloves. He always wore a ball cap backwards on his head.”
With that, the defence ended its case. Closing arguments will take place Monday in front of the jury, with Gordon giving his charge to the jury later Monday or Tuesday.
CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca will continue to bring updates on the case from the courtroom.
Find all the previous Sweeney murder case coverage here.
Background
The brutal stabbing death of 23-year-old Renee Sweeney rocked the City of Sudbury to its core on Jan. 27, 1998.
Police searched for her killer for two decades and finally charged Robert Steven Wright, who was 18 years old at the time of the murder. He has been held in jail since his arrest in Dec. 2018.
After several delays, the trial began Feb. 21, 2023, just after the 25th anniversary of Sweeney's death.
CTV News Digital content producer Darren MacDonald is bringing the latest from the courtroom every day and will have full coverage of the trial here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.