A judge is expected to make his decision next month in the case of a Nanaimo woman accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend, cutting up his body and disposing of the parts.
The trial of Paris Jayanne Laroche, ended April 18. The 28-year-old faces charges of first-degree murder and interfering with human remains. A ruling is expected on July 19 in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
According to testimony during trial, Laroche had been in a relationship with Sidney Joseph Mantee, 32 before he was reported missing in October 2020. Nick Barber and Sabrina Avery, co-Crown counsel, contend that Mantee was abusive, claiming he once choked Laroche until she was unconscious.
Crown says Laroche struck the victim in the head with a hammer while he was asleep and slashed his throat, then dismembered his body and disposed of the parts over the span of six months.
She was arrested in March 2022.
Glen Orris and Robyn Young, Laroche's legal counsel, said their client acted out after Mantee was said to have abused her cat. It was not homicide, but manslaughter as a result of self-defence, they argued.
The trial was moved from Nanaimo to Vancouver as a facility to house Laroche wasn't available.
