Closing arguments wrapped up mid-afternoon in court in St. Paul March 21 in the case of Frank James Frenchman, charged with second-degree murder in the death of Alfred Wagner, an 83-year old resident of Bonnyville, AB.
Wagner was stabbed to death in his home on Oct. 16, 2016 during what is alleged to have been a home invasion and robbery.
Arguments from the crown and the defense were mainly focused on the reliability of statements made by Frenchman to the police.
The judge is expected to give his instructions to the jury beginning at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. The eight women and four men on the jury may choose to find Frenchman guilty of second degree murder, guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty.
Frenchman and his sister Arizona were jointly charged with the Oct. 2016 killing. Arizona Chastity Frenchman plead guilty to manslaughter. She was sentenced to five years in jail at a hearing Nov. 23, 2018.
For full details of the case, and the verdict when it is reached, see the March 26 issue of the St. Paul Journal.
