HALIFAX – A jury heard closing arguments today in the retrial of a man accused of second-degree murder in the death 13 years ago of a man who was delivering pizza in a Halifax suburb.
Randy Riley is being tried in Nova Scotia Supreme Court before judge and jury for the death of Chad Smith, who was killed by a single gunshot blast on the evening of Oct. 23, 2010.
Defence lawyer Trevor McGuigan told the jury it would be “dangerous” to rely on two Crown witnesses, as there is credible evidence to contradict them.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Tutton
He said one witness has received funding from a police witness protection program and had motivation to claim Riley was dangerous in order to remain in the program.
The defence lawyer said another witness, Paul Smith — who is not related to the victim — had admitted to lying during Riley’s first trial when he testified he had seen Riley with what appeared to be a gun in his pants, and that Riley had told him, “It had to be done.”
Another man, Nathan Johnson, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2015 for the killing of Chad Smith.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2023.
