Crown alleges man stabbed friend six times until dead

(JESSICA WALLACE / iNFOnews.ca)

October 29, 2013 - 4:53 PM

KAMLOOPS - The crown is trying to prove a Kamloops man killed his friend at a house party last year by stabbing him six times, including twice in the heart.

The trial is underway in B.C. Supreme Court for Torbin Alec. He is charged with second degree murder in the death of 29-year-old Jesse Seymour. Alec is accused of stabbing Seymour to death at a party in downtown Kamloops on July 15, 2012.

"Twice through the heart area," Kamloops lawyer Rob Bruneau told the court. "Either of those stabbings on their own would have been sufficient to cause death."

Bruneau has been assigned to the case as a special prosecutor due to potential conflicts between the victim's family and the Crown office.

He outlined the allegations against Alec during his opening statement Monday in court. The accused and victim were with friends at 746 Columbia St. on the night of Seymour's death.

"In the early morning, there was a fist fight between Jesse Seymour — the victim — and Torbin Alec," Bruneau said.

Seymour was stabbed six times. He was taken to hospital where he later died. Bruneau alleged Alec fled the scene to his mother's apartment on Yew Street after the stabbing. That's where police found him along with the alleged murder weapon.

"(Police) saw a bucket of bloody water and saw a knife — a blood covered knife," Bruneau said, adding that the knife was later seized by police.

A forensic pathologist at the Royal Inland Hospital, who conducted the Seymour's autopsy, also took the stand today.

Dr. John Stefanelli said Seymour's six wounds, five in the front and one in the back, were consistent with that of a knife seized by police — a five-inch, folding hunting knife shown in court. He also said Seymour lacked any phycisal signs of having protected himself.

"I did not see anything that I would define as a defensive wound," Dr. Stefanelli said.

Alec initially elected trial by judge and jury, but right before the trial began Monday, he elected trial by judge alone.

The Crown is expected to call RCMP officers, a toxicologist and associates of Alec and Seymour as the trial continues this week and likely into next week.

The defence is expected to argue that their client acted in self defence.

To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca, call: (250) 319-7494 or tweet: @jess__wallace.