By David Lohr
(Continued)
"He was gone. I was shocked, like, it was morbid, surreal. I was not in my head. I was panicking, and I was very scared," she said.
Richardson took money from her mother's purse and took a taxi to Steinke's house. The couple then went to a mutual friend's house and made love.
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| Jasmine Richardson |
Testimony by Richardson soon came to an end, and the prosecution called various other witnesses who testified that Richardson and Steinke had admitted to committing the murders. According to one witness, Steinke said the family had been "gutted like fish," and Richardson described how her brother "gargled" after his throat was cut.
Closing arguments in the case were swift, with Cleary suggesting premeditation and Richardson's lawyer, Tim Foster, downplaying his client's involvement, painting her as more of a victim than a cold-blooded killer.
On July 10, after having deliberated for three hours, a jury of her peers found Jasmine Richardson guilty of three counts of first-degree murder. Afterwards, Cleary asked that the maximum 10-year sentence allowed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act be imposed.
"It is clear that this is a young person who is disturbed and faces big challenges to become part of society," Cleary said.
When Foster addressed the judge, he asked that his client receive a seven-year sentence with credit for the 18 months she had already spent in custody.
Judge Brooker said he would take both requests into consideration and deferred sentencing to November 2007. During the interim, a court-ordered psychological assessment of Richardson was conducted. That report, which was provided to the court in October, determined Richardson suffered from "conduct disorder" and "oppositional defiance disorder," but suggested she was still a good candidate for rehabilitation.
In discussing the results with The Calgary Herald, Cleary had this to say:
"This is a young person who is seriously disturbed," adding, "[She] bears no responsibility for her crimes."
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