MCC Day 10 - Blueberry Field Gate, Hunter Road, and Wentworth

The Mass Casualty Commission started Day 10 of proceedings with a witness who was able to provide evidence regarding an access road between Cobequid Court, at the lower end of the Portapique subdivision, and then there were two further presentations of Foundational Documents by Commission lawyer, Roger Burrill. These presentations covered the three killings on Hunter Road, and the death of Lillian Campbell in Wentworth. The witness was Deborah Thibeault, who lived next to the access road. This road connects the lower part of Portapique to a blueberry field, where there is a road by which it was suspected the killer escaped the community. She was able to testify about a gate that covered the access road, and which she noticed had been knocked over when she returned to her property approximately a week after killings. The essential evidence that Ms. Thibeault provided was fairly brief, though her examination lasted close to two hours. At times the questioning by Commission lawyer, Jamie VanWart, was painfully slow, and would lead me to presume that the witness had not been prepared. Such lack of preparation can be harmful for a witness in some circumstances, as it can appear that they have a poor memory, when in fact they are just not ready for certain questions. After Ms. Thibeault’s evidence, there were the two Foundational Document presentations. Mr. Burrill did both presentations. The information in these presentations certainly drove home the point that had there been an emergency alert issued overnight or early in the morning of the 19th, that many lives would have been saved. The second Foundational Document presentation focused on Lillian Campbell, and how she was killed by Gabriel Wortman while out for her morning walk. The evidence suggests that the killer saw her walking, did a U-turn, and went to speak with her. He shot her from inside his replica RCMP vehicle. It would seem he was concerned he may have been known to be driving an RCMP replica, and so felt he needed to eliminate any witnesses. Again, had there been an emergency alert issue, it is highly unlikely that Ms. Campbell would have taken her morning walk, and so she would still likely be alive today. The Commission will resume hearings tomorrow with a further Foundational Document covering Highway 4, Glenholme, and Plains Road.