Figliola murder trial

(Update)

The epic murder trial of Maria Figliola should wrap up this week. Lisa Hepfner was in court for final defence arguments Tuesday, and has this report.

This was the second full day of the defence’s closing arguments of this trial which started back on March 18th. Maria Figliola is accused of hiring a hit man to kill her husband Frank Figliola in Aug 2001.

Frank Figliola was found beaten to death on a path near Millen Rd, not far from where the family lived in Stoney Creek.

Court heard he had a gambling addiction which included illicit gambling. and the defense contends that is what got him killed.

Defence lawyer Michael Lacy says the witnesses, the crown witnesses, were tainted by police. witnesses included Maria Figliola’s ex boyfriend, her friends, and friends of the alleged hitman. And the defence says they were bullied by police until they agreed to accounts of that night that conformed to the police theory. And we heard wire tap evidence and police interviews that support that defence.

Lacy told jurors, you can’t convict Maria Figliola because she was a bad person, doing cocaine, having an affair, stealing money from the CIBC where she worked. He said Frank Figliola’s family is entitled to justice but that justice would not be served if you convict Maria Figliola.

So Wednesday, the crown will start wrapping its case, and it looks like the end of this week, maybe not til next week, that the jury retires to decide on a verdict.