Jeremy Hall’s murder trial to be decided by judge alone

Jeremy Hall is back before the courts in Hamilton, being tried for the second time for the murder of 27-year-old Billy Mason, who went missing in February of 2006.

Hall was convicted in 2013 but won an appeal last year.

This time, as Lisa Hepfner reports, the trial will be decided by a judge alone; no jury.

Halls’s accomplice, Jason Lusted was calm and forthright through his testimony but got very agitated and defensive when Jeremy Hall’s lawyer was cross-examining him.

Lusted says he was a career criminal. He admitted he lied to police until 2010 when he pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of murder.

Hall’s lawyer suggested that Lusted’s extensive criminal record going back to 1986 was very relevant when assessing Lusted’s credibility.

Lusted said, quote, “yeah, I stole from people in the past but I’m not a killer, and I’m telling the truth now.”

The trial resumes tomorrow.