Fate of man accused of killing battle rapper Pat Stay now in hands of a jury
The fate of the man accused of killing Dartmouth battle rapper Pat Stay in 2022 is now in the hands of a jury.
On Tuesday, Justice Scott Norton delivered his instructions to the jurors who have been hearing the second-degree murder trial of Adam Drake, 34, since May 12 in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Dartmouth.
Drake was charged in Stay's death after the 36-year-old was stabbed in a downtown Halifax nightclub in the early morning hours of Sept. 4, 2022, and died shortly after in a Halifax hospital.
Norton, who started his instruction by thanking the jury for their service over the past several weeks, told the jurors they have three options. He said they can find Drake guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter or not guilty. In the case of manslaughter, the jury would have to decide that Drake did kill Stay but that he was in a state of mind such that he didn't believe his actions would actually lead to Stay's death.
The judge summed up for the jury the cases presented by both the Crown and the defence.
The key piece of evidence in the case is the surveillance video captured from inside the Yacht Club Social the night of Stay's death. At one point, the grainy black and white video shows Stay — with his back to the camera — having an altercation with someone. As he turns around, he brushes what appears to be blood from the left side of his chest. He's then punched from behind and falls to the floor. He gets back on his feet and walks out of the camera's view.
Norton wrapped up his instruction to the jury shortly after 2 p.m.
It's unclear when a verdict might be returned but Norton reminded jurors on Monday to bring an overnight bag in the event that they were unable to reach a verdict by 6 p.m. Tuesday.
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