The sensational quadruple murder trial of Leslie Pipersburg and Patrick Robateau continued today in the Supreme Court. On day 4 of what is perhaps one of the most closely watched criminal trial in recent memory, two more witnesses took the stand. Our Keith Swift is covering the trial and reports on today's proceedings from the Supreme Court.
Keith Swift Reporting,
There were few significant developments today - as most of the day was spent on procedural clarifications.
The first witness to take the stand this morning was Carol Andrews - the sister of Arthur Griffith. Griffith was the supervisor on duty at Bowen and Bowen at the time of the attempted robbery and subsequent murder. Arthur Griffith left the country last year and so his sister was called by the prosecution to basically verify that he is out of the country and is unable to testify.
Next was Nick Pollard Jr., the sales manager at Bowen and Bowen. Again the value of his testimony was to verify that Mr. Griffith had been employed as a supervisor by Bowen and Bowen Ltd. at the time of the alleged murder.
While they weren't revealing, both testimonies today were important because since Mr. Griffith is legitimately not here, the prosecution may attempt to introduce his sworn statement, which is an important eyewitness account.
While this matter is yet to be resolved, the judge has ordered a three-day adjournment and the trial will now resume on Monday. It's expected to continue for at least a few weeks - as there are 20 more witnesses for the prosecution still to be called.
32-year-old Patrick Robateau and 29-year-old Leslie Pipersburg both former employees of Bowen and Bowen Limited are facing 4 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of use of deadly means of harm. We will have continuing coverage when the trial r4esumes on Monday.