'No motive, no proof:' Defence argues Barrie man couldn't have killed Katherine Janeiro

Warning: Readers may find some details in this article disturbing or upsetting.

Defence lawyer Mary Cremer sought to persuade the jury during closing submissions on Friday that it would have been impossible for her client to have murdered Katherine Janeiro in 1994.

"It absolutely was not Bruce Ellis," Cremer stated in the courtroom. "There is no motive for Bruce Ellis to kill Katherine Janeiro."

Janeiro's lifeless body was found face down in her bedroom by a neighbour. The court heard the 20-year-old mother had been stabbed multiple times.

The Crown told the court Ellis took Janeiro's life because he was furious she had told his wife she was pregnant with his child and spread rumours he contracted AIDS from an exotic dancer.

But the defence argued the timeline of the murder presented by the Crown simply didn't add up, saying it would have been "impossible" for Ellis to kill Janeiro, ransack the house, clean himself up, and return home before his then-wife found him back in bed.

The defence insisted Ellis had no contact with Janeiro that night, adding the Crown had failed to show any proof linking him to the murder.

"You are all being asked to find Bruce Ellis guilty on the basis of all the evidence," Cremer said, adding, "The evidence just does not add up."

Cremer also pointed out that Ellis' phone number was not saved in Janeiro's phone, suggesting that he wasn't involved in her life at the time of her death.

The defence then shifted attention toward two other individuals, Woody Theakston and Paul Daigle, arguing their actions were consistent with those of guilty individuals.

Cremer said the evidence proved Theakston, a now-deceased biker who Janiero sold drugs for, had a motive to kill her.

A witness testified seeing Theakston and Daigle inside Janeiro's apartment rummaging through drawers and cupboards in the kitchen the night of her death.

Daigle admitted to being in the Dunlop Street apartment but told the court he had nothing to do with the murder.

Cremer further highlighted that Theakston had contradicted himself during police interviews and claimed Daigle's testimony was riddled with lies.

"Paul Daigle lied to all of you because he is assisting Woody in the killing of Katherine Janeiro and is lying to you to this day," Cremer told the jury, pointing the finger again at Theakston, stating the evidence "overwhelmingly shows he had the motive to kill Katherine Janeiro."

Cremer told the jury a witness who said she saw Ellis running across the street with Janeiro's phone, which had been ripped from the apartment wall, was not credible or reliable.

"Whatever it was she saw, it absolutely was not Bruce Ellis," the defence told the jury.

The defence also sought to poke holes in the prosecution's claims Ellis was angry over Janeiro's expensive phone bill, which he was paying.

"People don't kill each other over an unpaid phone bill," Ellis' lawyer stated.

Justice Clyde Smith is expected to instruct the jury on Monday before deliberations.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

With files from CTV's Mike Arsalides