Behind bars for his wife乌鸦传媒檚 murder, Peter Beckett hatched a plan with his cellmate to get rid of anyone in the way of his future freedom and wealth, a Kelowna jury heard this week.
Beckett, a former New Zealand city councillor, was arrested and charged with murder a year after the Aug. 18, 2010 drowning of Laura Letts-Beckett in Upper Arrow Lake, near Revelstoke. While awaiting trial at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in July 2012 he told his cellmate that he didn乌鸦传媒檛 deserve the charge, though his story didn乌鸦传媒檛 ring true.
乌鸦传媒淗e explained to me he was out boating in a zodiac with his wife and told me he was positioned in a way where he was facing the stern of the boat and fishing, and his wife was up front, at the bow, and he said he didn乌鸦传媒檛 notice that she乌鸦传媒檇 fallen off of it. He didn乌鸦传媒檛 see her flailing under water,乌鸦传媒� the former cellmate, whose name is protected under a publication ban, told the court in testimony that started Tuesday and continued through to Thursday.
乌鸦传媒淎nd I said, 乌鸦传媒榠s that your story, is that what you said to police?乌鸦传媒� and he said, 乌鸦传媒榶eah,乌鸦传媒� and I said, 乌鸦传媒榶ou乌鸦传媒檙e f**ked.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
The cellmate testified that he had lots of experience on the water, and a zodiac is a very buoyant boat.
A guy such as Beckett, who is six-feet-nine inches tall and 400 pounds, sitting in the steer of the boat would feel a change in the balance.
乌鸦传媒淚 said that bow would have been standing straight in the air as soon as she fell off,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒溛谘淮綐How you didn乌鸦传媒檛 feel that or hear that in the boat, that乌鸦传媒檚 impossible.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
In time Beckett changed his story, and said perhaps his wife gently lowered herself from the zodiac and slipped into the water.
That, however, wasn乌鸦传媒檛 the only reason he saw a conviction in his future.
The cellmate told jurors that when he asked Beckett for details on evidence the police had and witnesses queued up to speak, he was convinced he乌鸦传媒檇 be convicted.
One woman in particular, said the cellmate, had the most damming evidence.
乌鸦传媒淚 said if she showed up you乌鸦传媒檙e done,乌鸦传媒� he told jurors.
That seemed to trigger a reaction in Beckett and a week later, after the cellmate changed cells, Mr. Beckett showed up at his door with his bail form. The form indicated who Beckett was supposed to stay away from once he was freed乌鸦传媒� including the aforementioned woman乌鸦传媒� the Letts family and their lawyer.
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Beckett told his cellmate there was a lot of money with 乌鸦传媒渨ills, and properties and life insurance policies,乌鸦传媒� involved in his case.
乌鸦传媒�(Beckett) started going on about how we could live a lavish lifestyle on the outs, and how there乌鸦传媒檚 a lot of money involved,乌鸦传媒� said the former cellmate.
乌鸦传媒淗e knew I was getting out and I was well known in the system, and I hung out with shady characters on the street.乌鸦传媒�
As the cellmate built up his reputation as a criminal with clout, Beckett seemingly tried to win favour by bringing him weekly canteen supplies乌鸦传媒攋unk food and cooking supplies that only arrive weekly.
He also talked a lot about moving to Costa Rica together if only the cellmate could kill the Letts family and the witnesses.
He told jurors that he was to take out the witness 乌鸦传媒淢VA style乌鸦传媒� and the family by burning his house. Supreme Court Justice Alison Beames told them that the evidence about methodology was to be disregarded going forward.
The cellmate then testified that he sent a letter to the lead RCMP investigator sharing his conversations with Beckett.
乌鸦传媒淭his case started to bother me 乌鸦传媒� I think a lot of the reason I contacted (the RCMP case investigator) was my sister was murdered and it tore my family to pieces. This kept eating at me. I was thinking about what that family was going through.乌鸦传媒�
Defence lawyer Marilyn Sandford raised the witness乌鸦传媒檚 extensive criminal record in cross examination, pointing out that starting in 1982 there were a number of convictions for robberies, fraudulent use of credit cards and dangerous driving.
She also highlighted portions of his prison diary to seemingly undermine his credibility.
The cellmate hadn乌鸦传媒檛 just offered up Beckett. In a correspondence with the Mountie who was investigating the Beckett case, the cellmate spoke of his connections to the Sanghera gang.
乌鸦传媒淧erhaps we could take down the entire Sanghera crime family,乌鸦传媒� Sandford read from his the witness乌鸦传媒檚 diary. They were rivals of the Bacon brothers, the Red Scorpions, and the UN gang at the time.
The cellmate said they乌鸦传媒檇 become friends in pretrial confinement.
乌鸦传媒淪o it wasn乌鸦传媒檛 your sister乌鸦传媒檚 death that caused you to do something,乌鸦传媒� said Sandford, adding that the cellmate just wanted to be a police informant.
乌鸦传媒淵ou乌鸦传媒檙e so far on the left it乌鸦传媒檚 starting to frighten me,乌鸦传媒� the cellmate said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e here to talk about this case. I don乌鸦传媒檛 care about some dead Sanghera.乌鸦传媒�
n opening statements, the Crown alleged that Beckett had taken out a sizeable accidental death insurance policy on his wife and he had his eyes on her part of a family inheritance. The Letts family are wealthy, fourth-generation cattle ranchers from Alberta.
