Jury deliberations underway in Overbrook murder trial

The fate of an Ottawa man charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault is in the hands of a jury.  

Nick Vanasse is charged in the fatal 2019 stabbing of Steven Butler in Overbrook. Butler's son Bradley was also injured in the incident.

On Wednesday, members of Butler's family linked arms in solidarity as they approached the Ottawa Courthouse on Elgin Street.  

"It's been really trying on all of us and for so many years," said Butler's sister Sandra Ross. "We're hoping this will come to an end, we'll have some justice and our family can finally move forward." 

The Crown contends Vanasse, who it says was armed with a BB gun and knife, taunted the Butlers outside their home and provoked a confrontation. It also alleges Vanasse deliberately plunged a knife into Butler's chest.  

Vanasse's defence lawyer Michael Smith argued in court that Vanasse acted in self-defence and alleged he didn't stab Butler until he said Butler lunged at him. 

"He was a kind man, a gentle man, an Anishinaabe man proud of his heritage and his culture," said Ross of her brother. "He lived for family, he loved for family. He wasn't a violent man, he wasn't an aggressive man. 

In his nearly three-hour charge to the jury, Superior Court Justice Kevin Philips told jurors in order to convict, they have to unanimously agree the Crown proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.  

The jury is sequestered as it deliberates.