The defence lawyer for a well-known Pembroke dentist tried to chip away at the credibility of a witness during her impaired driving trial Tuesday.
Christy Natsis is charged in the death of Bryan Casey, who was killed in a head-on collision on Highway 17 near Arnprior.
Monday, Merisha Mesic testified she saw a visibly impaired woman get into a vehicle at Kanata’s Crazy Horse Bar and Grill on March 31, 2011 – the same night Casey was killed.
Defence lawyer Michael Edelson said Tuesday there were differences between her testimony and her previous statement to police.
“In court you said the vehicle turned left out of the parking lot . . . but in your statement you had no idea which direction it went,” he said.
Edelson then accused her of siding with the victim’s family after she was seen talking to the Casey family outside the courtroom.
“Of all the people in the courthouse, why are you talking to them?” he said. “I would suggest your evidence has been shaped around your sympathy for the Casey family.”
“My tearfulness is because I feel horrible that someone had to lose their life,” Mesic said, denying his suggestion she had been exaggerating her evidence.
CTV Ottawa’s Catherine Lathem said we can expect more tough cross-examination from Edelson as the trial continues, since he has a reputation for picking apart testimony.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Catherine Lathem
