Mark Twitchell spent two days on the witness stand explaining he unintentionally killed John Altinger after a brief scuffle before he faced an intense cross-examination over his innumerable lies.
As the last witness in his own first-degree murder trial, Twitchell took the stand Wednesday and told the jury Altinger's death was accidental, after the two men argued and fought in a southside Edmonton garage.
During cross-examination Thursday, Crown prosecutor Avril Inglis focused not on Twitchell's new story, but on lies he told before and after his arrest.
In a relentless series of questions, Inglis asked Twitchell about lies he told family, friends and police. She began with the story Twitchell told his wife, Jess, that he had a day job even though he'd quit it months earlier. He also lied about an extramarital affair and where he was going Friday nights.
"You carried on weeks if not months of lies, correct?"
On the stand, Twitchell admitted to Inglis' accusations, but said the falsehoods were all meant to "bide time."
Inglis noted Twitchell lied to police during two videotaped interviews, including feigning shock when police told him Altinger had been at the garage.
"You weren't just lying, you were lying to the best of your abilities."
She also confronted Twitchell with his decision to break into Altinger's apartment after his death, sending email and Facebook messages to his friends. The messages included a cryptic MSN Messenger status update: "I have a one way ticket to heaven and I am not coming back."
"You wrote that about the man who died in front of you several days earlier," Inglis said.
Twitchell said he was desperately trying to avoid responsibility.
"It really just comes down to me trying to run away from the situation that I should have faced head on."
Twitchell said he had no choice about carrying on with the lies, saying he was surprised police believed him and he knew the story about buying Altinger's vehicle for $40 wouldn't hold up.
"The email I sent to Tabler is like throwing myself under the bus, but I was still trying to crawl back to the curb, he said.
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Twitchell testified he recruited Altinger and Gilles Tetreault, who testified last week, into helping with an "online urban legend" for his film project. The idea was to combine a psychological thriller-style movie and novel with an "online urban legend," creating the impression the event was real.
When Tetreault arrived at the garage, Twitchell said he made a last-minute decision to attack him and let him escape to make it more credible.
Inglis challenged Twitchell, noting he produced handcuffs, forced Tetreault to the floor and dragged him back into the garage when he did escape.
"He escaped your attack and it didn't end there."
Self defence
Twitchell said he knew the encounter with Tetreault went badly and had no plans to attack Altinger. He said he lured him to the garage to tell him about his idea, but Altinger, who'd expected to a meet a woman, became angry at the deception, calling Twitchell pathetic.
He told the jury Altinger kicked him, leading to a struggle with both men using the metal pipe as a weapon.
Twitchell said he used the pipe to hit Altinger in the head several times. When Altinger took it back, he put his hand on his knife, as a warning to back off. "I thought that would send a clear enough message."
When Altinger rushed forward, Twitchell said he instinctively held up the knife, stabbing him.
Twitchell said he then panicked and described a "war inside his head" over whether to call 911 while at the same time realizing how bad the situation would look.
Twitchell said he realized Altinger was beyond hope.
"I knew I had to have gotten him in the descending aorta and he was going to bleed out super fast."
Twitchell said the pipe was meant to be used to create theatrical props and it being used as a weapon was a tragic coincidence. Inglis found that near impossible to believe.
"You talked about it, you talked about using it as a weapon, you prepared it as a weapon and then ultimately a day later when you used it as a weapon that was an unfortunate turn of circumstance?"
"I understand how it looks, but yes," Twitchell said softly.
SKconfessions
Inglis relentlessly questioned Twitchell about SKconfessions, a document he testified he wrote, which mirrors Twitchell's real life and the killing.
Twitchell admitted most of the document was true, but was steadfast that parts describing the killer's dark intents and the glee he takes in murder were fictional.
Questioning Twitchell on the document, Inglis noted he wrote if he was ever implicated he would tell police he was simply making a movie, to explain the weapons and other preparations for killing, which she pointed out was exactly what he was doing during the trial.
Twitchell said Altinger's death stunned him and was deeply remorseful, but Inglis suggested his actions suggested otherwise.
"You enjoyed not one, but two Thanksgiving Day dinners with your family while his corpse was in your garage," she said. "You put his body in garbage bags and hauled it around like it was garbage."
Twitchell said he bottled up his emotions so he could function.
Inglis offered another theory.
"I suggested to you that the reason you showed no remorse was because you have none?"
She also questioned the emotions he showed on the stand when he first told the story about killing Altinger to the jury.
"I am going to suggest to you, you were acting when you teared up in front of the jury yesterday for that brief moment."
Family in court
Altinger's family was in the front row of a packed courtroom as Twitchell faced cross-examination.
His brother Gary said the family has felt immeasurable grief.
"Over the last several weeks and of course the last several years, our family has been exposed to such grief that no human being should ever feel."
He said his brother was a wonderful human being.
"John was the most selfless. He was always helping everybody — he was gentle, he was a good friend to anybody who ever knew him."
His mother Alfrede said she looks forward to the trial's end.
"There will never be closure, but it moves on to the next step, I think. Start to heal, if that is possible."
At the end of Twitchell's testimony, the defence rested its case and the case will resume on Monday with closing arguments.
Jurors will be given instructions Tuesday before starting deliberations.
