Overview
- Penney ended his direct testimony by denying any role in Jennifer Hillier-Penney’s 2016 disappearance.
- He said he lied in a recorded Mr. Big interview because he feared the fake crime group would harm him.
- Jurors have seen videos where he describes striking her with a mallet and dumping her body in Hare Bay, a story he now rejects.
- Crown cross-examination is scheduled next, with closing submissions and the judge’s instructions to follow before the jury deliberates.
- The confession flowed from a four-year RCMP operation that paid Penney about $27,000, a tactic the Supreme Court’s Hart ruling limits by requiring proof of reliability and a review of police conduct.