Overview
- Defence lawyer Jeff Brace delivered his closing Tuesday in Corner Brook, arguing an RCMP “Mr. Big” operation that used a fake criminal group pushed Dean Penney to lie about killing his estranged wife.
- Brace said Penney was swayed by “finances, friendship and fear,” describing money woes, a close bond with an undercover officer, and intimidation that led him to invent details.
- The defence highlighted contradictions between two recorded stories, noting shifts in how the death happened and what Penney said he did with items like a cover, clothes and boots.
- The defence also advanced an alternate-suspect theory involving the late Derick Hillier and questioned whether Jennifer Hillier-Penney’s death is proven, telling jurors they cannot convict on a “maybe.”
- Crown prosecutors are set to give their closing Wednesday, after a trial that began April 1 and featured 22 Crown witnesses and videos of Penney describing a killing, with jury instructions and deliberations expected to follow.