Video captures fatal shooting at downtown eastside hotel: Crown
Credit to Author: Keith Fraser| Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2019 16:08:53 +0000
Surveillance video of a fatal shooting at a hotel on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is expected to be played at a trial for a woman accused of manslaughter.
In her opening statement Monday, Crown counsel Farah Malik said that on the evening of Jan. 27, 2017, accused Marnie Marie Scow drove in a cab to the Savoy Hotel on East Hastings along with her co-accused, Stephen Farmer.
Malik told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ronald Skolrood that what happened after the two arrived at the hotel was largely captured on the hotel’s video surveillance.
She said Scow and Farmer, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter after initially being charged with second-degree murder, are seen presenting identification to the front desk of the hotel before going up to the third floor with their hoods up and Scow wearing sunglasses.
The two are seen on video walking along the hallway toward the room occupied by Joseph Billy Bustinski, with Scow going around the corner toward the room and Farmer hiding around the corner before eventually following Scow into the alcove where the room was located, Malik told the judge.
“You will next see Mr. Farmer quickly coming out of the alcove, running backwards, while shooting at Mr. Bustinski who is giving chase,” said the prosecutor.
“What follows and what is captured on the video is some 40 seconds of Mr. Bustinski and Mr. Farmer chasing each other to and fro until Mr. Bustinski ultimately collapses from his wounds in front of the door to his rooms.
“During this back and forth, Mr. Farmer is seen being bear-maced by a neighbour as he flees down the stairs.”
Malik said that in the Crown’s theory, Scow, who pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and robbery, is not visible in the back and forth movements in the hallway because she is inside Bustinski’s room at the time, said Malik.
“This is supported by Mr. Bustinski visibly trying to get back in his room before his collapse,” she said. “The video then shows Ms. Scow exiting Mr. Bustinski’s room, jumping over his collapsed form and then avoiding an attempt by Mr. Bustinski to trip her using his arm, and then running down the hallway also to flee the hotel.
“The video from the Savoy ends with both parties leaving the Savoy from different doors of the hotel.”
The video is expected to be played in court Tuesday. Bustinski, 62, died of gunshot wounds. Police found a large amount of cash and drugs in his room, court heard Monday.
The two main issues at trial are expected to be identification and whether the elements of manslaughter had been made out.
In April, Farmer was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the manslaughter and received an additional 6-1/2 years after being convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault arising from a separate indictment.
Joseph Billy Bustinski was shot and killed in the Savoy Hotel in January 2017.