A man charged with second-degree murder has pleaded not guilty to his alleged role in the death of 70-year-old Michael Jones, who was found dead in his Chester Avenue residence on March 6, 2023.
That day, police responded to a reported assault at a residence in the 400-block of Chester Avenue and found Jones suffering from life-threatening injuries. Michael King was arrested for aggravated assault later that day. After police learned on March 15 that Jones died in the hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained, King was charged with second-degree murder on April 3, 2023.
On Monday, May 12, the trial of King, 44, began.
In submissions to the Supreme Court justice, defence lawyer Schuyler Roy cited an Information to Obtain (ITO) document – used by police to request a search warrant – stating that the investigation began around 11:30 a.m. on March 6, 2023, when Jones’ neighbour found him in his room “covered in blood” and called 911.
Police found Jones seated on his bed in his suite with a "considerable amount of blood coming from his head," said Roy.
Later that day, according to the ITO, King attended the front desk of the Saanich Police Service at about 3:35 p.m. before being apprehended under the Mental Health Act.
"In terms of the police observations of Mr. King at the police station, and that's set out in [the ITO], it notes that there is evidence of him noting that he's experiencing a schizophrenic episode, believing he was the devil, and feeling like he was insane," said Roy.
However, Roy mentioned that before a search warrant was executed, there was little evidence pointing to King committing the crime. While King was seen by the neighbour in front of Jones' door not long before the murder, it was not necessarily nefarious, considering King lived in the same building, the ITO noted.
Another neighbour reported hearing King’s door open, followed by “loud banging,” and then the door closing and locking. Roy argued that this may not constitute sufficient evidence to justify a search warrant for King’s residence.
One neighbour claimed that King had "mental problems" and that he had "pounded on doors before." However, there was no explanation as to what they had meant by "mental problems" or "pounding" on doors."
The judge-alone trial is expected to last about 15 days.
