SUDBURY, Ont. – It’s now up to the jury to decide if Liam Stinson, charged for his alleged role in a fatal fire that killed three and injured another, will be convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter, as well as arson causing bodily harm. They won’t return with anything but a guilty verdict.
That’s because although he originally pleaded not guilty to the charges against him — three counts of first-degree murder and arson causing bodily harm— Stinson’s lawyer, Joseph Wilkinson told the jury May 1 that Stinson now admits his role in the fire, and that the fire caused the deaths of three people, Jasmine Somers, Guy ‘Popcorn’ Henri and Stinson’s estranged partner, Jamie-Lynn Rose.
However, the defence said Stinson only “encouraged” two people to start the fire, rather than planning to murder, and didn’t know anyone was home at the residence located at 744 Bruce Avenue in Sudbury. According to the defence, this means Stinson is only guilty of the lesser charges of manslaughter and arson.
The Crown’s theory has Stinson planning to kill Rose, then, using the promise of drugs, manipulating two heavily addicted substance users into throwing Molotov cocktails into the residence where Rose was staying. The fire burned in the early morning hours of April 11, 2021, killing Rose, Henri and Somers, and severely injuring another, David Cheff.
Ongoing since March 18, the case has seen several delays due to legal submissions.
The Crown closed its case on April 18, and the same day, the defence closed their case, having called no witnesses.
After a lengthy jury charge May 2 from Justice R. Dan Cornell laid out the evidence for the jury to consider, as well as the legal standards to be met, the jurors are now sequestered as they begin their deliberations.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com