The trial of the ex-girlfriend of one of the two men convicted of killing Tim Bosma is scheduled to begin Tuesday.
Christina Noudga is charged with one count of being an accessory to murder after the fact.
At the time of Bosma’s death in May 2013, Noudga was dating Dellen Millard – who was found guilty this past June of killing Bosma.
The charge against Noudga relates to her helping him move the incinerator used to burn Bosma’s remains at a North Dumfries farm property owned by Millard.
Noudga has admitted to moving the incinerator, and said in court that she never asked why it needed to be moved.
During the trial of Millard and Mark Smich, Noudga was questioned at length about her relationships with the two men and her actions in the days following Bosma’s disappearance.
Under oath, she said that she helped Millard’s mother wipe their fingerprints off of a trailer containing Bosma’s pickup truck, which police were seeking – only later realizing that they had “unintentionally” removed Millard’s prints from the trailer as well.
“At the time, I thought he was innocent,” she testified, explaining that she wasn’t thinking of her behaviour as getting rid of evidence.
Court also heard that Millard sent Noudga dozens of letters from prison, even though he was under a court order not to communicate with her. Some of the letters were sent with instructions to be destroyed after they were read.
Noudga testified that she didn’t act on any of the instructions Millard gave her in the letters, such as speaking to potential witnesses. She also didn’t give the letters to police.
Canadian law prohibits any of the evidence Noudga gave at the trial of Millard and Smich from being used against her at her own trial.
The Hamilton Spectator has reported that Noudga may be working on a last-minute deal in which she would plead guilty to a less serious offence.
Kitchener-based criminal defence lawyer Bruce Ritter, who is not connected to the trial in any way, says there are “many different reasons” why such talks may be underway, including the possibility of newly discovered audience.
Resolving a case without a trial is “often seen as preferable, but it’s not always possible,” Ritter said.
If the trial goes ahead, it is scheduled to last for three weeks.
With reporting by Nicole Lampa
