In a case that revolved around proving the identities of the perpetrators, a provincial court judge found one person guilty Tuesday of carrying out a violent holiday-season home invasion in the VLA neighourhood.
Ivan Christopher Skin will be sentenced at a later date on 12 counts while Vincent Williams and Theresa Marie Charlie were acquitted of all charges from the Dec. 28, 2017 incident.
During a trial, victims said three people wearing masks burst into their 2100-block Redwood Street home, one carrying a bat and a can of mace and another carrying a gun and all yelling at the occupants to stay down and not look at the attackers.
The trio made off with a video game player, cash and cellphones after going through the home over the course of 15-20 minutes. At least two of the occupants were hit in the head and one was pistol whipped, creating a cut that required special stitching and left a scar, the court heard.
One of the victims claimed he could recognize the voices of the three, but judge Peter McDermick found the evidence regarding two of them was not strong enough, noting in particular that the victim had not spoken with them in years and provided little more than vague and general descriptions. He also had difficulty recognizing Charlie from a photo book, the judge added.
However, in the case of Skin, McDermick said the victim had been talking with him as recently as two to four weeks before the incident and noted a "squeaky man voice." As well, a bag holding a hat later identified through DNA testing as Skin's was found across the street shortly after RCMP were called to the scene.
Williams and Charlie were arrested shortly after the incident and had remained in custody ever since - a total of 531 days. Skin had been in custody for 372 days as of Tuesday.
