Today, I went to my first murder trial, with my mom, at the Supreme Courts in downtown Vancouver. We found out yesterday, from a security guard, that a murder trial was going on, against a man named Charles Kembo. We were extremely excited to check it out. Perhaps too much so, because we were practically skipping and giggling with excitement. We were the only visitors to this court and we didn't think we were in the right place. Where was the accused? Where was the guy in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs? We wanted to see the guy being charged- the potential murderer! I won't actually call him a murderer because he hasn't been proved one. We went back downstairs to ask the security guy who originally helped us, if we were in the right room. He laughed at me." You didn't see the tall black guy in the middle of the room? " He was sitting infront of us the whole time, but he was wearing normal clothes and no handcuffs (apparently this is so not to sway the jury one way or another).
The first hour was the Crown submitting evidence, documents, and emails to prove that Kembo's so-called "Capital Trust" business was a fraud. The court was not as elaborate as the courts you see in the movies (big surprise) with the slamming of the hammer and the judge calling "order in my court!" but we did have one "Objection!" and were fascinated by the fact the lawyers called the judge My Lady . There were times we had no clue what was going on, but it was very interesting! There was a jury and each jury member, lawyer, and judge had a computer infront of them ( even the accused!) so they could all follow along with the digital documents that were being processed as evidence. This is apparently a new strategy as most courts supply a binder with all the information/evidence rather than digital files.
The VANCOUVER SUN wrote, "that the man accused of killing four people , Charles Kembo, profited from his crimes. The motive was financial," prosecutor Jennifer Oulton said during her opening address to a jury. "He killed these people for profit and their identities."
His alleged victims include:
The first hour was the Crown submitting evidence, documents, and emails to prove that Kembo's so-called "Capital Trust" business was a fraud. The court was not as elaborate as the courts you see in the movies (big surprise) with the slamming of the hammer and the judge calling "order in my court!" but we did have one "Objection!" and were fascinated by the fact the lawyers called the judge My Lady . There were times we had no clue what was going on, but it was very interesting! There was a jury and each jury member, lawyer, and judge had a computer infront of them ( even the accused!) so they could all follow along with the digital documents that were being processed as evidence. This is apparently a new strategy as most courts supply a binder with all the information/evidence rather than digital files.
The VANCOUVER SUN wrote, "that the man accused of killing four people , Charles Kembo, profited from his crimes. The motive was financial," prosecutor Jennifer Oulton said during her opening address to a jury. "He killed these people for profit and their identities."
His alleged victims include:
- Margaret Kembo, 44, (ex-wife) who disappeared sometime around October 2002.- Arden Bernard Samuel, (best friend) 38, killed in October 2003.
- Siu Yin Ma, 55, (mistress) found stuffed in a hockey bag in a slough near the Massey tunnel in November 2004.
- Rita Yeung, 21, (step-daughter) slain days before Kembo's arrest in July 2005 and dumped in the Fraser River.
Notice that he personally is connected with them all- family, mistress and best friend! Coincidence? The trial lasts until April, so I plan to go back to the courts before its over and find out more! An RCMP officer gave us a tip, that on March 1st, his wife is going on the stand, and apparently she is not happy with her husband. The officer told us it should be very interesting and we should come back! My mom and I have already made plans for that to happen. Want to join us?
BEST PART OF THE EXPERIENCE: Charles Kembo, the accused murderer, turned around and SMILED at my mom and I, no joke. This was unsettling and creepy, but I also thought it was awesome! hahahaha!
This was a very exciting experience and I'm so glad I did it. You should really check out your local Provincial or Supreme Courts and see what's going on. It's like watching a tv drama show, but in real life!
1 comment:
He smiled at you! OMG!
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