Martin Tremblays purpose in inviting two teens to party at his home was to make them vulnerable to his sexual advances, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
The Richmond man has pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal negligence causing death in connection with the alcohol and methadone overdose deaths of Kayla Lalonde, 16, and Martha Jackson, 17, in March, 2010. He has also pleaded not guilty to failing to provide the necessities of life and obstruction of justice.
In her closing arguments, Crown counsel Michaela Donnelly said there was a quid pro quo for Tremblay, a serial sex offender.
She told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Butler that Tremblay provided the two girls a safe place to drink and do drugs. In return, they ended up being vulnerable to his advances.
The two overdose victims were both intoxicated when Tremblay invited them to his Richmond home, and the accused provided alcohol and drugs for them to consume, she said.
The girls became more and more ill through the night, throwing up and then passing out. Tremblay recognized the risks to Lalonde and his failure to call 911 immediately was a marked and substantial departure from the standard of care expected of an adult in his position, said Donnelly.
Its clear that, had Mr. Tremblay provided Kayla and Martha with immediate medical intervention at any time, they would have survived, said Donnelly.
Don Morrison, Tremblays lawyer, said the two girls had attended the house voluntarily to party, as they had on numerous other occasions.
His client was not a doctor and had never taken a first aid course, and there was no evidence that overdose deaths had ever happened in his home before, said Morrison.
In the circumstances, Mr. Tremblay acted as best he could with the limited skills he had.
The judge reserved judgment until Feb. 22.
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