RCMP wait for Otto Hansen behind the Court of Queen's Bench in Moose Jaw.
 

Clutching a blanket and a stuffed animal, the son of Deborah Lynne Smith told his story to Moose Jaw Police just an hour after his mother was tragically murdered on February 25th, 2009. That's how the trial of Otto Hansen got underway on Monday morning at the Court of Queen's Bench.
 
Hansen arrived in the courtroom wearing a white shirt, black jeans, and with his arms in shackles.  He proceeded to plead not guilty to the charges of first degree murder, unlawful confinement of Deborah's son and assault with a weapon against the son.

The Crown started the morning off by presenting an agreed statement of facts, which included the taped interview with Deborah's son just hours after he witnessed her tragic murder. In the video, the son describes the events to a Moose Jaw Police officer by saying "there was so much blood." Hansen was at the 1150 Chestnut Avenue residence despite a court order that he and Smith not see each other.

In the interview, Deborah's son told police that Hansen had been acting strange that morning and says he saw Hansen slash Deborah's throat.

The afternoon portion of the trial included more videos, including a tape of of Hansen in the back of the police vehicle just moments after he was arrested, the others were filmed at the Moose Jaw Police Station. The first video showed Constable Jason Mercer arriving on scene and discovering Hansen outside the home. After being ordered to the ground by Constable Mercer, he says Hansen told him "I cut her throat, but I didn't touch the kid". Moments later in the back of a police cruiser, Hansen told police, "He (God) said, 'kill her now, Otto'"

Despite the evidence presented, defence lawyer Morris Bodnar doesn't feel it's overwhelmingly against his client. "I'm not sure there was evidence against him, the evidence is what will come out in court," said Bodnar.  "You don't fight the obvious.  He made certain statements, we agreed to them going in as evidence."

Crown Prosecutor Rob Parker says they had been working on the agreed statement of facts for sometime, and one of the reasons was so that individuals such as Deborah's son, who was 14-years-old at the time of the murder, wouldn't have to testify.  "We drafted the statement of facts and submitted it to Mr. Bodnar, frankly, in the terms that were the most beneficial to the Crown, and really that was one of the primary considerations in going that route was to save the witnesses having to come and testify."

The Crown has presented all if its evidence and Bodnar will take over when the trial resumes Tuesday morning.