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Episode 4: The Trial

In this episode, we explore Coffin’s trial for the murder of Richard Lindsay. What becomes clear is that it was essentially a sham; while Coffin was a unilingual Anglophone, the bulk of the trial was held in French, and despite his pleas to take the stand in his own defense, his lawyer Raymond Mahr (whose appoint was likely linked to Duplessis), would not allow him to testify.  The Crown’s case was circumstantial at best and when it came time for the defense to plead, Mahr stood in court and stated: “the defense rests”.  Not only did Coffin’s lawyer present no defense whatsoever, but many liberties taken by the Crown Prosecutors in this case around the use of evidence and inflammatory statements, were effectively ignored by the judge.  It is therefore not surprizing that following thirty-four minutes of jury deliberation, Coffin was found guilty. 

Episode 4: The Trial
00:00 / 01:04
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