Closing arguments at Elfgard Oughtred’s second-degree murder trial

Oughtred is accused of killing her 82-year-old husband at their Brant County home. CTV’s Krista Simpson has the latest.

Elfgard Oughtred’s second-degree murder trial is nearing its end.

The Crown and defence presented their closing arguments to the jury on Thursday.

Elfgard’s husband, Gordon, was found lying in a pool of blood inside the couple’s Brant County home on Nov. 24, 2022. On the kitchen table was a bowl of cereal and the newspaper he read every morning. The 82-year-old’s death was ruled a homicide, but Elfgard’s arrest didn’t come until almost two years later.

Over the course of the trial, jurors heard testimony from Elfgard’s daughter, her stepson, a neighbour, first responders and investigators. They were also shown security video of Elfgard’s movements the day of Gordon’s death, as well as statements she made to police. The defence did not call anyone to the stand.

On Thursday, Crown prosecutor Jeff Mazin addressed the jury first. He touched on the marriage between Elfgard and Gordon, noting that they were at odds over Elfgard’s gambling.

During an interview with an investigators, Elfgard admitted it was a source of tension between the two.

“That’s the only argument we had, going to the casino,” she said in a video shown to jurors.

“It was by all accounts, including Ms. Oughtred herself, a significant strain on the relationship,” Mazin stated.

He also outlined the severity of Gordon’s injuries, including a fatal blow to the back of his head.

Elfgard’s daughter testified that, during a conversation 22 days after her 2024 arrest, her mother said she was “tired of Gordon’s drinking” and “went to the garage and got a hammer… and came and hit him.”

Mazin described this as, “Ms. Oughtred’s uncontested confession to her daughter.”

Jurors also heard that Gordon had trauma on other parts of his body and injuries on his hands that were consistent with defensive wounds.

Mazin argued that the idea of Gordon being so badly injured from a fall is “an affront to logic and common sense.”

Mazin said there was also no evidence of a break-in gone wrong, as nothing was taken from the home. Even Gordon’s wallet, full of cash, remained in his back pocket.

The Crown pointed out inconsistencies in Elfgard’s story throughout the three different police statements that were shown to the jury. He also argued that Elfgard’s explanation about how Gordon’s blood ended up in a grocery bag in the back of her car didn’t make sense. She claimed she got blood on her hands while trying to move Gordon’s body, with a neighbour’s help – something the neighbour did not describe in his testimony.

“The question is: Did Ms. Oughtred, Ms. Elfgard Oughtred, did she kill, did she murder her husband Gordon Oughtred? And it is respectfully submitted that the answer to that question is definitively yes, beyond any reasonable doubt,” Mazin said at the end of his closing arguments.

Denfense lawyer’s closing remarks

Defense lawyer Nimrata Sandhu gave her closing, arguing there are inconsistencies and unreliable evidence in the Crown’s case.

She said Elfgard’s changing statements to police could be innocent omissions and chalked up to shock, her age or the passage of time.

Sandhu said there was too much missing evidence and reminded the jury a neighbour testified that Gordon had fallen a few times and was prone to bleeding as he was on blood thinners.

Sandhu said no evidence was provided about Gordon’s medical history.

Sandhu quoted the forensic pathologist who testified that “multiple injuries are possible from complex falls.”

Sandhu says that Elfgard told police her marriage had good and bad days, -- like every marriage.

Whatever, their marriage looks like, they stay together for 25 to 30 years,” Sandhu told the jury.

As for her alleged confession to her daughter, Sandhu said even if something is uncontested, that doesn’t mean it was proven.

“This is a case built entirely on circumstantial evidence,” Sandhu said.

Sandhu told jurors if they are left with reasonable doubt, - they must find Elfgard not guilty.

“You do not have to decide what happened. You do not have to fill in gaps,” Sandhu said.

She said the only question is if they are sure it was Elfgard who killed Gordon.

Justice Aubrey Hilliard started her charge to the jury late Thursday afternoon.

The jury is expected to be begin deliberating late Friday morning.