Jurors in the first-degree murder trial of Brad Southwind began deliberations late Friday afternoon. About five hours later, when the verdict had not yet been reached, the court reconvened. High Court Judge Annalisa Rasaiah asked everyone to return by 9am on Saturday. The jury was holed up overnight in a local hotel. Southwind, 27, is charged in the stabbing death of his best friend four years ago in Elliot Lake. The body of 31-year-old Joseph Topping was discovered on February 14, 2018 in a wooded marshy area behind the Mississauga Avenue apartment building where the two men lived. He had been stabbed 17 times. Rasaiah gave her final instructions to the jury earlier on Friday. The evidence and issues raised during the trial meant they had four verdicts to find __ not guilty. Guilty of manslaughter; guilty of second degree murder; and guilty of first degree murder __ she told them. They retired to the jury room at 4:40 p.m. to determine their verdict.
