Andrea Giesbrecht trial: Husband says wife wore 'boring' clothing
Husband was the last witness to finish testifying ahead of closing arguments Friday
The husband of Andrea Giesbrecht, the Winnipeg woman accused of concealing the remains of six infants in a storage locker, testifies that his wife dressed in "boring" clothes.
Jeremy Giesbrecht testified in court Wednesday that he recalled "even the night I met her she was wearing a boring sweater."
The 42-year-old mother of two has been charged with six counts of concealing bodies after infant remains were discovered in a U-Haul storage locker in October 2014. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of two years. Giesbrecht is being tried in front of a judge alone in provincial court in Winnipeg.
- Infant remains too decomposed to reveal cause of death in storage locker case: forensics expert
- No evidence to support infants were born alive or dead, expert tells Giesbrecht trial
Jeremy Giesbrecht was briefly cross-examined on Wednesday morning with the defence asking about a vasectomy he had in 2011 after the couple's second son was born. He said he and his wife decided not have any more children, but he didn't follow up to make sure the vasectomy was successful.
He also testified that he knew about one of his wife's storage lockers and he "thought it was her father hoarding furniture stuff." He added that he was unaware of the U-Haul storage locker where the remains were eventually located and did not know his wife was pregnant.
Testimony cut short
Jeremy Giesbrecht was the last Crown witness to testify. His testimony began last month, but was delayed when the issue of spousal communication privilege was raised. Spousal communication privilege refers to conversations between spouses and how much of that, if any, can be introduced in court.
Giesbrecht told court on July 21 that he would be prepared to waive his privilege for some questions from the defence. He then balked after being advised that waiving that privilege would give the Crown an opportunity to ask him more questions afterwards.
When the cross-examination resumed this week, court heard that Giesbrecht would not make a blanket waiver on his spousal privilege, but he was prepared to answer some questions. However, the issue didn't come up during questioning.
- Husband of Andrea Giesbrecht didn't notice pregnancies
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The defence did not present any evidence or call any witnesses throughout the trial, which examined the grisly evidence of the remains as well as exploring the Winnipeg couple's relationship.
The trial began in April, continued for several days in July, then resumed on Monday. The judge will hear closing arguments on Friday.
Giesbrecht declined to comment on his wife's case or his testimony outside court on Wednesday, but he expressed frustration with the trial process, particularly the delays he faced in completing his testimony.
His lawyer told court that Giesbrecht has lost 52 hours of work because he was continually being told to come to court, only to find out he wasn't being called to testify.
There have been tensions between Giesbrecht and a Crown attorney during the trial. On July 18, he shouted at Debbie Buors in the courtroom as she was calling one of his sons as a witness.
Giesbrecht later told CBC News he was upset because the prosecutor wanted to speak with his son prior to his testimony.
Husband knew about some abortions
Giesbrecht testified, as he did last month, that he only found out his wife was pregnant with their first son on the day he was born.
"I can't recall if I got a call from Andrea or from the hospital, and that's how I found out," he told court.
He testified that his wife always wore "boring" clothing and he knew about a number of abortions and miscarriages she had. He also told court he attended a variety of medical appointments with his wife.
Earlier in the trial, an obstetrics and gynecology expert testified that Giesbrecht was pregnant at least 18 times between the ages of 20 and 38.
Jeremy Giesbrecht is the biological father of the infants found in the locker, according to earlier testimony from a forensic biologist. But Giesbrecht testified in July that he couldn't be sure that he was the only man who might have conceived a child with his wife.
Casino employee Lyn Burdett testified during the trial that the accused had a long-term affair with a man who worked at the gambling facility, which Andrea Giesbrecht frequented.
Andrea Giesbrecht did not testify during her trial.