Police question Rayner-Beairsto relationship

A video of a police interview with John David Rayner, on trial for the killing of Chrystal Beairsto in 2002, raises questions about whether he knew her before she was slain.

'Not a soul that we found, not one soul ... has told us that you knew Chrystal Beairsto.' — Cpl. Mike Quinn

The video, admitted as evidence in the first-degree murder trial this week, was taken by police several months before Rayner's arrest for the slaying in December 2005. Rayner told police he used to hang around with Beairsto when he lived in Charlottetown. But the former taxi driver couldn't remember exactly how they met.

"I don't know, we just started talking, I guess," he said in the taped interview.

He told police the pair were close enough that they used to play-fight or wrestle.

But Rayner repeatedly got Beairsto's name wrong in the video interview. He referred to her last name as Barrister, not Beairsto.

Charlottetown police Cpl. Mike Quinn challenged Rayner on whether he knew Beairsto. The officer said that during the police investigation officers spoke with her best friends, her mother and her boyfriend.

"Not a soul that we found, not one soul ... has told us that you knew Chrystal Beairsto. Not one particular person," Quinn said on the tape.

Rayner responded that Quinn simply talked to the wrong people.

The court was watching another videotape in a voir dire Thursday to determine if it can be admitted as evidence. When it adjourns it will break for the weekend and the trial will resume Tuesday.