Word choice ‘more criminal’ today, defence lawyer says
In 2018, E.M. testifies, she was asked by police, “Did they do anything to make you stay?”
She says she told officers the men said, “Come on, don’t leave.”
Savard says the words, “She’s crying, don’t let her leave” have a much more “criminal” or “severe” implication, and E.M.’s original statement is more innocuous.
“I stand by it,” E.M. says, pushing back on Savard. “I was just trying to get the words out. They [the men] didn’t want me to leave and they made sure I didn’t by walking me back to the bed sheet.”
She tells Savard she was trying to explain the details to police in her own words, three days after that night.
The back-and-forth between Savard and E.M. continues.
“When did you realize in the last seven years that they said, “She’s crying, don’t let her leave,” Savard says, adding she twisted a “little nugget” of what happened and made it sound more criminal.
