‘A case can be built on circumstantial evidence:’ experts discuss Cormier trial
Legal experts say a lack of physical evidence in the death of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine makes it difficult, but not impossible, for a jury to convict her accused killer in what has become a symbolic case for Indigenous women in Canada.
Criminologist Steven Kohm at the University of Winnipeg says people have been found guilty without direct proof, even when the bodies of victims haven’t been found.
“It is not a requirement that there be physical evidence of a crime in order for a conviction to be entered,” Kohm says.
“A case can be built of circumstantial evidence. But there has to be … enough to remove any reasonable doubt on the part of the jurors.”