Woman who admits killing two men cries as she visits her farm
EPPING, N.H. -- Tears ran down Sheila LaBarre's face when she returned to her Epping horse farm Tuesday morning.
LaBarre, who admitted to killing two of her boyfriends, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
She went to the farm with the jury and other court members as part of a tour of sites relevant to her insanity trial.
She did not speak as both state and defense attorneys took turns asking jurors to take note of various details of the farm, such as the gate on the edge of the yard and the proximity of the barn to LaBarre's white cape.
LaBarre stoically watched the jurors peek inside her home and wander about the yard,
But as they began to board the bus to move on to the next site, LaBarre tilted her head back and began to cry.
The jurors were taken to four sites in two small school buses to give them a visual image when they heard about the locations later during witness testimony.
The first site was the Epping Wal-Mart where LaBarre was seen pushing a sallow-looking Kenneth Countie, 24, in a wheelchair before his death in 2006.
LaBarre had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing Countie and Michael Deloge.
Deloge's parents had not heard from him since 2004.
The tour also stopped around the area on Nottingham Square Road where police found LaBarre's jacket during their investigation into the Countie murder.
The final stop was on Cilly Road, a narrow, one-lane dirt road where LaBarre's truck was found during the same investigation.
Members of Countie's family were allowed on the view as well. They watched from the edge of the yard, standing together in a line.
Before the viewing, defense attorney Bradford Bailey emphasized that what the jury was about to see was less important than the evidence they planned to bring forth on LaBarre's mental status. Assistant Attorney General Jane Young held up a map of the area the jury was about to see and pointed to the various stops. She also asked the jury to take note of the remoteness of the farm, Nottingham Square Road and Cilly Road.
Opening statements were scheduled to start Tuesday afternoon. Unlike most cases where the prosecution presents evidence first, in an insanity case, the defense holds the burden of proof and must present evidence first.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
;){kind=link}