Based on statements from the Crown, Keith Overholt appears to be a grey, throbbing muscle of violent resentment that allegedly manifested itself in murder.
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On Nov. 9, 2020, Overholt allegedly reached the summit in a seven-hour frenzy that culminated in the fatal stabbing of Andrew Ainscow, 29, in a dirty downtown Hamilton alley.
During his alleged odyssey of violence, or what the Crown earlier called a “murderous mission,” he also allegedly attempted to extinguish the lives of two other random strangers.
Closing arguments were held Monday at Hamilton’s John Sopinka Courthouse. Overholt is charged with first-degree murder in the Ainscow homicide and two counts of attempted murder.
He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
In his closing address to the jury, Crown Attorney Robin Flumerfelt outlined the prosecution’s case.
“On Nov. 9, 2020, Keith Overholt went on a killing spree,” Flumerfelt told the jury. “The evidence allows for no other conclusion. He was hunting humans.”
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Flumerfelt described the violence as “random” targeting “innocent and vulnerable victims.” The prosecutor said they could not defend themselves or fight back.
“He intended to kill Thi Nguyen at 300 York St. He intended to kill Andrew Ainscow. And he intended to kill Joshua Stroud,” Flumerfelt said.
“The only difference with Andrew Ainscow, is that Keith Overholt wasn’t interrupted. And the evidence is clear what Keith Overholt does when he isn’t interrupted.”
Surveillance video shown in court told the tale.
The bloodlust kicked off around 6:30 p.m. when a subject the Crown alleges is Overholt got off the curb and began striking a slight woman named Thu Thi Nguyen repeatedly in the head with a large wooden stick.
She stood 5-feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. The intervention of a stranger could very well have saved her life.
Flumerfelt called the evidence “overwhelming,” citing witnesses, forensics, medical “and THAT video.” The prosecutor says that Overholt was wearing the same clothing at the time of the alleged attack as when he was arrested.
Light hoodie, black facemask, dark pants and distinctive New Balance runners. The club used in the attack was found down the street with Overholt’s DNA on it, according to the Crown.
But it is the first-degree charge for killing Andrew Ainscow that carries the freight. Flumerfelt told the jury they had to determine whether Overholt was the killer and whether the killing was planned and deliberate, marking it murder in the first.
Again, the prosecutor called the evidence “overwhelming,” claiming that Overholt changed his appearance after the first alleged attack. The Crown said cops initially stopped him, but let him go because the clothes were different.
But the shoes? Same, according to the Crown.
“You see it in the alley before the murder. You see it during the murder. And you see it as he leaves the alley after the murder,” the prosecutor said.
It was the same clothing worn by the culprit during the attempted murder of Joshua Stroud, he said. The prosecution has maintained that underneath were the dark pants allegedly worn in the first attack.
Pointing at Overholt, Flumerfelt said: “And it is exactly what Keith Overholt was wearing when he was arrested a few minutes later.”
He also allegedly had a knife when cops nabbed him. Flumerfelt said the knife and Overholt’s runners both had Ainscow’s blood on them.
The defence suggested that maybe Ainscow was already dead when Overholt went into the alley. The Crown torpedoed that idea, calling it “transparently false”.
“The evidence proves Keith Overholt was in the alley when Andrew was murdered. And that leaves only one killer: Keith Overholt,” Flumerfelt said.
“There is no question that Keith Overholt stabbed Andrew Ainscow in the neck over 30 times and that he is guilty of his murder.”
He added that the motive was simply “random violence, universal malice. The desire to kill for the sake of killing.”
Stroud didn’t land in the morgue because two people in a car honked and yelled and scared the suspect off.
The prosecutor noted Ainscow “lived for 29 years, but he only lasted four minutes with Keith Overholt.”
The jury begins deliberations on Tuesday.
@HunterTOSun