deadmonton - the trial of michael white - november 24th, 2006
Liana White, 29, was stabbed to death July 12th, 2005.
Michael White, now 29, was charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body.
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The trial continued with the presentation of a third video tape showing police interviewing Michael White.
Again conducted by Det. Ernie Schreiber, the interview took place early on July 18th, 2005.
Liana’s body had been found just hours before by Michael White's civilian search party.
White was arrested and placed in an interview room. The room's camera soon captured White – asleep.
Det. Schreiber came into the room and offered White a ham-and-cheese sandwich and a carton of chocolate milk.
White consumed the contents of the carton with one swallow. He took one bite of the sandwich and left the rest for later.
After four hours of having him wait, Schreiber's interview with White began. It was nearly 3:00 a.m.
During most of the tape, White seemed stunned and sat with his arms crossed, frequently yawning and occasionally returning to the sandwich.
Schreiber: How're you doing?
White: You charged me for the frigging murder of my goddamn wife, how can, ugh, it's been the worst day anybody could even ever have.
White is heard asking why police think he was responsible for his wife's death.
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Schreiber: This isn't just a hunch. This is more than that. This is based on evidence.
White: How can you accuse me of killing my wife?
Schreiber outlined discrepancies in White's account of events and compared them to statements witnesses made.
The detective also told White he had been under police surveillance for several days.
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Jurors then watched Michael White watch a tape himself.
Schreiber showed White the footage taken by the security camera outside Richard's Pub.
It showed an SUV much like Liana's driven by a man that Schreiber felt looked much like White.
A man, similar to the driver, is seen jogging in the opposite direction moments later.
Schreiber: It's your SUV.
White: That's right!
Schreiber: That's you Mike. Wanna see it again?
White: Yah. And that was me, you're saying. Can you enhance it?
Schreiber: Can you tell me if you were out running that morning?
White: I wasn't out running that morning.
Schreiber: That's you Mike.
White: That's not me. That’s my Explorer but that’s not me. There’s no possible way.
Schreiber told White police had watched him drive to a field north of his house and pick up two garbage bags.
Schreiber: Mike, you had to move that garbage.
Schreiber: Because I told you the night before we were going to be searching in that area. We would find all this stuff from your house, evidence against you.
Schreiber: We saw where you picked that garbage up from.
White: Where was that? Out there in that field?
Schreiber: Yah.
White: Whatever.
White said he was in the field looking for a place to search for his wife. He said he was being a "Good Samaritan" when he picked up the abandoned trash.
Schreiber told White he was seen driving to a house, picking up his daughter, taking the bags home and putting them outside for garbage pickup.
White: Ya, so? It’s garbage.
Schreiber then went through the contents of the bags.
Schreiber: Are these your pants?
White: I don't recognise them as my pants, no.
White: This is my shirt, my Lord Strathcona's shirt.
Schreiber: Your shirt ...
White: Huh huh.
Schreiber: In the garbage ... along with these bloody pants, the broken lamp ...
Schreiber: So how does your lamp and all of that stuff get into the two garbage bags that you, by chance, happen to find.
Schreiber: How does that happen?
White: I have no clue. I don't know.
Schreiber told White of the blood found in his bedroom.
White said it was likely his blood and offered a number of instances why blood would be found in the house.
He said he had stubbed a toe, cut himself with a knife, hit himself on corner near the kitchen, and had suffered a nosebleed when daughter once whacked him in the face with a stick.
Schreiber: I'm not talking about little drips ... and drabs.
Schreiber: I'm talking about substantial blood.
The detective suggested Liana was injured at home.
White: No, not by me. Definitely not. Not by me.
Schreiber: No matter how hard you clean, or how hard you work at cleaning, you can't get all the blood out.
An hour into the interview, Schreiber brought White to making a voluntary statement regarding his culpability in his wife's death.
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Schreiber: You know, there’s all kinds of reasons why things happen ....
White: Please don’t do that. OK? Please don't.
White: I did not – I did not kill my wife.
Schreiber: Did she die as a result of the actions of a person who doesn't care about her at all?
Schreiber: Relationships are hard, tough to ... deal with, all kinds of pressures that happen. You're trying real hard to get your mechanic's ticket so that you can be the sole breadwinner in your family.
Schreiber: You want to have another child. Liana's going to have to go on maternity leave. That creates all kinds of pressures, financial pressures.
White: No, it doesn't ...
Schreiber: You consider yourself a bright man?
White: No ...
Schreiber: This is about Liana, and this is about how Liana died. Did she die as a result of a callous, uncaring person? A guy who really didn't love her? Thing about love is sometimes when you love, you can love too much.
White: I'm tired ...
Schreiber: You've got some pretty big shoulders, Mike, but I can't imagine the weight that's on them now. I really believe that if you can roll the clock back, that you would change everything.
White: I haven't done anything. I would freaking go back and put myself in her place if I could ...
Schreiber: You've tried to explain a bunch of things and the explanations haven't worked out. The question is whether you are willing to face up to it. Are you willing to face up to the truth?
White: No. You're asking me to admit to something I did not do.
Near the end of the interview White showed signs of losing his temper.
Schreiber: How does your lamp and all that stuff get into the two garbage bags that you, by chance, happen to find? How does that happen?
White: I have no clue.
Schreiber: Think about it.
White: I don't know. I can't think about it ... What is it? Is this because I found her and you guys couldn't? Is it because I went searching? So what ...
A clearly exhausted and now nearly-incoherent Michael White maintained throughout the nearly two-hour interview he had nothing to do with the death of his wife.
White: Okay. I haven't done anything.
White: I will prove and go back and put myself in her place ... if I could have. If I could. And I hope to.
The interview ends with Schreiber telling White he is sure he is guilty of the killing.
Schreiber: Absolutely, Mike, I am saying it's you.
White: No, you're asking me to admit to something I did not do.
Michael White then spent his first night in jail.
On July 19th, 2005 police announced they charged Michael White with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body.
Court also heard Schreiber had earlier "planted a seed" in White's mind on July 17th – the day Liana's body was found.
White had asked where his group should search.
"If you've got a sense to where Liana is – you've got a strong bond between husband and wife – go with that," Schreiber told him.
Schreiber said White's parents and brother were scheduled to return to Ontario the following day.
The last remaining witness on the Crown's list is Maureen Kelly, Liana's mother.
Kelly stayed with White during the first 24 hours after Liana's disappearance.
Her testimony, based on what was said at a preliminary trial, is expected to shed light on White's behaviour away from police and cameras.
When the defense mounts their case, Michael White is expected to take the stand.
The trial continued November 27th, 2006