Kurt Churchill, who beat a murder charge last year, is fighting to get back the half a million dollars that police found in his house.
And with two more lengthy court proceedings before him, it’s easy to see why.
Churchill was cleared of second-degree murder last fall in the shooting death of Jamie Coady four years earlier on Craigmillar Avenue.
The two men knew each other, with both previously cleared of drug charges in separate police stings.
The shooting happened in front of Churchill’s house, with police later finding $434,000, along with counters, vacuum sealers and bags inside.
(RNC investigate the scene of a homicide on Craigmillar Avenue. July 8, 2020.)
The cash stayed with police as they pursued drug and money-laundering charges.
But now Churchill, who has no criminal record, wants it all back, insisting it’s legit, while the Crown argues it’s dirty money and should stay where it is.
That began yesterday with a forensic accounting expert suggesting Churchill’s income was a tad rich for the work and lifestyle he led.
Five more days are set aside for arguments in that case between now and July.
But likely of more concern for Churchill are the other two matters he’s facing—an appeal of the stay in the murder case, and his latest charges, including sexual assault and assaulting police officers, for an incident last August in Toronto.
That case was also called yesterday, in Toronto, with Churchill appearing by Zoom, while on bail and at home in Portugal-Cove-St. Philip’s. It’s on hold, however, while the Crown reviews police body cam footage.
A date for the appeal in the murder case has yet to be set.
