All evidence is now before the jury in the trial for one man accused of killing another on Roaches Line almost four years ago.

Testimony wrapped up this morning when defence lawyer Bob Buckingham informed the jury he would not be calling any evidence or witnesses.

That’s his choice and leaves the jury to make up its mind based solely on the evidence presented by the Crown.

Patrick Sulurayok, now 34, is accused of second-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Bernard Otuk in a cabin at Hillside Cottages in June of 2021.

The two fishermen were from the same Nunavut community, with no history of bad blood, having just docked in Bay Roberts after a month at sea.

But, the court has heard the victim got aggressive and angry on the night in question, picking fights while drunk.

Sulurayok intervened, restraining Otuk with a chokehold, which caused his death. But whether it rose to the heights of murder, as opposed to self-defence, will be for the jury to decide.

With all evidence now in, the next step will be closing arguments, followed by the judge’s instructions to the jury on Thursday.

Second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence, with a minimum 10 years to be served before eligibility for parole.