The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.
At Avenatti fraud trial, Stormy Daniels says she speaks with the dead
Lawyer Michael Avenatti on Friday sought to undermine the credibility of porn star Stormy Daniels, the U.S. government's star witness against him at his fraud trial, by challenging her belief in paranormal activity and professed ability to speak with dead people.
In five hours of cross-examining his former client, Avenatti tried to undercut the government's claim that he had embezzled nearly $300,000 from Daniels, who he represented in lawsuits against former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Avenatti, 50, has pleaded not guilty to fraud and identity theft, and has portrayed his dispute with Daniels as a disagreement over legal fees. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison.
Daniels had described herself in testimony as an actress, writer and director working on a documentary-style TV show, "Spooky Babes," where she and others investigated paranormal activity.
"How do you speak with the dead?" Avenatti asked Daniels on the fifth day of his trial.
"I don't know, it just happens sometimes," the 42-year-old answered, adding that she used "cards" and "meditation" and sometimes recorded the conversations.
Daniels also said she considered herself a "medium" who could communicate with nonliving spirits, and said "yes" when Avenatti asked if she had experienced "poltergeist phenomenon."
The exchanges came after Daniels testified on Thursday that Avenatti "stole from me" by diverting $300,000 from her book contract to an account of his own.
Avenatti rose to fame in 2018 when Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, hired him to help her get out of a nondisclosure agreement with Trump.
Daniels is known for receiving $130,000 in hush money from former Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen to keep quiet before the 2016 election about sexual encounters she said she had with Trump. The former president has denied having sex with Daniels.
AVENATTI MAY TESTIFY
After jurors left the courtroom on Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman said the prosecution intended to rest its case on Monday, and Avenatti said he was "strongly leaning in favor" of testifying in his own defence.
Avenatti took over his defence on Tuesday from two federal public defenders, citing a "breakdown" in their relationship. Those lawyers remain on the case as "standby" counsel.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, who presides over the case, said that should Avenatti decide to testify, he could write out questions for one of those lawyers to read. Avenatti said that would be his preferred approach.
It is risky for criminal defendants to testify in their own defence, because it exposes them to potentially aggressive cross-examination by prosecutors.
Before Daniels testified on Friday, Furman rejected Avenatti's objection to prosecutors' alleged failure to turn over some evidence.
Avenatti used the same objection to win a mistrial last August in California, where he faced separate fraud changes, but Furman said it had no bearing on the Daniels case.
"This is a red herring, a distraction, smoke and mirrors," Furman said, also outside jurors' presence.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.
Prosecutor recommends parole for Menendez brothers in 1989 murder of parents
A Los Angeles prosecutor said on Thursday he would ask a judge to release Erik and Lyle Menendez on parole after nearly 35 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, as new evidence emerged indicating they were sexually abused by their father for years.
Former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model says Trump groped her to show off for Jeffrey Epstein
A former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model鈥痠s alleging鈥痶hat former President Donald Trump groped her in the 1990s, in what she believes was an attempt to show off for Jeffrey鈥疎pstein.
'Never said I was going to close the door on politics forever': Christy Clark on interest in federal leadership run
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure from within his own caucus to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to returning to politics.
Montreal police say four teenagers suffered stab wounds after an altercation near John F. Kennedy High School in the city's Villeray鈥擲aint-Michel鈥擯arc-Extension borough on Thursday.
More straight couples are calling each other partner. Here's why
Within a year of dating, 31-year-old Siara Rouzer crossed a major relationship milestone. The guy she was seeing was no longer a boyfriend but her partner.
Trudeau announces massive drop in immigration targets as Liberals make major pivot
The federal government is slashing immigration targets to levels that will flatten population growth as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits the government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ottawa Police Service has identified the woman who was stabbed to death at Paul Landry Park on Uplands Drive Thursday morning.
Local Spotlight
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.