Laura Letts-Beckett was afraid of the water and never went boating without taking precautions, a jury looking at the circumstances of her 2010 drowning was told.
鈥淪he couldn鈥檛 swim,鈥� said Mary Hawkins, a Crown witness testifying at Peter Beckett鈥檚 murder trial Tuesday. 鈥淪he told me she was afraid of the water and always wore her life jacket.鈥�
Letts-Beckett died Aug. 18, 2010 in Upper Arrow Lake, near Revelstoke, and her husband, a former New Zealand town councillor was charged with her murder a year later.
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Hawkins and her husband Ron were friends with the Becketts for several years and they were all expecting to meet up on the day Laura mysteriously drowned.
鈥淎round 7 p.m. we pulled into Shelter Bay and Ron went for a swim,鈥� Hawkins told the jury. 鈥淭hen we walked toward (the Becketts鈥�) motorhome 鈥� we heard Peter shouting for Ron. I thought he鈥檇 caught a big fish.鈥�
As they moved closer to the shore-line, they were approached by a couple who asked if they were 鈥淢ary and Ron鈥� and they said yes. They were then told there had been an accident and Laura was dead.
鈥淚t was quite a shock,鈥� said Hawkins, stopping her testimony to reach for a tissue to wipe her eyes.
They went to the shoreline and saw Peter on the pontoon boat and Laura, lying in the aisle of the boat.
鈥淚t was such a shock, I don鈥檛 remember what was said,鈥� she testified.
She did, however, remember that Peter was standing in the boat in just his underwear. He told them he鈥檇 taken off his pants when he went in for Laura. He joined them at their home for several days before going to his own home.
Another witness called to testify Tuesday who was also aware of Laura鈥檚 apprehension when it came to water was Wendy Scinski, the principal at the school Laura had taught at.
She said she was aware from various field trips and social occasions that Laura couldn鈥檛 swim.
She also offered some insight into who Laura was, noting that she was careful and meticulous.
鈥淪he was a wonderful lady, an excellent teacher,鈥� said Scinksi. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anyone who would have anything to complain about.鈥�
Scinski also said that Laura was estranged from her family at the time of her death and it was difficult for her.
鈥淪he missed her parents,鈥� said Scinski.
Although Scinksi was primarily friends with Laura, she had also spent some time with Peter in social circumstances and in the weeks after her death she had one afternoon where she had a significant amount of one-on-one time.
Peter called Scinski a week after his wife drowned and asked her to help arrange a service.
In time for the event, Peter said he wanted to buy a fountain to memorialize his wife, and he asked Scinski to join him in Edmonton for the purchase.
She went, but wasn鈥檛 expecting one detour that occurred.
Peter had her go to a lawyer鈥檚 office to discuss his concerns about his wife鈥檚 will. To his knowledge, Scinski said, Laura had never made a will, yet one had shown up in the days after she had died.
He believed the Letts鈥� family lawyer Ray Barlow had whipped the document up and falsified that it had been done beforehand.
There was a lot of discussion between the lawyer and Peter, said Scinski, and when they left he asked her if she thought the lawyer would take the case.
鈥淚 said 鈥榶ou don鈥檛 have a case 鈥� there鈥檚 nothing here,鈥欌�� she said.
In cross examination she added that she told him she didn鈥檛 understand why he was bothering, as there was no money for him to pursue.
He said he believed it was a matter of 鈥渞ighteousness and justice.鈥�
Beckett, a former New Zealand town councillor, told at least one person in the aftermath that his wife fell off the zodiac, slipped underwater and he didn鈥檛 notice until it was too late, said Crown counsel Evan Goulet in his opening statement.
鈥淗e saw her under the water flailing,鈥� said Goulet, explaining how the story was told by Beckett. 鈥淗e tried to get down to save her, but he couldn鈥檛. He went to shore, grabbed a rock, swam back to her with the rock, and sunk down to her 鈥� to get his wife.鈥�
At some point Beckett flagged down another boater, who tried to no avail to help revive Letts-Beckett who was lying on the shoreline. A subsequent autopsy confirmed the death was caused by drowning.
Crown is arguing that Beckett killed his wife in an attempt to get her money.
