People enter the courthouse in Lethbridge, Alta., Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The jury in the conspiracy to commit murder trial of two men related to the border protest in Coutts, Alta., will continue its deliberations into their guilt or innocence today. (Photo: Canadian Press)

By Canadian Press

Fate of two Alberta men charged with murder-conspiracy at Coutts in the hands of jury

Aug 1, 2024 | 8:59 AM

The jury in the conspiracy to commit murder trial of two men related to the border protest in Coutts, Alta., will continue its deliberations into their guilt or innocence today.

The five-man, seven-woman jury was handed the case late Wednesday afternoon following five hours of instruction from Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice David Labrenz.

Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert face the conspiracy to commit murder charge as well as mischief over $5000, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose while Olienick faces a further charge of possessing a pipe bomb.

The two men were arrested after police seized a stockpile of guns, ammunition and body armour in an early morning raid in Feb., 2022.

The Crown says the two men were planning to use Coutts as a launchpad to start a revolution and were prepared to use violence against the RCMP.

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Carbert’s lawyer said her client simply fell down a rabbit hole and said something dumb. She said her client was a “bit of a wing nut” but there was no plan to kill police.

The lawyer for Olienick said her client was the victim of a disastrous police investigation and had been taken in by three female undercover officers who tricked him into making incriminating statements by using their feminine wiles.

“If there was a conspiracy, Chris was not part of it. He was a bit of a wingnut. There was no plan to kill police.”

Labrenz told the jury that the two men must be presumed to be innocent unless the prosecution proves their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

He said to prove conspiracy to commit murder the jury has to decide first if there was an actual conspiracy in place where two or more people planned to commit a crime.

Labrenz said if the jurors decide there was a conspiracy, the next step would be to determine whether Olienick and Carbert were involved.

The trial is in its eighth week.

It was originally expected to be completed by the end of June.

The blockade tied up traffic for two weeks at the busy Alberta-U.S. border crossing to protest COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 1, 2024.