Admits to killing Louie

UPDATED: 1:30 p.m.

Despite pleading not guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday morning, Grace Robotti says she hit Roxanne Louie repeatedly in the head with a crowbar, killing her.

Robotti's murder trial began in Kelowna Supreme Court Tuesday morning, and included the Crown and defence's opening statements and the agreed statement of facts between the two sides.

Robotti admitted she killed Louie, a 26-year-old First Nations woman, after an argument at Robotti's house led to a physical fight.

Robotti is Dylan Spence's grandmother. Spence and Louie had been in a relationship from December 2010 to October 2012, which ended after a violent altercation. The couple had a son together, the great-grandson of Robotti.

Louie was granted custody of the child and Spence later won parental visitation rights after an “acrimonious” court battle.

Spence, who worked in northern Alberta, spent most of his visitation time with his son at his grandmother's house in Penticton.

Crown prosecutor John Swanson said Robotti had concerns about Louie's parenting, and frequently complained to the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

In December 2014, Louie, who had moved to Vancouver with her son, returned to Penticton to visit family for Christmas.

Her son, now three-years-old, was at the Robotti residence during this time, and on Dec. 30, Louie visited her son.

Louie remained at Robotti's house until her death, in the early hours of Jan. 4, 2015.

Robotti says she struck Louie in the head with a crowbar upwards of 26 times, during an altercation in her house.

Swanson says Grace's brother, Pier (Peter) Robotti, was in another room with Louie's son during the fight.

Swanson says at some point during the fight, Louie had Grace pinned down on the ground, and a crowbar was in Louie's hand. Pier came into the room and pulled Louie off of her, pinning Louie on the ground. Grace then picked up the crowbar and hit Louie in the head at least 26 times, until she lost consciousness.

In his opening statement, Robotti's defence lawyer, James Pennington, asked the jury to keep in mind the issue of self defence and provocation throughout the trial.

"You may be asking yourself, wait a minute, if Grace Robotti is admitting that she killed Roxanne Louie and if Grace Robotti is admitting that she killed her by beating her in the head with a crowbar and if she's admitting that her actions were intentional, isn't she necessarily guilty of murder, and the answer is no,” Swanson told the jury.

“In order to find Grace Robotti guilty of murder, you will need to find beyond a reasonable doubt, that when Grace Robotti struck Roxanne Louie in the head with a crowbar, she either intended to kill Roxanne Louie or she intended to cause bodily harm to Roxanne Louie that she knew was likely going to cause death.”

Following Louie's death, a missing person investigation was conducted by the RCMP.

Swanson told the jury Pier had taken Louie's body in Grace's car to a hill in a forested area of Naramata and pushed her down the slope. Heavy snow fell that morning, quickly covering the body.

On Jan. 11, Grace and Pier Robotti told the RCMP they knew where to find Louie's body. They were both arrested, and with the help of a police dog, Louie's body was found.

Robotti pleaded guilty to interference of a body but has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge.

The trial for Pier Robotti recently wrapped up, but the results of that trial are sealed under a publication ban to protect the integrity of Graces's trial.

Grace's trial is expected to continue though mid-April.

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ORIGINAL: 10:30 a.m.

A woman accused in the murder of a young mother quietly pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday morning.

Grace Robotti, 65, turned to the jury and said almost in a whisper, "I'm not guilty."

Roxanne Louie was first reported missing after she failed to show up at the Penticton Regional Airport for a flight back to Vancouver in January 2015. Her body was found in the Naramata area days later following an extensive search.

Louie was a single mother and leaves behind a young son.

After Robotti pleaded guilty to indignity to a human body and accessory after the fact, the judge began instructing the jury in Kelowna Supreme Court.

The trial is expected to last until April 14.

Robotti's co-accused, her brother Pier Robotti, 61, already completed his trial earlier this month. However, the verdict is sealed in a publication ban to protect the integrity of the second trial.

The trial was moved to Kelowna last summer.

– with files from David Wylie