Victoria Shachtay's sister testifies in Brian Malley's murder trial

The first-degree murder trial of Brian Malley continued today in a Red Deer courtroom on Wednesday.

The sister of a young woman killed by a pipe bomb testified that her sister was "going broke" just four years after receiving a more than $700,000 settlement.

• Brian Malley's murder trial begins in Red Deer, Alta.

A car accident in 2004 left Victoria Shachtay a quadriplegic.

She received the settlement in 2007 and had family friend Brian Malley invest it for her.

Malley is charged with first degree murder, accused of sending Shachtay a gun powder-filled pipe bomb in 2011.

The prosecution's theory is that he'd been stealing her money and she'dbegun to ask questions about where it had gone.

In his cross examination of Sarah Shachtay, defence lawyerBob Aloneissi suggested it was Victoria Shachtay's own spending habits her generosity with family members, paying for a caregiver and rent that were the cause of her poor financial situation.

Sarah described a difference in her sister's mood over the years after she received her settlement, going from being happy and positive to confused, scared and frustrated in the months leading up to her death.