Accused's mother says she saw no blood in home after Charlotte Lafferty was killed

The mother of aFort Good Hope, N.W.T., youth accused of murder testified Wednesdayshe saw no blood in her house, but another witness contradicted her statement.

CharlotteLafferty, 23, was found beaten to death the morning of March 22, 2014, near Fort Good Hope's seniors' complex. The accused, who was 17 years old at the time of Lafferty's death, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His name cannot be published under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The jury trial started last week in N.W.T. Supreme Court in Yellowknife and is expected to continue the rest of this week and next week.

In court on Wednesday, the accused's mothersaid she drank six or seven beersthen took two sleeping pills before going to bed the night before Lafferty was killed.

She said when she awoke the next morning, she checked in her son's room, smelled alcohol and saw him sleeping under a blanket. Shesaid she saw no blood in the house that morning.

But relativeswho had unexpectedly dropped by on a return drive to Colville Lakewere sleeping in the living room that morning. One of themsaid he awoke at about 7:30 a.m.and heard the mother ask her son why he had blood on his hands, and why he had been drinking while undera court order not to.

The defence lawyer pointed out that the relativeinitially told police he hadn't heard anything. The manrepliedhe didn't want to tell the police anything andhadn't wantedto get involved.

The trial continues today.