Elfgard Oughtred’s trial delayed

Elfgard Oughtred’s second-degree murder trail faced another delay on Wednesday. CTV’s Krista Simpson explains why.

There has been another delay at the trial of a woman accused of killing her husband.

Elfgard Oughtred has been charged with second-degree murder for the 2022 death of Gordon Oughtred.

When jurors arrived at the Superior Court of Justice in Brantford, Ont. on Wednesday afternoon, they were expecting the hear closing arguments from the Crown and defence lawyers.

Instead, when they were brought into the courtroom, Justice Aubrey Hilliard told them something “sudden and unexpected” came up which had prevented Elfgard’s lawyer from attending court.

The judge outlined a new plan to start closing arguments on Thursday morning instead.

Once those are done, the judge will give final instructions to the jury. From there, deliberations begin.

Hilliard reminded the 11 jurors that once deliberations start, they must remain together until a verdict is reached. She suggested jurors bring a small overnight bag on Friday in case they have to be sequestered.

The trial was previously delayed when a juror was dismissed. No reason was given for the dismissal.

History of the case

Elfgard, who is now 81-year-old, has been accused of killing her 82-year-old husband Gordon on Nov. 24, 2022.

He was found in a pool of blood in their Brant County home, with a half-eaten bowl of breakfast cereal still sitting on the table.

Elfgard was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in July 2024.

The Crown alleges she attacked Gordon with a hammer.

During the trial, which began two-and-a-half weeks ago, the court heard about Elfgard’s reported gambling habits. Witnesses said it was a source of tension between her and her husband.

Surveillance footage was shown. In the videos, Elfgard was seen visiting a casino in Brantford on the day of Gordon’s death.

Elfgard’s daughter has testified that Elfgard admitted to hitting Gordon with a hammer when the daughter went to visit her while she was in police custody. The daughter recalled Elfgard said she was tired of Gordon’s drinking.

Jurors have also seen three videos of statements Elfgard made to police, two prior to her arrest and one after, in which she denied knowing who could have killed Gordon.

She also said, when asked directly, that she did not kill him.

The Crown closed its case on Tuesday.

The defense did not call any evidence.