The jury retired after a two-hour charge by Superior Court Justice Scott Campbell, reports Trevor Wilhelm from the courthouse.

Earlier, defence lawyer Patrick Ducharme told jurors his defence was simple. Robert Couture, he said, “did not steal any money from Ste. Anne Parish.”

Couture is on trial for one count of theft over $5,000. He allegedly pocketed money from donation plates, candle boxes, wedding and funeral fees and what a prosecutor called a “bogus” church bank account.