Closing arguments underway in trial of man accused of murdering Pat Stay

Josh Hoffman · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 6:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 13

By process of elimination, there's lone 1 idiosyncratic who could person perchance stabbed Pat Stay astatine a downtown Halifax barroom astir 3 years ago, a Crown lawyer told a packed Dartmouth courtroom Friday.

Prosecutor Tanya Carter delivered her closing arguments in the second-degree execution proceedings of Adam Drake, 34, who is accused of fatally stabbing the conflict rapper astatine the Yacht Club Social successful the aboriginal hours of Sept. 4, 2022. 

Carter spent astir of the day using surveillance footage and inactive images from the barroom that nighttime to hint the steps of respective radical who were successful the VIP section with Stay erstwhile helium was stabbed. 

There were 8 different radical astir Stay, the Crown lawyer said, and she argued each of them could beryllium ruled retired arsenic a suspect by considering wherever they were lasting and their behaviour earlier and aft that moment. 

"That lone leaves Adam Drake," Carter told the Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury. 

Video surveillance of the infinitesimal Stay was stabbed had antecedently been shown to the assemblage successful the proceedings and was played again respective times connected Friday. 

The video shows Stay, who has his backmost to the camera, getting into an altercation with idiosyncratic soon aft approaching a radical of radical successful the bar. 

Stay past turns distant from the radical and toward the camera, revealing his blood-soaked shirt, earlier helium stumbles to the level and makes his mode retired of the bar. He collapsed connected the thoroughfare extracurricular the nightclub.

WATCH | Closing arguments underway successful proceedings of antheral accused of murdering Pat Stay:

A weapon isn't seen in the surveillance video, but Carter argued it does amusement Drake thrust toward Stay.

The humor splatter astatine the country indicates the stabbing had to person occurred from the absorption where Drake was standing, she argued. 

Carter said she was going done the surveillance video, sometimes framework by frame, to amusement the assemblage what they should beryllium looking for erstwhile scrutinizing the grounds during their deliberations. 

Drake besides threatened Stay connected societal media weeks earlier that night, she said, and helium removed pictures of himself astatine the barroom that nighttime from his Instagram relationship to effort to fell the information helium was there. 

Drake has pleaded not blameworthy successful the case.

Defence lawyer Michael Lacy, who didn't taxable immoderate grounds during the trial, is scheduled to present his closing arguments connected Monday. 

Justice Scott Norton is expected to springiness the assemblage instructions connected Tuesday earlier they statesman deliberating a verdict.