By James A. Kimble
Staff writer
May 13, 2008 06:00 am BRENTWOOD — The Sheila LaBarre trial begins today with the 49-year-old accompanying a jury to her former Epping horse farm. There, prosecutors are expected to show where her two murdered boyfriends, Michael Deloge, 37, of Portsmouth and Kenneth Countie, 24, of Wilmington, Mass., spent their final days. The brief tour includes the spot where state police found a blood-specked winter coat that had Deloge's DNA. Jurors also will check out an animal crematory on the property. LaBarre's case is expected to be one of the most closely watched trials in New Hampshire this year. Defense lawyers are prepared to argue that LaBarre is not responsible for the two murders because she suffered from fits of insanity that resulted in the violent deaths of Deloge in the fall of 2005 and Countie in March 2006. During jury selection last week, her legal team told prospective jurors they would be exposed to a sexually graphic storyline with talk of pedophilia. LaBarre told police she believed Countie abused children, an allegation that both authorities and a family representative said is totally unfounded. Prosecutors said they will fight the insanity claim by showing LaBarre tried to destroy evidence after the two murders and changed her appearance while being sought by police in March 2006. Finding jurors who could be open-minded to the competing legal theories proved difficult for prosecutors and defense lawyers. "I just think the insanity plea is used too often," one woman told Judge Tina Nadeau last week. The woman, who was ultimately rejected as a juror, told the court she believed the insanity plea is used as an excuse when someone murders in anger. Likewise, a man interviewed by defense lawyers said he believed there were legitimate insanity cases, but said the plea also is used to escape responsibility. "I think — for the lack of a better phrase — it's the last line of defense," he said. "I would be looking for a history of mental disease." A total of 18 jurors are expected to sit through the trial, which could last more than a month. The list of potential witnesses tops 200, though only a fraction of those will be called. Included among them are two of LaBarre's former boyfriends, and at least one member of her family. LaBarre's former home sits on a 115-acre property once owned by a respected local chiropractor, Dr. Wilfred LaBarre. Sheila LaBarre, an Alabama-native, met Wilfred through a personals ad and moved to New Hampshire in 1987 to live with him. After his death in 2000, she later claimed him as her common law husband and inherited most of his property and assets. A probate judge overturned the inheritance in 2006. And now those assets are frozen as part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Countie's family. Today's visit to the farm, called a jury view, is typically done to educate jurors about the layout of a crime scene they might later have to picture when back in the courtroom. During the jury view, LaBarre will wear a stun belt underneath her clothes that will be controlled by sheriffs accompanying her on the tour. If she tries to escape, the sheriffs will press a button to release an electric shock from the belt to prevent her from running. Also today, jurors will visit the Wal-Mart in Epping where LaBarre was seen pushing Countie in a wheelchair days before his death in 2006. The jury view is scheduled to last through this morning, with opening statements being presented in the afternoon. Nadeau has instructed jurors that they will have to begin their deliberations by presuming LaBarre was sane at the time of both killings. It will be up to the defense to prove LaBarre was insane. LaBarre faces two counts of first-degree murder. Each charge carries a life sentence with no possibility of parole. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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