Calgary jury convicts blackjack card counter of manslaughter, not murder

A Calgary man has been found not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of manslaughter for killing his friend and blackjack partner of 30 years during a fight over money.

Chris Lee, 63, a.k.a. Kevin Barton, admitted to fatally choking Vida Smith on July 21, 2020, while the two sat in his car.

Jurors had been deliberating since Thursday morning.

Lee appeared to show relief as the jury foreperson read the verdict Friday night around 8 p.m.

His defence lawyer Cory Wilson called the verdict "the right decision." 

"While we are very happy with the outcome, this decision in no way diminishes the fact that this was a terrible tragedy and an unspeakable loss for the family of Vida Smith," said Wilson outside of court.

Lee will be allowed to remain on bail ahead of a sentencing hearing set for next week.

Before they left the courtroom for a final time, Court of King's Bench Justice Rosemary Nation thanked jurors for their efforts over the last two weeks.

"Judging ones fellow man is a tremendous responsibility," said Nation

Lee and Smith were successful card counters who, during their heyday, were winning tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars playing blackjack.

They travelled Canada, the U.S., South America, Australia and India. Neither had jobs outside gambling. 

Lee never denied killing Smith and offered to plead guilty to manslaughter on the first day of the trial — a move rejected by the prosecution.

On the day she was killed, Lee testified that Smith had offered to sell him her ex-husband's passport for $10,000.

But on the day they met, after grabbing a coffee together at a northeast Starbucks, the two counted Lee's cash and then Smith handed over a birth certificate instead of a passport, according to the Lee's testimony.