'Worst decision in my life was to run': Steven Wright testifies at Renée Sweeney trial

Steven Wright says he was finishing an exam at Lockerby Composite High School, in Sudbury, on the morning of Jan. 27, 1998. 

Wright said he was wearing a teal jacket, a long-sleeved t-shirt, jeans, gloves and running shoes that cold morning. 

After his exam Wright said he had some time to waste and decided to check out the Adults Only Video store on Paris Street, "I was curious."

Wright testified he couldn't see inside the store before entering it, as the doors were dark and covered. 

Wright told the court the first thing he noticed when entering the "quiet" store, were video boxes strewn across the carpeted floor. The next thing he said was he noticed was a substance had spilled onto the floor but testified that at the time, his brain didn't register that it could be blood. 

Still processing what he was seeing, said Wright, he made his way further into the store until he saw Renée Sweeney's body, covered in blood, on the floor. 

I ran because I was terrified. I was a stupid kid. I wish I had stayed.— Steven Wright, accused of stabbing Renée Sweeney to death in 1998

In a packed courtroom on Monday afternoon, defence lawyer Michael Lacy asked Wright, "You're charged with stabbing Renée Sweeney multiple times on January 27th,1998 at the Adults Only Video store and causing her death. Did you kill Renée Sweeney?" 

Wright looked back at Lacy and said, "I did not." 

Wright told the jury he moved toward Sweeney's body to see if she was still breathing and to check for a pulse, which he said was something he learned during his days as a boy scout. He said he used his right hand to shake Sweeney's shoulder and asked if she was OK. But ultimately, he said he could not detect anything, not breath, nor pulse or any movement. 

Suddenly, Wright said he backed away from Sweeney, overwhelmed. He told the court he realized there was blood on his jacket and that he was "freaked out."

He told the court, "I ran because I was terrified. I was a stupid kid. I wish I had stayed." 

'I just wanted out of there'

"I can't describe what was going through my mind," Wright said. "I was completely overwhelmed at that point. I just wanted out of there." 

Wright told the jury that when he got up from the body, he had to stabilize himself and grabbed a hold of something but doesn't remember what. 

Lacy asked Wright if he was aware of a cash tray on the counter (one of the key pieces of evidence in the case, where fingerprint matching Wright's DNA were found).

Wright told Lacy he wasn't aware of the tray and added he wasn't sure what he grabbed onto while trying to steady himself. 

Wright said he did not flip the money clips of the cash tray up, and that he did not steal anything from the store. 

He said the next thing he remembers doing is crouching down, grabbing his bloodied teal jacket and gloves, which is when a young couple entered the store. The identities of the couple are protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

Wright told the court he ran down the front of the strip mall, where the Adults Only Video store was located and headed north on Paris Street. He said he couldn't dispute that he might have taken the route Sudbury Police say the perpetrator travelled to — where Wright's teal jacket was found, shoved between two rocks. But says he couldn't remember clearly.

I was also ashamed of running.— Steven Wright, accused of stabbing Renée Sweeney to death in 1998

Lacy asked Wright why he decided to discard his jacket and gloves. 

"I realized at that point that I had run from a crime scene and I was terrified that I would be accused," Wright said. 

"The worst decision in my life was to run. I don't even know if I consciously made that decision."

Lacy also asked Wright what size shoe he wears. Wright told the court he has worn a size 12 shoe since he was in high school. 

The question, pointed to the size nine Brooks shoe impressions that were found in the bathroom of the video store, where the perpetrator is thought to have washed up. 

Never told anyone

After that, Wright said he briefly thought about going to a friend's house, but decided against it as he didn't want to involve anyone else. He said he took the first bus home, in Val Caron, from the City Centre mall in downtown Sudbury.

Wright said he arrived home to an empty house that afternoon. He told the court he never told anyone about what happened on Jan. 27, 1998. Not even his parents.

"I just wanted to distance myself from the whole thing and forget about it. It was very traumatizing. I didn't want to worry them and I was also ashamed of running," Wright said. 

Before adjourning for the day, Crown attorney Robert Parsons had a few questions for Wright, ahead of his official cross-examination, scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning. 

Fingerprints under the cash tray

Referring to the moment when Wright said he had to steady himself, Parsons said, "You stand up ... you're physically overwhelmed and you want to brace yourself?" 

"Correct," Wright said.

"You're so physically overwhelmed that you feel you could fall?" 

"Sure, that's a possibility."  

"If you're reaching over, would you have any explanation why your prints would be underneath the cash box?" 

Wright told the court he had no explanation, as he couldn't remember what he grabbed when he tried to stabilize himself.

"You're a boy scout, you're going to grab something from the top and not from below," Parsons said.

"Probably," Wright said. "Like I said I was steadying myself." 

"You're not suggesting that your hand got underneath the cash box to steady yourself?" 

"It's a possibility," Wright said.