Some raw emotion was on display on Day 9 of the Keith Hobbs extortion trial. The court is continuing to watch videos of the interviews with the accused and the OPP investigating extortion. For over an hour and forty minutes, Marisa Hobbs spoke with Detective Inspector Martin Graham. She speaks very fast in her videotaped interview and details what lead them to reach out to the alleged victim.
Hobbs said it was for a business matter and she regrets it because the alleged victim was very drunk. Hobbs told Graham that she should have listened to her gut. Hobbs started the interview by declining a lawyer. She told OPP she didn’t need one and that police investigating them for extortion was “crazy.”
Throughout the interview, Hobbs insists she never took a penny from the alleged victim and that he is crazy. She told the OPP, the alleged victim wanted to buy a house for Mary Voss before Keith and herself even entered the picture. Graham pointed out the house, the alleged victim wanted to buy originally cost a lot less than the house that’s listed in a signed agreement. Graham says the agreement means “if you buy the house, we won’t go to the police.” Hobbs denied that statement and reiterated that Mary Voss is afraid of the police. She went on to state it was very hard to get Voss to go to the police. She reiterated that the plan was to always go to the police after the agreement was signed. Hobbs said she never thought they were doing anything wrong, to which Graham responds, “how could you not?”
Hobbs: “We always planned to go to police.”
Graham: “But you didn’t.”
Hobbs: “We were always going to but we were waiting because we needed Mary as a witness. She didn’t want to go to police.”
Graham: “You don’t need her as a witness.”
At times the interview with police was very emotional. Hobbs’ voice was shaky and full of distress. Hobbs reiterated throughout she was just trying to help Mary Voss and get her away from the alleged victim. Hobbs exasperated states OPP are taking the words of these creeps in relation to the alleged victim and his friends. She pleaded with Graham to read text messages between, Keith Hobbs and herself with the alleged victim, noting the texts would explain the whole situation. Hobbs went on to say the alleged victim is pushy, arrogant and crazy. She also described the alleged victim as a beast.
Other highlights from the video included Marisa Hobbs explaining she originally felt bad for the alleged victim and she wanted to get him help for his alcoholism. She explained on the few times she saw him he was crying.
Hobbs in the end says she will swear on a stack of bibles that she wasn’t trying to extort someone.
After the lunch break, court starts listening to a video statement from Mary Voss. It’s over two and a half hours long and because of that Justice Dawson Fletcher will be watching the second half of that video in his downtime this weekend. A second video statement involving Voss will be played on Monday when court resumes after the weekend break. The video begins with Graham explaining Voss’ rights and how she can request a lawyer. Voss explained to Graham that if she speaks with him, ” Graham explains to Voss about her rights and how she can request a lawyer. Voss sighs and says “everything I’m going to say is the truth, so I don’t know why I should talk to a lawyer, if I’m going to tell the truth.”
Much of the video testimony is covered under a publication ban to protect others who can’t be named. Throughout the video statement Voss explains to Graham that the alleged victim constantly pressured her to take his money. She explains to Graham she has her own money and has been able to afford her own luxury items and doesn’t need the alleged victim’s funds. Voss tells Graham she had surgery and following it, the alleged victim asked her to quit one of her two jobs. She did, however, the alleged victim pressured her to limit those hours until she wasn’t working at all.
