Updated at 3:30 p.m.
The Keith Hobbs extortion trial is now in the third week at the Thunder Bay Courthouse. OPP Detective Inspector Martin Graham is back on the stand. He testified he received several messages from Marisa Hobbs since he first interviewed her. A second video statement from Hobbs had her reiterate her innocence. She tells Graham that she and her husband have done nothing wrong.
Hobbs brought to Graham a written statement about the allegations of extortion and their conversation was videotaped. Hobbs again declined her right to a lawyer and said they have nothing to hide. A short discussion on that videotape shows Graham suggests it doesn’t look good that Marisa deleted several text messages between herself and Keith. Graham says to the accused that it looks like they are trying to hide evidence. Marisa Hobbs explains she deletes messages whenever she fights with her husband so she doesn’t go back and look at them. Hobbs says several times she will reach out to Tbaytel to get those messages for police, and Graham responds each time with a no. Hobbs goes on to say to Graham that he is planning on charging them with extortion, “no matter what I say or do, this is what you are going to do.” Things get heated and she suggests Graham is trying to put innocent people in jail and that he wants to ruin their reputation.
An over 4-hour video statement with Mary Voss and Detective Inspector Martin Graham was also played Monday. The beginning of the long video statement reiterates much of the same evidence court heard earlier in the trial. The video deals with the purchase of a house and what led the accused to look for a house and later sign an agreement with the alleged victim. Graham continues to reiterate to Voss that many of her text messages with the Hobbs do not portray her in a good light, and it looks like extortion. Text messages include Voss suggesting Keith Hobbs shouldn’t ask for money from the alleged victim because that person could say they are extorting him. Another message read, “I let him sweat it out.” Voss agrees, “yes, it looks horrible but I didn’t mean it to be that way.”
At times Graham becomes testy with Voss in his interview. He suggests to Voss that she is a grown woman and needs to stand up for herself and take responsibility. He adds “the gig is up, it’s over, no one will believe you weren’t involved in negotiating a house from the alleged victim.” He also suggested to Voss that Marisa Hobbs didn’t help look for houses for her out of the kindness of her heart since according to Graham, Hobbs only cares about money and image.
Throughout the video Voss claims she did not negotiate a house out of the alleged victim, nor did she ask anyone else to do that for her.
Court is starting earlier this week in an attempt to cover as much as they can.
The Hobbses and Mary Voss are accused of extorting an over $400,000 house from a local man whose name is protected under a publication ban.
