Accused maintains he was not the aggressor in fight that ended life of 22-year-old woman

53-year-old David Yates took the stand once more on Monday in his own defense, accused of the murder of his girlfriend. CTV London's Nick Paparella has more.

In the third week of the trial of David Yates, the accused once again took the stand at the Elgin County Courthouse and asserted that he was the one being attacked by the victim.

Yates, 53, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, 22-year-old Caitlin Jennings, following an altercation in July 2023.

According to Yates, the confrontation began with a heated argument at his home at 562 Kingsway Avenue in west London on the evening of July 2 into the early morning of July 3, days before Jennings’ death.

Near the start of the cross-examination, Crown Attorney James Spangenberg asked, “You don’t like me telling you, [that] you’re the one who killed her with a hammer?” And Yates responded, “I don’t like that perspective, the way you put it.”

This is the fourth day that Yates has been on the stand testifying. As he answers questions from the Crown, he takes his time choses his words very carefully.

The Crown brought up the age gap difference of almost 30 years at the time saying, “You were in an unbalanced relationship and you wanted control?” He responded, “I disagree with that.”

Yates maintained that he was scared of Jennings because of her bouts of violence. Spangenberg asked, “Why did you continue with the relationship? Yates responded, “We already made plans and there was no place else to go.”

The accused testified that when the fight started, he was kicked in the groin and choked out in the garage of the home. The Crown asserted that when Yates came to, he could have gone for help saying, “You could have walked down the street?” Yates said, “That option was there, I chose to walk back in the house.”

Yates has also maintained that once inside the house he only took one swing at Jennings, “I just wanted her to stop.”

The Crown asked, “You could have called 911?” He said, “What was the point...I can’t give you my exact thought process.”

Two days after the incident, London police would be called out to the home by Yates and they would find the lifeless and beaten body of Jennings on the living room floor.

The court has heard that she suffered more than 200 wounds and died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

Yates would be arrested at the scene and has plead not guilty to second degree murder.

When pressured by the Crown about details surrounding the altercation and why he took a hammer into the bathroom to speak with Caitlin, Yates would say, “I can’t give you a minute by minute play. I wish I could.”

Then when he was shown a photo of a knife in the kitchen sink he said, “Caitlin was on the floor and I realized what happened and I was going to use one of those to end my life.”

The trial resumes on Wednesday.