00:00After three weeks and evidence from more than 20 witnesses, the prosecution is presenting
00:07their closing address to the jury in the trial of Matt Wright. Today, Prosecutor Jason Galacci
00:12SC emphasized what they describe as Mr. Wright's motive for allegedly interfering with the crash
00:19investigation. The prosecution alleged Mr. Wright feared authorities would discover routine
00:24practices in his business, whereby flying hours of helicopters were underreported to avoid costly
00:30maintenance and repairs. This included for the chopper which crashed in February 2022, which
00:37expert evidence indicated was highly likely to have exceeded its maximum flying hour threshold,
00:43which would have required the aircraft to either be retired or receive extensive maintenance repairs.
00:49Mr. Galacci told the jury Mr. Wright's alleged attempts to avoid blame began with his decision
00:54to visit the scene of the crash, where it's alleged he checked the wreckage of the crashed
00:59chopper to see whether the flight meter was connected correctly, the prosecution describing
01:04this as clinical and premeditated behavior. The prosecution is taking the jury through each
01:10of the three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice, starting with count one,
01:15which relates to allegations Mr. Wright lied to police during a recorded interview when he told
01:21them he thought the crash chopper had half a tank of fuel. The prosecution has urged the jury to
01:26disregard any suggestion by the defense that Mr. Wright was trying to protect the pilot when he lied
01:32to authorities. The defense is expected to deliver their closing remarks tomorrow.
Comments