Second defendant on trial in love triangle murder

Nicola Puddicombe is seen during court proceedings in this artist's rendition for CTV News, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009.

The second of two women accused in a lesbian love triangle that resulted in murder is now on trial for that crime.

Nicola Puddicombe, 36, is facing a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the Oct. 27, 2006 murder of Dennis Hoy, her partner of the time. Police found him naked in bed, having been killed with an axe.

In her opening statement to the jury, Crown attorney Maureen Bellmore said she will present evidence to show that Puddicombe and Ashleigh Pechaluk had developed a plan to murder Hoy as he slept in his Queensway apartment.

Pechaluk had faced trial earlier this year. The jury wasn't told about the verdict. She will testify in this trial about her relationship with Puddicombe, who is 11 years older than she is, Bellmore told jurors.

The two women had met while working at an east-end Loblaws store. They allegedly hatched a plan to kill Hoy, a GO Transit officer, for his life insurance and pension money.

The Crown alleges that Puddicombe was deeply in debt and that she made a claim on the life insurance money four days after Hoy's death.

The Crown also alleges that the plan had been to blame the murder on an intruder, with Puddicombe saying she was in the shower when the attack happened.

The trial is expected to last several months.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Chris Eby