LONDON, Ont. - The jury presiding over the Tori Stafford murder trial in London, Ont. asked the judge four questions before coming up with a verdict at the end of their first full day of deliberations.

At one point, the judge told the jury they could consider the lesser charge of sexual assault if they found they didn't have enough evidence to convict Michael Rafferty of sexual assault causing bodily harm.

But instead, the jury opted to convict Rafferty of the more serious charge of sexual abuse causing bodily harm as well as first-degree murder and kidnapping of eight-year-old Stafford.

The judge's final instructions came after the jury asked if they could convict someone of sexual assault in the absence of bodily harm

The question about bodily harm was the fourth question the jury asked in their first full day of deliberations.

The last two questions were asked after jurors had their lunch break. The first revolved around sexual assault and the second in reference to the evidence presented.

The jury asked if it is considered sexual assault when a child has her undergarments taken off while she is confined against her will. Superior Court Judge Thomas Heeney said the answer is yes because the forceful act strips her of her sexual integrity.

The second question related to jurors believing some of the evidence and not other evidence presented in the case.

The judge told them to consider the evidence they do believe.

"If you totally reject evidence that pleads innocence,that does not amount to affirmative evidence of guilt," he said. "You still need to look at the evidence you do accept to see if the Crown has proved the case."

The first question pertained to one of the videos they saw during the trial. The jury asked to view the May 24, 2009 video taken of Terri-Lynne McClintic in a police interrogation room, tearfully answering questions about Tori's rape and murder.

In the video, she says it was her co-accused Michael Rafferty who hit the child on the head with a hammer "a couple of times" after sexually assaulting her.

McClintic ended up pleading guilty in the case and was the Crown's key witness against Rafferty.

Rafferty has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, sexual assault causing bodily harm and first-degree murder.

He watched the video from the prisoner's box without expression. Derstine told reporters his client is on "pins and needles" today as the jury deliberates his fate.

Tori's father Rodney Stafford watched the video from the 6th floor overflow courtroom with his arm around his girlfriend, Patrina Fraser. Stafford was wearing a purple tie – his daughter's favourite colour – while Fraser wore a white T-shirt with the words "Justice for Tori" written in purple around a big purple ribbon.

The couple left as the jury watched the part of the video where McClintic once again described to the police what happened to Tori.

Upstairs in the main courtroom on the 14th floor, Tori's mother Tara McDonald also walked out, telling reporters later on that she had seen enough

Light spirits

It had been a tough week for the family as they had to sit through three days of closing arguments and a lengthy charge by the judge to the jury.

After appearing in court looking particularly weary on Monday, Stafford opted to stay at home Tuesday. His family told reporters he felt "completely saturated" and highly emotional as lawyers on both sides retold the lurid details of the case.

But on Friday, the family appeared to be in better spirits, hugging each other affectionately and cracking jokes while waiting in the lobby of the courthouse.

One of Tori's uncles laughingly went around showing reporters a photo of Austin Powers and then a photo of Rafferty's defence lawyer Dirk Derstine.

McDonald showed reporters a pretty bracelet that was made of square links, each with a photo of her young daughter at different stages in her life.

Tori's younger brother Darren was also at the courthouse and was seen giving his grandmother a warm hug. Almost all of them were wearing something purple – Tori's favourite colour.

Before the jury asked to see the video, some members of Tori's family spoke to the media, telling them they felt better knowing that the trial was coming close to an end.

On her way into court for the day, Tori's aunt Rebecca Nichols told CP24 she was feeling "lighter in her step" today, knowing that certain facts about Rafferty are now out in the public.

Once the jury was sequestered yesterday, the public was given information that wasn't presented as evidence during the trial.

What the jury didn't hear

The 12-member jury never heard of information found on Rafferty's electronic devices, including a "significant" amount of child pornography, some depicting children as young as one year old.

Among some of the things that came up on Google searches made from that computer were words like "preteen" and "underage rape."

The items were searched and downloaded in the months before Tori was kidnapped and murdered.

"Snuff" films, and a movie about infamous Ontario sex killers Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo were also downloaded onto the computer.

"We don't have to work hard anymore to contain that information," Nichols said. "I feel torn that the jury doesn't know what was released last night."

Tori's father Rodney Stafford told reporters Friday afternoon that he questions a justice system in which such important facts are kept under wraps.

"I think a lot of things need to be changed," he said. "That sort of thing is vital. Knowing that information could make this decision so much easier for the jury."

He said there he's been surprised everyday by the testimony he has heard and that there's not one terrible fact that has stood out for him from this "horrible mess."

Stafford said he hopes his daughter's murder has made Canadians more aware of child predators.

"They are out there and we need to do something now to protect our children," he said.