BRAMPTON, Ont. – Jury deliberations continue today at the trial of a man accused of killing and dismembering his ex-girlfriend, then discarding her remains in several Toronto-area locations.

Chun Qi Jiang is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 41-year-old Guang Hua Liu, whose body parts were found in parks and waterways in August 2012.

The Crown alleges Jiang killed Liu, with whom he had an on-again, off-again relationship, after she spurned him for a new boyfriend.

The defence has argued Jiang’s 66-year-old mother fatally stabbed Liu during a dispute over allegedly stolen jewelry, then cut her body into pieces.

His lawyers say Jiang only helped cover up the gruesome crime to protect his mother, who died shortly after his arrest.

The jury began deliberations on Wednesday following instructions from Ontario Superior Court Justice Gisele Miller.

Should the jury have any reasonable doubt about whether Jiang killed his ex, they must acquit him, Miller said.

In order to convict him of first-degree murder, they must find he deliberately set out to kill Liu or cause her potentially fatal harm, Miller said.

If they find he meant to kill her, but did not plan to do so, he must be found guilty of second-degree murder, she said. If, however, they find he killed her but did not mean to, the verdict must be manslaughter, she said.