Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic descriptions heard in court that may not be suitable for some readers.
The pathologist who conducted the autopsy following a young mother’s vicious stabbing death in Barrie 30 years ago resumed his testimony Wednesday, marking Day 12 of the ongoing murder trial.
The court also heard additional testimony from the friend and driver of an outlaw biker tied to the murder scene, and also watched videos of police interviews from the 1990s of the man accused of killing her.
Katherine Janeiro, 20, was found stabbed to death in her Dunlop Street West home on Oct. 10, 1994, near Anne Street.
Robert MacQueen, who is now 61 and is also known as Bruce Ellis, is on trial for second-degree murder in her death. None of the allegations against him have been proven in court.
Dr. David Chiasson, who was Ontario’s chief forensic pathologist at the time of Janeiro's death, continued to review the extent of Janeiro’s injuries with the court, which he began Tuesday afternoon.
In addition to the neck wounds described Tuesday in court, Chiasson showed the court a series of autopsy photographs, along with his findings of four deep stab wounds to Janeiro’s chest. He noted the wounds were inflicted from the front of her body, ranging in depth from five to 15 centimetres.
Chiasson’s observations in 1994 concluded that “possibly a relatively short knife” was used, but was not conclusive, along with the use of a “significant amount of force” by the killer.
According to Chiasson, Janeiro’s death took “minutes to potentially an hour” due to the amount of blood loss from her wounds. Other injuries were also noted, such as bruising on her forehead, armpit and upper arm.
Janeiro’s left hand showed “ragged” knife cuts to her fingers, which “suggests the possibility” of someone “attempting to defend themselves,” Chiasson said.
A toxicology report also noted “a number” of drugs found in Janeiro’s system at the time of her death, which included a type of cold medication, a small amount of alcohol, traces of cocaine and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in cannabis.
Chiasson said the autopsy revealed Janeiro was also recently pregnant. Evidence previously presented to the court indicated she had an abortion on on Sept. 16, 1994, not long before her death.
When questioned about Janeiro’s time of death, Chiasson said there's no "exact science" to determine that, but added she was dead for “at least a couple of hours” by the time police arrived.
At least one officer noted the early onset of rigor mortis, or a stiffening of the muscles, which occurs after someone dies.
Court also viewed MacQueen’s videotaped interview with police, which was recorded the day after Janeiro's death. A second video clip was also shown of a subsequent police interview, which happened five years later in November 1999.
The first interview lasted 16 minutes, with most of the questions revolving around John Binns, one of the last people in Janeiro’s apartment prior to her death.
MacQueen provided some information about where he was on the night of the murder and what his relationship with Janeiro was.
The second video played in court was MacQueen’s interview with detectives on Nov. 5, 1999.
In that 15-minute clip, MacQueen appears to be on the defensive as a detective grills him on his whereabouts on the night of the murder, along with detailed information relating to his sexual relationship with Janeiro.
They discuss the incident involving his friend, a woman named Faith, whom Janeiro discovered topless and sleeping in her bed.
The detective also makes clear to MacQueen that new investigative techniques being utilized five years after the murder would be able to use DNA and other methods to identify suspects in crimes.
The detective asks, “What fluids could be found there and where would we find your DNA there?”
MacQueen admits there would be things such as saliva and his hair found in the Dunlop Street apartment.
“Your blood?”
“Shaving, maybe,” MacQueen answers.
A new witness also took the stand Wednesday. Joel Hudson, 55, who was a friend of outlaw biker William “Woody” Theakston, testified he also knew Janeiro.
Hudson said he was with Theakston on the night of her murder, having driven him in his own Ford Bronco to drop him off at Sherry Neilson’s home. Theakston said in his recorded police statement in November 1994 that he stayed overnight at her place and kept it a secret from his girlfriend, who was at his house that night.
Hudson, who was 25 at the time of the homicide, told defence lawyer Mary Cremer he knew Theakston was a member of the Para Dice Riders biker gang, but insisted he did not know the biker was involved in the drug trade.
“It was not my scene," he testified.
Cremer suggested Theakston spoke to him prior to his police statement for the purpose of providing an alibi.
However, Hudson said he had no memory of that and added that Theakston told him to “tell the truth.”
Hudson insisted to the court that he had no knowledge of the murder until he saw it on the TV news later that night.
Cremer continued pressing Hudson, suggesting some of his testimony to police in 1994, and again Wednesday in court, was a "lie."
“You’re trying to paint a different picture of me,” Hudson shot back quickly in response, adding there was "no point going off the script here,” in reference to his 1994 police statements.
“You can either agree or disagree,” Cremer flatly stated.
“I guess I’ll disagree,” Hudson answered.
Cremer accused him of “collaborating together” with Theakston to provide him with an alibi in Janeiro’s murder.
“You’ve got some bad info there,” Hudson replied, ending the tense exchange between the two.
The trial is scheduled to resume Friday and is expected to last seven weeks.
Court has heard the last time Janeiro had contact with anyone was around 4 a.m. on Oct. 10, 1994. Her body was discovered by a friend around 7 p.m. that night, at which police were called. Her two-year-old daughter had been visiting family members at the time of the homicide.
Last week, MacQueen's ex-wife testified that Janeiro had told her she was pregnant, and the father was believed to be MacQueen or possibly another man.
