Expert 'came up short' on key comparison, Pickton jury hears
This story may contain disturbing details
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 9, 2007 | 9:32 PM PT
CBC News
Animal carcasses found on the property of Robert William Pickton were not butchered in the same way human remains were dismembered on the farm, an expert witness testified Wednesday.
Toolmark and firearms examiner Brian McConaghy told the court he was asked to examine 35 carcasses seized by police and to look for any tool marks or cuts similar to those found on human remains he had already examined.
"You came up short in comparing the pig carcasses to the human remains?" defence lawyer Marilyn Sandford asked.
"Yes, there was no particular pattern of agreement at all with pigs and the human body parts found," McConaghy said.
The trial, in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, began in late January. Pickton has been charged in the deaths of Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Marnie Frey and Georgina Papin, all women who went missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
In all, Pickton is accused in the deaths of 26 women. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Another trial on 20 other counts will be held later.
In its opening, the Crown alleged Pickton murdered and butchered the women and that he had the "expertise and equipment for the task, he had the means of transportation available and the means for the disposal of the remains."
McConaghy also testified that saw marks found on the skulls of Abotsway, Wilson and Joesbury were consistent with those found on a skull found in Mission, B.C., in 1995. The identity of the skull has never been identified.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim

