Pathologist testimony reveals savagery of attack that killed Tammy Brown

A forensic pathologist testified that Tammy Brown was stabbed so many times, and with such ferocity, that he could not pinpoint a single cause of death.

"She bled out, and had direct organ damage to her heart, lungs and liver," Shaun Ladham said Tuesday at Court of Queen's Bench in Saskatoon.

Blake Schreiner is charged with first-degree murder. It's alleged that he killed Brown, his partner, in their River Heights home on Jan. 29, 2019.

The trial, being held in front of Justice Ron Mills, began earlier this year and resumed this week.

Ladham testified that Brown had been stabbed 80 times in her chest, side, back and legs. Numerous major organs were pierced and she had lost so much blood from the wounds that Ladham had difficulty collecting enough to run toxicology tests.

The blows were ferocious enough that the knife broke bones, he said.

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Schreiner admitted in a call to 911 that he fatally stabbed Brown, his common-law partner. A recording of the call was played at the start of his trial.

The call to 911 concerned an "unresponsive person" at 51 Kootenay Dr.

Children can be heard crying and screaming in the background of the call.

"There was an incident," Schreiner says.

The operator asks why the person is not responsive.

"Multiple stab wounds," he replies.

"Who did this?" the operator asks.

There is a pause.

"There was an incident here. A break-in," he says.

Then he says, "No. This was me."

Schreiner, in shackles but wearing a suit and tie, sat in the prisoner's box with his head hanging as Ladham detailed Brown's injuries. The Crown and defence followed along with an autopsy booklet, but the photos were not displayed on the monitors in court.

The trial is expected to conclude this week.