Dellen Millard's thumbprint found inside Tim Bosma's truck, court hears
Adam Carter | CBC News | Posted: February 2, 2016 9:23 PM | Last Updated: February 3, 2016
Fingerprint expert testifies that accused's thumbprint was on truck's rear-view mirror
A thumbprint found on the rear-view mirror of Tim Bosma's truck matches Dellen Millard's thumbprint, a fingerprinting expert testified in Ontario Superior Court on Tuesday in Hamilton.
"My conclusion was that the impression found on the rear-view mirror was made by Dellen Millard's right thumb," said Det. Rob Felske from Halton police.
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Felske, who is a member of the International Association for Identification, testified that there were 28 points of comparison between the print found on Bosma's mirror and prints that Hamilton police took when Millard was arrested in 2013.
The detective thoroughly explained the fingerprint analysis process at the John Sopinka Courthouse during the second day of evidence in the trial of two men who are accused of killing Bosma.
Millard, 30, of Toronto, and Mark Smich, 28, of Oakville, Ont., are charged with first-degree murder in connection with Bosma's death.
Felske was not cross-examined at length by the lawyers of the two accused. Millard's lawyer Ravin Pillay ran through the sequence of Felske's analysis, asking for clarification on why there were slight differences between the two sets of prints.
"The print is distorted in a manner because of the movement of a finger," Pillay said. Felske said that "lateral motion" on the mirror caused some distortion between the two sets of prints — essentially slight differences because the mirror was being moved and adjusted.
"A rear-view mirror is something people touch without even looking at it," Felske testified.
Bosma 'very affectionate towards his family'
Earlier in the day, court heard testimony from Wayne De Boer, Bosma's downstairs tenant. De Boer described Bosma's character, saying that he was a "very generous person in all areas of his life."
De Boer said that when Bosma came home from work he could sometimes hear the laughter of his daughter. "He was very affectionate towards his family," De Boer said.
Pillay and Smich's lawyer Thomas Dungey cross-examined the tenant, asking him questions about how he felt about the two men who showed up for a test drive of Bosma's truck on May 6, 2013.
Neither lawyer at any point said that Millard or Smich were the ones who showed up at Bosma's home.
De Boer had previously testified that one man — who was taller, and was often referred to in court as "cellphone guy," as he had been on the phone — did most of the talking.
"He sort of instilled trust in you. You felt comfortable with him, right?" Pillay asked about the way De Boer described the man with the cellphone. "He didn't instill any fear or anything like that, no," De Boer responded.
Other man 'sketchy'
The second man, however, appeared "sketchy," court previously heard.
"You got the impression as if he was holding back, trying to stay away?" Pillay asked about the second man.
"Yes." De Boer answered.
"Like he was trying to conceal himself," Pillay said.
Smich's lawyer, Dungey, however, asked questions about which man was in control of the transaction.
"The tall guy was really in control of the situation at all times, right?" Dungey asked. "From what I could see, yes," De Boer said.
The defence lawyers also focused some questions on whether either person who showed up had been carrying a bag. De Boer said he couldn't recall.
Questions about security video
Court also heard testimony Tuesday from Jesse Kancer, a friend of Bosma's who was at the Bosma home earlier on the day he disappeared.
Hamilton police officer Steve Lassalin, who was in the criminal investigations branch when Bosma disappeared, also testified.
He told the court that he attempted to get video surveillance footage from a Mobile Tech location in Etobicoke when a phone was sold to a person who gave the name Lucas Bate. There wasn't any video surveillance going back that far for the police to obtain.
The Crown did not present any other evidence as to who Lucas Bate is.
CBC's Adam Carter is reporting live throughout the trial, and you can follow his coverage each day. Here's a recap of Tuesday's proceedings: