Douglas Garland triple murder trial hears victims 'may still have been alive' after violence at home
Meghan Grant | CBC News | Posted: February 1, 2017 5:00 PM | Last Updated: February 1, 2017
WARNING: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers
Based on the amount of blood found in the home where a five-year-old boy and his grandparents were last seen, all three could have survived their injuries, according to the testimony of Calgary's chief medical examiner.
Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim testified at Douglas Garland's triple murder trial on Wednesday. She was brought into the investigation on July 2, 2014 to examine the blood found at the home of Alvin and Kathy Liknes, whose grandson, Nathan O'Brien, 5, had been sleeping over when the three disappeared.
Brooks-Lim said there were "three areas of bloodletting" in the house — in two bedrooms and in an entryway. There were also bloody drag marks throughout.
But Brooks-Lim testified there wasn't enough blood to definitively say the victims' injuries were fatal.
"They may still have been alive," she said.
Garland is being tried on three counts of first-degree murder. The three family members were last seen alive at the grandparents' home in the southwest Calgary neighbourhood of Parkhill.
In his cross-examination of the medical examiner, defence lawyer Kim Ross asked if it was more likely the missing family members died at the home, based on blood mixed with hair found in one of the bedrooms and drag marks which could suggest unconscious victims.
Brooks-Lim said it was possible, but she could not confirm the trio died at the Liknes home.
Police also brought Brooks-Lim to the farm north of Calgary where Garland, 57, lived with his elderly parents.
There, she examined pieces of bone found in ashes gathered from a burn pile, but they had burned for so long and at such a high temperature that she was unable to say if the brittle and charred remains were human.
But under cross-examination, Brooks-Lim said she consulted with a forensic anthropologist who examined the fragments under a microscope.
"I believe at least one or two fragments she felt could have been from a child under five years and several fragments she felt may have come from an older adult or adults," said Brooks-Lim in citing a report prepared by Pamela Mayne Correia.
The bodies of the boy and his grandparents have never been found. It is the Crown's theory that they were killed on the farm and burned.
The Crown asked Brooks-Lim a number of questions about the temperature and time it would take to cremate a body. Under average and controlled conditions, it would take about two hours, she said, and at a temperature of 1,000 C or higher, a body would burn to ash.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Const. Brian Clark with the cyber investigations team testified about his review of a number of documents found on the hard drive that was hidden in the rafters of the Garland home.
Would-be killers should "stop the breathing, start the bleeding," according to one of the how-to-kill books stored on the drive.
The Death Dealer's Manual, said Clark, advises how to mentally prepare to kill as well as recommending the best weapon — a dagger with a six-inch blade.
Clark testified the book also suggested the "most effective time to conduct a lethal assault" is between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. when a killer would have the "element of surprise" on their side.
In the book Hitman, would-be killers are encouraged to assemble a duffel bag consisting of a kill-kit including rubber gloves, handcuffs and a six-inch double-edged knife with a serrated blade.
A duffel bag containing similar items was found in an outbuilding on the Garland farm.
Under cross-examination, Clark confirmed several other items recommended in the book were not found in the bag.
Clark also outlined the book Kill Without Joy, which suggests the best method to dispose of a dead body is to remove identifiers like teeth and hands, dismember the body with a hacksaw, and then incinerate the remains.
A text on torture techniques was last accessed on June 17, 2014.
Two weeks after the massive search for Nathan and his grandparents began, Garland was arrested and charged with their murders on July 15, 2014.
Garland is connected to the Liknes family through his sister, Patti Garland, who was in a common-law relationship with Alvin Liknes' son, Allen.
Patti Garland, her parents and Allen Liknes all testified earlier in the trial that Garland harboured a grudge against Alvin Liknes after a business relationship soured years earlier.
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Jurors were dismissed early on Wednesday to allow lawyers to address a legal issue in their absence.
On Thursday, a forensic dentist will testify about fragments of suspected teeth found in ashes on the Garland farm.
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