deadmonton - the trial of michael white - november 9th, 2006
Liana White, 29, was stabbed to death July 12th, 2005.
Michael White, then 28, was charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body.
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The Crown's case against Michael White continued with the testimony of Dr. Bernard Bannach, Alberta's assistant chief medical examiner.
Bannach stated that it was difficult to determine the exact cause of death of Liana White due to her body being so decomposed – the result of widespread maggot infestation and scavenging by animals.
He ruled death was the result of homicidal violence – a neck injury – likely a stab wound or strangulation.
The pathologist could not determine a time of death.
Defining homicidal violence Brannach said, "I believe there was an injury that caused death and that injury had been inflicted by someone else."
Bannach said the amount of insect activity above Liana's shoulders meant it was likely she had an open stab or slash wound to her neck.
"There would be an injury to the neck of some sort — whether it was a cut or a stab, I cannot say because there is no soft tissue there."
"However, due to the decomposed nature of the remains, the exact organ or structure could not be pinpointed, because those tissues were lost."
He described that area of the body as "skeletonised."
When asked why he had pinpointed the neck, Bannach replied: "Based on excluding other parts of the body."
The medical examiner said he discovered two stab wounds on the woman's lower back and the upper left buttock. One wound was superficial while the other was 8 inches deep.
He said she was stabbed while she was alive.
Brannach also noted cut marks on two of her left fingers which were consistent with defensive wounds.
"The [cuts] can be caused by defending, trying to bat away a knife or grasp a knife," said Bannach.
The pathologist said he was unable to examine White's right hand because there was no skin left.
Under cross-examination, the medical examiner said the fatal injury would have been "some sort of trauma to the neck" which could have either been a stab wound or manual strangulation.
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Bannach testified he sent police back to the site where White's body was found to see if they could locate her missing hyoid, a small horseshoe-shaped bone found sitting above the Adam's apple.
He said the hyoid is sometimes broken during manual strangulation. If she had been strangled with a rope or wire, the bone would be intact. The bone was not located.
Bannach also told jurors of yellow scrapes on Liana's backside that indicate she may have been dragged after she died.
Bannach found no evidence of sexual assault and said the size of the fetus inside White's body showed she was between 14 and 16 weeks pregnant.
Throughout the day's grisly testimony Michael White kept his face turned away from the jury.
At times he appeared to be crying, and was holding his face with his hands and rubbing his eyes with tissues.
Speaking outside court to CTV Edmonton cameras, Dr. Brannach expanded on his testimony.
"There was bleeding into the tissues around the wound."
"To get bleeding dissecting into the tissues around the wound you require blood pressure therefore the heart must be beating."
When asked to further explain the markings on Liana's back Dr. Brannach said, "The other thing that could account for it is the body being dragged on its back and buttocks over a rough surface."
"The abrasions were present on the buttocks and the shoulder blade but not in the small of the back."
The trial continued November 10th, 2006