Jury hears woman was found in tub with signs of trauma to her face
REGINA One of the first things Cpl. Cory Longhurst recalls seeing at the house at 15 Ingersoll Cr. was that the back door was ajar.
Among the first officers on scene, Longhurst was dispatched at 8:41 a.m., having been informed a male had come into Regina Police Service headquarters to report a body inside the home.
That male, 30-year-old Duran Justin Redwood, is now standing trial for second-degree murder at Regina Court of Queen’s Bench. He is accused of the May 24, 2015, fatal beating of his then-partner, 33-year-old Celeste Yawney.
A number of police witnesses have taken the stand so far this week, testifying to their observations at the house and during the investigation that followed the death.
Among Longhurst’s initial observations was that the door had been “forced open,” with damage including a crack running all the way up the door jamb and signs the lock had been forced.
Once inside, he and other officers made their way through the house, noting signs of blood in multiple rooms, clumps of hair on the floor, and various damage, including holes in the wall — at least one of which showed evidence of blood.
Const. Travis Nepper, moving with gun drawn ahead of Longhurst in the house, saw the body first. He told the court he looked into the bathroom as he walked past, and saw a woman in the tub.
Nepper continued to search the house while Longhurst headed into the bathroom to see whether there was anything he could do to help the woman.
“I could tell that she wasn’t breathing,” he said, describing her as being face down and in a somewhat crouched position. He said her matted hair was still wet and he noticed what appeared to be blunt-force trauma to the side of her face.
Advanced care paramedic Katherine Engen was brought in to check on the woman. It didn’t take long to determine she was deceased, with evidence suggesting she had been for some time. Engen, too, noticed the wet hair. “She had been cleaned off, essentially,” she said.
Const. Tyler Boynton, a member of the forensic identification unit, was called in to photograph the scene and collect evidence. He, too, noticed a large amount of damage and other signs of violence throughout the house before heading into the bathroom.
He described seeing bruises, abrasions and swelling to the woman’s face, as well as a cut to her lip, bruising on her body and an unusual pattern of lines on her shoulder.
He also made note of a tattoo on the woman’s body, one appearing to read, “Duran.”
Boynton said prior to heading to the house, he photographed Redwood. The officer noticed some apparent bruising under his left eye and on his forehead, but no other observable injuries.
Boynton added he examined Redwood’s clothing and saw what looked to be blood on both his pants and shoes. Those items were sent for analysis, and DNA was found to match Yawney’s.
During cross examination by defence lawyer Kevin Hill, Longhurst agreed he couldn’t say for sure whether the door had been forced open that night or at some time prior to this incident.
The jury has been told Redwood acknowledges responsibility for the fatal beating. The question will be whether he had the intent required for a murder conviction.