Blood stain in focus at Lindsay murder trial

LINDSAY – Blood stains from where a Fowlers Corners-area woman was found stabbed and bludgeoned to death in her garage dominated evidence Monday during the first-degree murder trial of her husband, Iain Taylor, in Lindsay Superior Court of Justice

Dave Sibley, a senior forensic analyst with the OPP’s forensic identification support services unit in Orillia, gave expert testimony in blood stain pattern analysis – something he’s done about 25 times in provincial and superior court, court heard.

During chief examination from prosecutor Jennifer Broderick, he described how he studies the size, shape and location of blood stains to provide an idea of what transpired. In a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation he called “Bloodstain 101,” he explained his work in further detail.

Sibley noted how the length and width of a stain, for example, indicates which direction it came from and how convergence points – which can be illustrated using strings strung between locations – can show where blood originated.

Spatter – a dispersion of blood spots created by external force – gets smaller as the distance increases from the source. The size of the stain can also provide investigators an idea of how much force was used, he said.

Spatter can also provide clues as to the action that causes it, Sibley said, noting how a “J” pattern can indicate a stabbing, demonstrating the corresponding motion for the jury.

He went on to explain other types of stain, such as how a “projected pattern” can be left when blood comes from a high-pressure artery and how a “transfer stain” comes when blood is transferred from one location to another via a hand, for example.

Sibley examined the garage where Wendy’s body was found near the base of a flight of stairs on Sept. 29 and 30, 2013 and authored a report dated April 16, 2014.

Broderick guided the analyst through photographs taken of the scene after the body was removed as explained what the jury was seeing, while offering some analysis and opinion. The images were

Wendy Taylor mostly of the area surrounding a pool of blood from where the body was.

The pattern in the pooled blood, which was half on a carpet and half on the concrete floor, indicated the source had been there “for some time,” Sibley said.

There was also blood stains on the concrete floor, dog bed, wood stairway to the second floor office, drywall, garage door, nearby white MG car and items under the landing including two gas cans, air compressor, mig welder and a blue dog bowl.

Sibley noted how the differences in blood stains gave clues to how they got there.

Circular stains on the dog cushion, car and fourth and fifth steps indicate the blood hit those locations at or near a 90-degree angle, for example.

The air compressor, for example, had stains that were both circular, but also others that showed the blood came from a downward direction, from where the blood pooled. The garage door, too, had a circular stain and another that came from a downward direction.

Blood found on a stair riser and on the bottom edge of a light switch near the front door were transfer stains, he testified. A room at the top of the stairs yielded another light switch with a transfer stain, as well as a white bedsheet with a saturation stain.

Blood stains underneath the wood of the stairs, and also under the railing above, meant that the source was no higher than 78 cm, Sibley testified. In all cases, DNA analysis determined Wendy was the source of the blood.

Sibley completed a string exercise at the scene, a photo of which was shown to the jury. The strings mostly crossed in the area of where the blood had pooled near the head of the victim.

The measured convergence points ranged from 236 to 279 cm from the north wall and 119 to 160 cm from the west wall of the garage, the analyst testified.

Shown a photograph displayed previously of the queen of spades playing card that was left on the victim’s blood-covered neck, Sibley said the stain near the bottom of the card had “wicked up” from the blood below.

Other stains on it, near the head of the face card, could be transfer or spatter, but he said he could not be certain exactly.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Sandy Khehra asked Sibley if the blood stains on the stairs could have been blood that arced into the air and fell, or came directly from above. The analyst agreed he can’t be certain which.

He agreed, however, that the blood could have come from the source near the base of the stairs if a weapon was used with medium velocity.

Sibley also agreed with Khehra that it is possible the two stains on the garage came from a downward direction and that the two stains on the car could be either from castoff, or from the force of an impact with the source.

Again shown the photo with his strings showing convergence points, the analyst also agreed most of the crossing were near where the victim’s head was with much of the spatter to the south east and south west directions from the body (with the torso facing north).

There may not be spatter in the other directions, such as above her head, because someone may have been standing there, Sibley agreed.

Monday’s proceedings began with testimony from OPP identification Const. Patricia Marcelles, a member of the forensic identification support services unit that assisted the investigation at the Acton Scout house on Oct. 3, 2013.

The officer, who arrived at 12:55 p.m., was briefed that the suspect – who was arrested Oct. 6 – had been doing electrical work at the building at 11 School Lane.

During chief examination by Broderick, she told the nine-woman, three-man jury how she took measurements at the scene, created diagrams and took photographs.

The Crown alleges Wendy was attacked, struck multiple times in the head and face with a sledgehammer and stabbed in the chest at least 15 times with a knife on the nigh of Sept. 26 or the early morning hours of Sept. 27, 2013. The defence has not yet had an opportunity to make an opening statement or call witnesses.

Her body was found in the garage of the home she shared with Iain at 34 Valley Dr. in the former Emily Township at about 8:50 p.m. on Sept. 27 after she didn’t show up for work for her 3 to 11 p.m. shift at then-called OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs.

Broderick visited Wendy’s family members, who have been on hand daily, as they waited in the lobby for court to get underway on Monday morning.

“I just wanted you to know the significant of today’s date is not lost on me,” she told them, before they voiced their gratitude in return.

Iain has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder. He abruptly pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the outset of the trial, but that was rejected by the Crown.

The Taylors - who were married for 13 years - did not have any children together, but Wendy had three children from a previous marriage while Iain has two.

The trial, which began Sept. 12 with jury selection and is scheduled for five weeks, continues Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. with the next Crown witness.