Retired officers testify about discovery of Katherine Janeiro’s body in 1994
Warning: Readers may find some details in this article disturbing or upsetting.
The man charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Katherine Janeiro sat in a Barre courtroom on Monday as police officers testified about the day the young mother's body was discovered.
Bruce Ellis, who also went by the name Robert MacQueen, was arrested in 2021, decades after Janeiro's death.
A retired police constable testified being among the first to enter Janeiro's Dunlop Street apartment in October 1994.
He recalled encountering a man inside the apartment, who directed him to the bedroom, where the 20-year-old woman's naked and bloody body was lying face down.
The police were initially called to the building by a neighbour who had gone to Janeiro's apartment to use her phone and instead found her body.
The retired officer told the courtroom he took several Polaroids of the crime scene, documenting Janeiro's body from various angles, as well as pictures of the bathroom.
"Blood was all over the floor ... all over the tub," he told the courtroom.
During cross-examination, the defence suggested that Janeiro's bedroom had been ransacked, to which the officer countered, saying the bedroom was "dishevelled."
Another retired police officer took the witness stand and testified about his arrival at the scene later that night.
He recalled finding blood on a glass window in the hallway outside Janeiro's apartment. He also mentioned seizing documents from the bedroom, including a cheque with Robert MacQueen's name on it.
The court heard previously several people had been in Janeiro's apartment in the hours leading up to her body being found. Police said she had been involved in buying and selling drugs.
Last week, a witness testified to seeing two men in Janeiro's kitchen, one of whom she recognized as a friend of Janeiro's. The men were reportedly searching through cupboards before fleeing the apartment.
The Crown alleges that Ellis was engaged in an extramarital affair with Janeiro in the months leading up to her death.
Further testimony is expected on Tuesday, including a police-recorded video of Janeiro's apartment building.
The allegations against Ellis have yet to be proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Polls close for closely watched byelections in Montreal and Winnipeg
The NDP has a slight early lead in Winnipeg while remaining in a three-way race with the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois in Montreal as ballots continue to be counted in two crucial federal byelections.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
Freeland says she is 'not going anywhere' after Conservatives call her 'phantom finance minister'
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is 'not going anywhere' when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt on Trump was near golf course for 12 hours
The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump camped outside a golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.
'Never seen anything like this': Humpback whale catches unsuspecting seal off Vancouver Island
A Vancouver Island nature photographer says he has never seen anything like what his camera captured on a recent whale-watching excursion off Victoria.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Mortgage loan rules are changing in Canada
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced changes to mortgage rules she says are aimed at helping more Canadians to purchase their first home.
First teen sentenced in Kenneth Lee case gets 15 months probation
The first teenager to be sentenced in the death of a Toronto homeless man will not face further time in custody, and instead participate in a community-based program.