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.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox