Woman testifies about ex-husband's relationship with Katherine Janeiro in 1994 murder trial
Bruce Ellis sat in a Barrie courtroom on Tuesday as his ex-wife testified about her former spouse's relationship with a young mother who was found dead in her apartment 30 years ago.
Ellis, also known as Robert MacQueen, is on trial for the death of Katherine Janeiro in 1994.Katherine Janeiro's body was discovered in her Barrie, Ont., apartment on Oct. 10, 1994. (Supplied)
Ellis' ex-wife told the courtroom she and her then-husband lived across from Janeiro's Dunlop Street apartment and that he claimed he was just friends with the 20-year-old woman.
She said Ellis denied being in a relationship with Janeiro but often stayed at the young woman's apartment when the couple would fight and when they separated.
"He did tell me he had a key," she stated.
The witness shared how she ran into Janeiro at a downtown Barrie bar weeks before her death.
"She stopped me and said she was pregnant with Bruce's baby," she told the courtroom, adding it shocked her to learn they had been sleeping together, so she lied and told Janeiro he'd had a vasectomy.
She said Janeiro was found dead inside her basement unit roughly two to three weeks after that encounter.
The woman then told the court of rumours Janeiro had spread among friends, claiming Ellis contracted AIDS after sleeping with an exotic dancer.
She testified her ex-husband told her to say very little to the police and not to tell them about the rumours out of concern for his reputation.
"He didn't want police to know about the AIDS comment because he didn't want people to think that he had AIDS," she noted, describing how he would become angry over the rumours.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The court also heard from witness Paul Daigle, who admitted to being in Janeiro's apartment the night her body was discovered with multiple stab wounds.
A neighbour who often used Janeiro's phone found her body face down on her bedroom floor.
Daigle testified that when he realized Janeiro was dead, he and a biker named Woody, who the court heard Janeiro sold drugs for, wiped their fingerprints from inside the unit.
The defence pointed to Daigle, suggesting he had blood on his hands from moving her body from the bathroom to her bedroom. He denied any involvement.
Daigle testified he didn't call 911 when he saw Janeiro's body because "she was pretty dead," but said he later went to the police station to give a statement.
The Crown previously told the court the Daigle and Woody were in Janeiro's kitchen looking for cough syrup.
Bruce Ellis is charged with second-degree murder and maintains his innocence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
G2 driver stopped going more than 100 km/h over the speed limit on Hwy. 401 in eastern Ontario
A 17-year-old driver is facing charges after being caught speeding and driving dangerously on Highway 401 in eastern Ontario Friday evening, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Trudeau, Carney push back over Trump's ongoing 51st state comments
Two senior members of the federal cabinet were in Florida Friday pushing Canada's new $1.3 billion border plan with members of Donald Trump's transition team, a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself appeared to finally push back at the president-elect over his social media posts about turning Canada into the 51st state.
Physical therapy is 'the best-kept secret in health care'
If you think physical therapy is only about rehabilitation after surgery or recovering from an accident, think again. For the vast majority, seeing a physical therapist should be about prevention, routine assessment and staying well.
How some men are trying to fight online misogyny amid 'your body, my choice' rhetoric
A young man with a buzz cut leans on a pristine countertop in a stark white kitchen and looks directly into the camera as he delivers what he presents as the secret to dating success for straight men.
The husband-wife legal team working on two of today’s biggest criminal cases
The rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs and the suspected health care CEO assassin Luigi Mangione have decided on a similar defense strategy: Hire an Agnifilo. Or two.
Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78
Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster who broke barriers during his career calling some of the biggest sporting events, has died from cancer, according to a statement from his family released by the network on Friday. He was 78.
Russia's Putin apologizes to Azerbaijan over 'tragic' airliner crash
Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to Azerbaijan's leader for what the Kremlin called a 'tragic incident' over Russia in which an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defenses were fired against Ukrainian drones.
MAGA opponents of Elon Musk claim he stripped them of their X badges
The debate roiling the MAGA world in recent days over visas for highly skilled workers shows no signs of abating. Some prominent online personalities are now accusing Elon Musk of using his social media platform, X, to retaliate against those who disagree with his support of the H-1B visa program.
Vancouver artist and HIV advocate Joe Average dies at 67
Renowned Vancouver artist Joe Average, whose colourful work adorns murals and banners around the city, died at age 67 Tuesday, according to family and friends.