The jury trial for a Calgary man charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sara Baillie and her daughter Taliyah Marsman in 2016 started on Monday morning.
(**Warning: Graphic content)
Baillie’s body was found in her Panorama Hills basement suite in the summer of 2016 by police after she failed to turn up for work.
Her five-year-old daughter, Taliyah Marsman, was reported missing and a province-wide AMBER alert was initiated to find the little girl.
Police spent several days searching for Taliyah and located her body three days later in a rural area east of Calgary.
Edward Delton Downey, 48, was arrested at a strip mall in northeast Calgary on July 13, 2016 and he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Police say Downey knew Baillie and her daughter Taliyah.
On Monday, Downey pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
The families of both victims are attending the trial and the courtroom was packed on the first day of the proceedings.
The Crown laid out its case for the jury in the morning and said that Downey had been dumped by Baillie’s best friend at the time.
The prosecution said it will bring forward evidence to show that Downey asphyxiated Baillie, wrapped her in duct tape, stuffed her body in a laundry bag and stashed it in a closet in her home.
According to the Crown, Downey’s finger print was found on the duct tape and it is alleged that Taliyah was killed because she was a witness to her mother’s murder.
Sara Baillie’s aunt was called as the Crown’s first witness and she was emotional as she talked about the impact that Baillie and Taliyah had on her life.
A judge and jury, consisting of five men and seven women, will hear the case, which is scheduled to last three weeks.
Follow @CTVInaSidhu for complete coverage of the trial.
