A forensic dentist was called to testify at the murder trial for Douglas Garland on Thursday and told the court that one of the fragments he examined appeared to be a baby tooth.
Garland, 57, is accused of killing Alvin and Kathy Liknes and Nathan O’Brien in 2014 and is charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
** WARNING - GRAPHIC DETAILS FOLLOW **
On Wednesday, court heard from Medical Examiner, Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim, who examined the scenes at the Liknes’ Parkhill home and the Garland farm, near Airdrie.
Dr. Brooks-Lim testified that blood found in the Liknes’ home could have come from lacerations or abrasions but also could have been from significant internal trauma and that all three could have survived the attack.
She also looked at bones found in a burn barrel at the Garland farm and consulted with another expert who concluded that the fragments found in the ashes could have been those of a child as well as an adult.
Detective Brian Clark, a cyber-crime investigator, also testified on Wednesday and said that there were downloads on killing and disposing of a human body on a hard drive that was stashed at the Garland’s home.
Clark also read through manuals that described how to become an assassin, effective weapons, mental preparation and the most effective time to conduct a lethal assault.
The hard drive also contained documents on lock picking and how to bypass a lock that was similar to the one on the side door of the Liknes’ home.
Garland has shown little emotion through most of the trial and has been taking notes during the proceedings.
On Thursday, forensic dentist, Dr. Bill Blair testified that he was given two vials of tooth fragments to examine in July 2014.
He said that he was also given the dental records of Alvin and Kathy Liknes and that a tooth he examined wasn't from Kathy but did have consistencies with Alvin's teeth.
Dr. Blair also looked at photos of tooth fragments and said that one appeared to be a baby tooth from the lower jaw.
A secretary at the psychiatrist’s office where Garland had a regular appointment was up next and told the jury that Garland was about 30 minutes late for his appointment on June 30, 2014. She said that she didn't notice any marks on him but noted that it was unusual that he was late.
A civilian member of the Calgary Police Service, Kathy McCaw, examined CCTV footage from several locations and told the court that police purchased the same footware that was found in an empty box at the Garland home for comparison.
She said that there were multiple similarities between the Dr. Scholl’s runners she examined and the shoes worn by a man in the video who appeared to be Douglas Garland.
McCaw also looked at CCTV footage from several places to compare to the truck that was driven by Garland and said that the make, model and colour were consistent.
The testimony has wrapped up for the day and will resume on Monday
Ina Sidhu is following the trial for CTV Calgary
