Before forensic pathologist Dr. Kristopher Cunningham began his testimony about the murder of Holly hamiltonJudge Paul Sweeny warned the jury that they were about to see “a series of photographs that are quite disturbing.”
most of HollyFriends and family chose to leave the courtroom.
Seventeen cutting force wounds covered Holly’s neck and stomach, one small wound on the side of her mouth and another on her right chest. Nine were considered incised wounds, meaning they were longer than deep, including a 13.5-centimeter wound in the front of his neck that cut as deep as his muscle, Cunningham told the court Tuesday.
Six were stab wounds, including the fatal wound, to the right side of Holly’s neck. It pierced through skin, tissue, and muscle, piercing his common carotid artery. This is a major high-pressure artery that bleeds vigorously when cut, he said.
“This is the deadliest of all the wounds he has,” said Cunningham, the province’s deputy chief forensic pathologist. All injuries would have contributed to blood loss, but a cut in that artery can cause death in a matter of seconds or minutes.
Justin dumpfreyHolly’s on-and-off boyfriend is charged with second degree murder. He is accused of killing Holly sometime between January 14-15, 2018.
The court already heard during the trial that they had a volatile relationship, including the fact that Dumpfrey was convicted twice of assaulting her. Holly’s family and friends have testified that she was afraid of Dumpfrey, but kept the peace for her daughter’s sake.
Days after being reported missing, Holly’s frozen and stabbed body was found in the trunk of your car, abandoned in a parking lot east of Hamilton.
In court Tuesday, Cunningham showed the jury multiple scrapes and bruises all over Holly’s body. These bruises were fresh, still purple and red, and likely occurred within 18 hours of his death, although Cunningham said it was impossible to say exactly when.
Cunningham did not perform an autopsy, that doctor was unavailable, and he no longer works in forensic pathology.
Cunningham said there were no defensive injuries from a sharp-edged weapon (such as a knife). However, he questioned whether the bruises on Holly’s arms and wrists were from trying to stop the blows.
It is also impossible to tell which weapon caused the injuries and whether more than one weapon was used. The stab wounds are consistent with a knife, but Cunningham said he could only tell that the wounds were caused by a sharp edge.
Robert May had only known Dumpfrey for a few weeks and only knew him as “Black Jay”. He testified Tuesday that he delivered weed to Dumpfrey on the afternoon of January 15, 2018, and then received a few calls from him asking for a drive to drive his daughter home, and he agreed around 7 p.m.
On the car ride, May said, “Jay” said, “My baby mama is a bitch.” May said she told “Jay” not to say that in front of her daughter. She also recalled that “Jay” wanted to leave her daughter on the sidewalk, but May said she insisted on walking her to the door.
The court has already heard that Holly’s daughter, then four years old, was abruptly left at her grandfather’s door on the night of January 15.
During cross-examination, defense attorney John Erickson questioned May about her memory, including about the frequent use of marijuana that May said was for pain, and the fact that she did not meet with the police until March 2018. May was He got very angry at Erickson, saying he was wasting everyone’s time and at one point he walked out of the courtroom, saying he was done. May eventually came back and continued his testimony, explaining that he was upset that he was dragged into a murder case that he had nothing to do with.
The trial also heard from Barb Bozikis, who heads Barb’s Cleaning and Restoration Services, where Holly worked as a cleaner for approximately two years. It was Bozikis who gave Holly the 1996 white Ford Escape, in which her body was later found, to use at work.
“She was amazing, she was good at her job, dependable, and my clients loved her,” Bozikis said.
He last saw Holly the Friday before her murder when the 29-year-old stopped by the office to collect her check and reload cleaning supplies. Holly was supposed to clean a house the morning of January 15, but Bozikis got a call from her client that no one showed up. Shortly after Holly’s mom, Angela Hamilton He called to ask about Holly. Bozikis said they were both in “panic”.
Assistant Crown Counsel Amber Lepchuk showed Bozikis a series of photographs of the items found. thrown away in the apartment building next to where Dumpfrey lived on Barton Street East. Bozikis identified several cleaning products that came from his business. The cleaning chemicals bottle had just been filled on Friday and should have been full, but they were all more than half empty.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
Nicole O’Reilly is a crime and justice reporter for The Spectator. [email protected]
Reference-www.thestar.com