By Katherine Ramsland

(Continued)

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Day in and day out, Pickton's expression rarely wavered as he stared into space or glanced at a witness.  He entered the courtroom each day, according AZcentral, wearing one of four revolving shirts and carrying a binder for his notes and doodles.  His boredom seemed to mirror that of the media as the recounting of scientific evidence reportedly became tedious.  A law professor suggested that the drop in attendance was due to the lack of a "gripping narrative."  Despite the grisly testimony, there are no larger-than-life personalities involved.  The victims were mostly drug abusers and prostitutes, and the accused is an aging, uneducated pig farmer who likes to talk about himself.  Still, he's allegedly the most prolific serial killer that a Canadian court has ever prosecuted, and the proceedings finally picked up.

Robert Pickton

Forensic Analysis

There was plenty of coverage as Pickton showed interest — and even appeared to smile — during the analysis of a handheld reciprocating saw allegedly used to bisect three skulls and cut through other human bones.  There were cut marks on Wolfe's jawbone, as well as several ribs, two heel bones and several vertebrae that had been collected.  Ten of the saw's 45 blades came into evidence, only because they could not be eliminated as the blades that had caused the cuts in the bones.  The expert was certain a saw had produced them but could not definitely identify what kind.

A forensic entomologist, Dr. Gail Anderson, also testified that the remains of Abotsway and Joesbury had been exposed to the elements for several weeks to several months before being stashed in the freezer where they were found.  Insects apparently went into the buckets when the remains were picked up for storage, and their type and stage of development helped to scientifically establish a timeframe.

Mona Wilson and Sereena Abotsway

From April into early May, the jury members were shown graphic pictures of the decomposing heads, hands, and other remains as forensic pathologists testified about the autopsies.  The first witness agreed that the skulls were cut from both front and behind with a reciprocating saw and that they'd been forced apart where the cuts nearly joined.  He also described the gunshot wounds to three of the victims, although ballistics experts could not link the recovered bullets to any of the guns found on the property.  When Justice James Williams noticed the effect this evidence, which included images of maggots and skin sloughing, was having on some of the female jurors, he called for a recess.  The next day, they heard that a .22-caliber revolver with a dildo attached over the barrel had yielded DNA from a victim and possibly from Pickton.

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by Katherine Ramsland

Robert Pickton: Full Coverage & Breaking News

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