By Patrick Burles - Lethbridge News Now

Jury in Saretzky trial told first of three victims died from blunt force trauma

Jun 9, 2017 | 12:08 PM

Warning: Story contains graphic and distrubing material. Discretion is advised.

LETHBRIDGE — It was a second straight day of graphic evidence for the jury to review, in the triple murder case of Derek Saretzky.

The 24-year old is accused of first degree murder in the September 2015 deaths of 69-year old Hanne Meketech, 27-year old Terry Blanchette and his two-year old daughter, Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette.

Saretzky has pleaded not guilty to all three charges, along with an additional charge of committing an indignity to a human body in regard to Hailey.

The medical examiner who conducted Meketech’s autopsy took the stand on Thursday, testifying that she died as a result of blunt force trauma.

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Her body was found in a pool of blood by a neighbour in her Coleman home on Sept. 9, 2015, several days before Terry and his daughter were killed.

Dr. Jeffery Gofton walked the jury through an exhibit containing 93 autopsy photos, with the jury at one point needing a half-hour break, as several members showed signs of obvious distress.

Starting with the results of an x-ray, Dr. Gofton noted skull fractures to the left side of Meketech’s skull.

He went on to note that she had eight wounds to her head and neck area, five of which were the result of a blunt force impact and three of which were likely inflicted with a knife. She also had multiple bruises and lacerations to her back and extremities, with injuries to her hands suggesting “a struggle of some type.”

While she had multiple lacerations to her face and two stab wounds to her neck, Dr. Gofton said it was a blow to the left side of Meketech’s head that was the most serious. He explained that a depressed skull fracture had driven fragments of Meketech’s skull into her brain.

He concluded that she was likely stabbed “seconds before her actual passing,” adding, “She would have been almost dead.”

When asked by the Crown whether the blunt force injuries could have been caused by a crowbar, pipe or baseball bat, he replied that all could have been the lethal instrument. The knife, he said, would have been single-bladed and non-serrated.

Earlier in the day, the jury had a chance to hear from blood spatter expert, Sgt. Ashley Davidson.

Sgt. Davidson noted blood stains throughout the trailer, in the form of red paw-prints from Meketech’s two dogs, but said his focus was on the bedroom where her body was found. He explained that she was lying mostly naked in a pool of blood, and that the blood spatter he found on her and the corner of the room where she was located would have been caused by “a significant force.”

An arch of blood droplets across a wall was also described by Sgt. Davidson as the likely result of an object covered in blood moving through the air.

Thursday’s evidence followed an agreed statement of facts that was presented on day one, in which the Crown stated that they already have recorded confessions from Saretzky for all three murders.

Saretzky’s lawyer Patrick Edgerton, responded to that outside the courthouse, saying more evidence would still be coming out, and that there are “reliability issues when it comes to confessions” that would become clear.

The trial continues on Friday and is expected to run for a full month.