KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A retired RCMP sergeant who took photos of a crime scene says he encountered blood stains in several rooms of a Lytton, B.C., home where a man was stabbed 73 times.
Steve Gehl said he photographed Albert Michell’s body and a number of items in his home on Aug. 17, 2008.
Cory Bird, 27, is charged with second-degree murder in Michell's death.
The Crown alleges Michell was killed on either Aug. 13 or Aug. 14.
Gehl said hot and dry conditions at the time meant Michell's body decomposed quickly.
“The fingers start to mummify,” he said. “They go very hard and very dark.
“The body was bloated and it was in an advanced state of decomposition.”
Gehl said Michell’s near-naked body had a bloodstained towel covering his genital area.
He said there were extensive bloodstains throughout the living and dining areas of Michell’s home, and the jury was shown 250 photos of the crime scene.
Court has heard Bird met Michell while hitchhiking and the two became fast friends, with Bird eventually staying at Michell’s home for a number of days.
According to Crown lawyer Frank Caputo, Bird, Michell and another friend bought alcohol on Aug. 13, 2008, before returning to Michell’s home to watch a movie.
The third friend left partway through the movie, Caputo said, leaving Bird and Michell alone.
The Crown believes Michell was killed sometime between 11 p.m. and 9 a.m. the following day.
Caputo said Bird hitchhiked across the country after the murder, eventually being taken into custody following a brief standoff with police in Montreal.
Bird admitted to officers that he killed a man in B.C., the jury heard.
Caputo said Bird initially told police he was acting in self-defence, but later admitted that wasn’t true.
