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Alex McCuaig
CALGARY
It was all but too much for one juror to
hear the graphic manner in which the Richardson family was
murdered.
Dr. Craig Litwin, the medical examiner who
performed the autopsies on Marc, Debra and Jacob Richardson, took
the jury through the photos one by one which showed the injuries
suffered by each of the victims. Litwin testified Marc Richardson
received a deep puncture wound into the right eye, and stab wounds
to his face, nose, neck, groin and back.
At this point one juror broke down and
asked to be excused.
Litwin had just begun the first of three
sets of photos and reports from the autopsies during the
triple-murder trial of Jeremy Steinke on Friday before Madam
Justice Adele Kent decided to break early for lunch.
Following the break, Litwin continued to
catalogue the 24 stab wounds inflicted on Marc Richardson –
some as deep as 11 centimeters – along with a number of cuts
consistent with defensive wounds.
He continued to work his way through the
autopsy reports moving next to the 12 stab wounds on Debra
Richardson, including a 12-centimeter deep puncture which went
through the chest to her heart.
Litwin testified that the couple's young
son Jacob showed signs of strangulation but the most prominent
wound was a deep slash across his neck.
Earlier in the day Sgt. Tim Schottner of
the Medicine Hat Police Service testified about several text
messages from the online social networking site, Nexopia, in the
weeks prior to the April 23, 2006 murders.
"I hate them so much so I have this plan
it begins with me killing them and ends with me living with you,"
wrote runawaydevil, the screen name allegedly used by Steinke's
then 12-year-old co-accused. That message was written on March 20,
2006.
Steinke, who allegedly went by the name
souleater on the website, replied: “I love your plan but we
need to get more creative with like the details and
stuff.”
Schottner also testified to previously
unseen correspondence on the website between Steinke and an unknown
user on the Nexopia website who went by the name Super.Jesus.
The court heard the identity of
Super.Jesus remains unknown to police.
The conversation between souleater and
Super.Jesus began on April 4, 2006, when they discussed
relationship problems between souleater and his girlfriend.
"Tell (them) to shove it," wrote
Super.Jesus.
"Yeah right that will work… um we
were thinking more along the lines of killing them," souleater
said, followed by the Internet abbreviation "rofl" for roll on the
floor laughing.
"Nice," Super.Jesus replied.
"Yepperz and the best part is it was her
idea," souleater wrote.
Schottner also read a Nexopia conversation
between souleater and a user named killmyheart, written between
March 15 and March 16, 2006.
"…The whole point of killing them
would be to start a spree across Canada! Rofl," wrote souleater in
response to killmyheart's question of who he wanted to kill.
"Kinda like the legendary Mickey &
Malory love birds! Now have you seen that movie, its called
'Natural Born Killers.' It's the best love story of all time. I
love it so much I wanna do it myself."
A search of Nexopia shows a user of
killmyheart is still active. It includes a description of its user
as a person who has "violent tendencies" and "loves blood."
It also contains remarks about the
Richardson family.
"To whom this may concern: I don't care
what you think I will care for my friends till the bitter end of my
death on earth, you may dislike it but oh well. This does not under
any circumstance mean I agree or support what he did. For now and
always I will miss him, and regret his cruel act. RIP-Richardson
Family," states the comment on killmyheart's nexopia page.
Schottner was called back to the stand at
the end of the day's proceedings to answer questions about a
Crimestoppers tip received by the Medicine Hat Police Service.
He testified police received an anonymous
call stating that two others may have been at crime scene the night
of the murders.
"You received a call that said someone. .
. was standing lookout," defense lawyer Alain Hepner asked
Schottner.
"That's correct," he responded.
"And they said someone called Cam was in
the house with Jeremy and (his co-accused) and played a part in
these homicides?"
"Yes."
Schottner, however, testified the evidence
did not point to any other participants being at the crime
scene.
Civilian witnesses are expected to begin
taking the stand next week.
Steinke's co-accused was convicted of
three counts of first-degree murder in July 2007. She is currently
serving a 10-year sentence as part of a rarely used intensive
rehabilitation program. |
