Testimony in the second-degree murder trial for Christopher Garnier is now underway.
After selecting a jury of seven men and seven women to hear the case, Crown attorney Carla Ball jumped into opening statements on Tuesday saying this case is about a man who “loses control”.
Garnier, 29, has pleaded not guilty to killing Catherine Campbell, an off-duty Truro, N.S. police officer. He has also pleaded not guilty to improperly interfering with her remains.
READ: Jury selected in Christopher Garnier murder trial
The Crown alleges Garnier met Campbell, 36, at the Alehouse in downtown Halifax the day after he and his girlfriend broke up.
Ball told the jury the pair went back to an apartment belonging to Garnier’s friend that he was staying at following the break up — where it’s alleged he struck Campbell in the head and strangled her before placing her body in a green bin to dispose of.
Ball says the Crown will present video and will have witness testimony to place Garnier with the green bin.
Campbell’s body was found under the overpass to the Macdonald Bridge in Halifax a few days after she was reported missing.
WATCH: Christopher Garnier pleads not guilty to murder of Catherine Campbell
The Crown says they plan to call approximately 40 witnesses to make their case.
“We’re trying to move chronologically through what we allege happened with civilians and police officers who attended scenes, took photographs and identified exhibits,” said Christine Driscoll, the other Crown attorney on the case.
“We’re trying to keep the story as chronological as possible so you’ll see a combination of civilian, police officers and expert evidence over the next weeks of trial.”
Tuesday afternoon, the first three Crown witnesses were called to the stand.
The first was Erin Adams, a dispatch supervisor with the Truro Police Service.
Adams testified she was both a coworker and a friend of Campbell’s. She requested Halifax Regional Police (HRP) do a well-being check on Campbell after she failed to show up for work.
The second witness to testify was HRP Const. Stuart McCulley, who told the court he was tasked with checking Campbell’s Dartmouth apartment as part of a well-being check.
McCulley said he was able to obtain video from the apartment building Campbell lived at. He testified he was also able to identify both Campbell and her vehicle on the video.
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The third and final witness to take the stand on Tuesday was Terrance Little, who has worked as a cab driver at Bob’s Taxi for nearly 40 years.
He told the court he had driven Campbell several times in the past and had picked her up at her apartment building shortly after midnight on Sept. 11, 2015. Little said Campbell seemed normal and was not intoxicated when he dropped her off at the Alehouse.
Testimony in the case continues Wednesday morning at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.
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