Two Alberta RCMP officers testified on Day 2 of the murder trial for Beryl Musila, who is charged in the 2017 death of 75-year-old Ronald Worsfold.
The St. Albert senior’s body was found in rural Parkland County on July 10, 2017, two days after he was last seen.
Musila, 33, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. She pleaded guilty Tuesday to indignity to human remains.
Stacey Lee Worsfold, the daughter of Ronald Worsfold, was cross-examined Thursday by the woman accused of killing the 75-year-old man.
Musila is representing herself at trial after dismissing her lawyers.
The case is being heard by judge and jury.
In their opening statements Wednesday, Crown prosecutors Patricia Hankinson and John Schmidt told the jury that Worsfold and Musila lived together at an apartment building in St. Albert on Mission Avenue.
The allegations are that Musila drugged Worsfold and then, after some consideration, killed him in the apartment on Friday, July 7, 2017. The Crown further alleges that on July 8, she put his body in a blue Rubbermaid tote, leaving his body at a residence on a rural property outside Edmonton.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Musila didn’t make any opening remarks on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, court heard from the victim’s daughter, Stacey Lee Worsfold, who went to her father’s apartment July 8 and found Musila there. Stacey said Musila told her that she and Ronald had been arguing and he left for a walk and wasn’t home.
Stacey told court she asked Musila to leave and after several hours, watched her bring suitcases and a large blue Rubbermaid tote outside to a taxi, before leaving.
Once she was able to get into her father’s locked apartment suite, she and RCMP officers found what appeared to be blood under the safe, carpet cut out of the floor around the bed, and a large blood stain on the mattress.
On Thursday, Musila cross-examined Stacey.
During cross-examination on Thursday, Musila questioned Stacey about her father’s habits: if he had any medical conditions, and did he smoke, drink or do drugs.
Stacey replied he didn’t smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs. The last time he had a drink was seven years ago, Stacey said.
The second witness to testify was RCMP Sgt. Shane Turvy.
He is a forensic identification specialist. Turvy told court that the St. Albert RCMP received a complaint of a missing person early in the morning on July 9, 2017.
Turvy said he arrived at the apartment suite, where several St. Albert RCMP officers were already. They did a walkthrough of the suite and then photographed it.
Photos of the apartment submitted as evidence included photos of red stains on the carpet and mattress.
Turvy said he was called to a second scene at about 6:30 p.m. — a “makeshift dump site” in Parkland County where some items were found along with a body.
Turvy told court he attended the second crime scene to take photos, explaining there was a black suitcase and a blue Rubbermaid container.
He explained there was a pillow and blanket that appeared to have blood on it. A knife blade that appeared to have blood on it was found underneath the tote, Turvy said.
He told court the Rubbermaid container had duct tape on it and a body inside.
Turvy was also cross-examined by Musila.
She asked him about the process of photographing the scene, collecting evidence and how extensively fingerprinting was done — on what items, vehicles and living spaces.
Sgt. Nolan Losness was the third witness to testify.
He’s been employed with the RCMP for more than 31 years. He currently works as a senior forensic identification specialist.
Losness described to court the items found at the rural Parkland County scene, including a cardboard box with clothing and other items inside, a white shirt with a red stain on it, a pair of scissors, a pillow with a large red stain on it, pillow cases with red staining, a pair of black denim shorts, and several towels.
Other photos submitted as evidence showed a kitchen knife wrapped up in a blue sheet, a bath mat with red staining, half a set of dentures, duct tape, paper towels, yellow carpet squares and a stained face cloth.