GUILTY Canada - Liana White, 29, Edmonton AB, 12 July 2005 - #4

[otto]

It's a shame that he wasn't charged with 1st degree murder. He didn't have to kill her. From everything that I remember reading about Lianna she seemed like such a nice person that everyone who knew her spoke so highly of. I wonder if they had been having problems and if she was thinking about leaving him?

I think that he went and picked up those two garbage bags full of bloody stuff because he was afraid someone would find them in the field and it was probably his garbage day so he thought the bags would be gone that same day. But LE beat the garbage truck to the house. Thank God!

He stabbed Lianna in the back. That to me means he meant to kill her which should have been 1st degree. I hate to even think of this poor little gal trying to defend herself against that big fat blob of a waste of space. But she had defense wounds on her hands if memory serves me.

Is the trial still going? Can anyone from Canada post the newspaper links so we can keep track of what is happening please. I followed this case as much as we were allowed to hear and I really want to see that there is justice for Lianna. In my mind 10 yrs isn't justice for anyone. Will he be out in about 6 yrs or so? Lianna's life was worth much more than that.

I just read a bit more carefully and indeed he is only charged with second degree murder. I guess the police assume that they got in a big argument, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the back. I think it will really come down to the Judge as to whether it is 10 years with or without early parole. If he admitted what he did, he would probably get 10 years with early parole. Denying it will probably get him a full 10 years.

The trial is scheduled for a month.

 

[Jess]

http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/briefs/b27/b27_e.shtml
First-degree murder is one that is planned and deliberate, also encompassing contract killings and the murder of police officers and prison employees. Second-degree murder entails all murder that is not first degree. Since 1976, the mandatory penalty for an individual convicted of first-degree murder is life imprisonment, with no eligibility of parole before 25 years of the sentence has been served in prison. Second degree murder also carries a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment, with a parole ineligibility period of ten years minimum, however the sentencing judge may vary that period from 10 years to a maximum of 25 years.

For first and second-degree murder sentences without parole, the offender remains imprisoned for life. Offenders who are paroled while serving life sentences must remain on parole for life unless parole is revoked. If parole is revoked, the offender is re-incarcerated. In many cases, murderers remain in prison until they die. Despite the parole ineligibility periods accompanying these mandatory life sentences, some offenders are released from prison before their original parole ineligibility period is up. When the Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed in 1976, it included a provision known as the "Faint Hope Clause". This provision refers to the process of judicial review, whereby an offender may apply to the court for a reduction in the amount of time served incarcerated before they become eligible for parole. This Judicial Review does not mean an early parole for the offender, and it does not reduce the sentence imposed by the court. This "Faint Hope Clause" simply allows certain offenders who have served at least fifteen years of a life sentence to apply to a court to have their cases reviewed by the National Parole Board at an earlier date. In order to be eligible for judicial review, the offender must have: been convicted of high treason or first degree murder (resulting in an automatic life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 25 years) or; must have been convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for a period of greater than fifteen years; and have served at least fifteen years from time of arrest.

 

[otto]

http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/briefs/b27/b27_e.shtml
First-degree murder is one that is planned and deliberate, also encompassing contract killings and the murder of police officers and prison employees. Second-degree murder entails all murder that is not first degree. Since 1976, the mandatory penalty for an individual convicted of first-degree murder is life imprisonment, with no eligibility of parole before 25 years of the sentence has been served in prison. Second degree murder also carries a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment, with a parole ineligibility period of ten years minimum, however the sentencing judge may vary that period from 10 years to a maximum of 25 years.

For first and second-degree murder sentences without parole, the offender remains imprisoned for life. Offenders who are paroled while serving life sentences must remain on parole for life unless parole is revoked. If parole is revoked, the offender is re-incarcerated. In many cases, murderers remain in prison until they die. Despite the parole ineligibility periods accompanying these mandatory life sentences, some offenders are released from prison before their original parole ineligibility period is up. When the Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed in 1976, it included a provision known as the "Faint Hope Clause". This provision refers to the process of judicial review, whereby an offender may apply to the court for a reduction in the amount of time served incarcerated before they become eligible for parole. This Judicial Review does not mean an early parole for the offender, and it does not reduce the sentence imposed by the court. This "Faint Hope Clause" simply allows certain offenders who have served at least fifteen years of a life sentence to apply to a court to have their cases reviewed by the National Parole Board at an earlier date. In order to be eligible for judicial review, the offender must have: been convicted of high treason or first degree murder (resulting in an automatic life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 25 years) or; must have been convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for a period of greater than fifteen years; and have served at least fifteen years from time of arrest.

Good article! I guess this is what I'm used to ... "Second degree murder also carries a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment, with a parole ineligibility period of ten years minimum, however the sentencing judge may vary that period from 10 years to a maximum of 25 years." and "Capital sentences abolished and replaced with 1st and 2nd degree murder sentences. First-degree murder is eligible for parole after 25 years and, in some cases, after 15 years. Parole eligibility for second-degree murder sentences vary between 10 and 25 years." That is, most second degree murders seem to have a 10 year sentence. I was mistaken in thinking that someone could be paroled for second degree murder in less than 10 years.

Maybe the fact that Liana was pregnant will figure into the sentencing and make it 25 years before being eligible for parole ... hard to say. Pleading "not guilty", given the mountain of evidence, is bound to make the Judge a little irritated with the suspect.

I remember a case in Alberta where one man killed another, claiming that the dead man made a sexual pass at the murderer. He said the 'pass' him so mad that he flew into a rage and killed the guy. That resulted in 10 years. The crown argued that it was a drug and alcohol night that got out of control - hoping for 15 - 25 years.

There was another case about 6 years ago where a husband strangled his wife with the chord of a blow dryer. She was going to leave him and he didn't like that idea. He got 10 years.

Do we know who is raising their daughter? I thought that his parents were looking after her when it first happened. I would be concerned about the parents of a murderer raising another child.

 

[Jess]

Lianna's mother is raising her grandaughter. The co workers and neighbours recently had an afternoon BBQ to raise money for her fund. They have not forgotten Lianna or her child. There is no law in Canada such as the Laci and Conner law in the states. I doubt whether the pregnancy will have any affect on the sentencing.
I suppose a defence lawyer cannot say, "Look the evidence is overwhelming so you need to plead guilty and or make a deal " if the client insists he is innocent.

 

[lauriej]

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/061102/n1102140.html

...EDMONTON (CP) - ............".Liana White was carrying her unborn child when her husband stabbed her to death, dumped her body in a ditch, then trashed paper towels so sodden that days later they were still wet with blood, a prosecutor told court Thursday. "
"At the end of this trial, when you look at all the evidence, you will see a picture of Michael White killing his wife and trying to cover it up," Troy Couillard told jurors on the first day of White's second-degree murder trial. "


......"Two days after Liana White's disappearance, police followed Michael White as he went to a nearby field, where he picked up two garbage bags, took them home and left them out for garbage collectors. Police picked them up instead and found inside blood-stained clothes, a bloody doorknob cover, the bloody paper towels, latex gloves and a broken lamp that matched another lamp in the White home.
-Blood on the clothes in the garbage bag matched that of Liana White. DNA on the outside of the gloves was hers; DNA on the inside was his. Police found her blood in the couple's bedroom, on their bed and in the back of the Explorer along with signs someone had cleaned it up.

During Thursday's proceedings, White, 29, clasped his hands between his knees, leaned forward at times and cast glances at the approximately 50 people in the gallery. At times he appeared to blink back tears.

When asked to enter a plea, he stood with his hands behind him and announced in a clear voice, "I'm not guilty."

................more @ link

.......AND, he was also the one who led a search team OUTSIDE the parameters of the search area, that miraculously found liana ??

.......AND...he now shows up in court with his hair grown out------------as if any of us, or the jury, will forget that yeah, he was the bald guy last summer.

.."Forensic tests showed Liana White was stabbed twice in the back, had wounds on her fingertips and likely died from a wound near her neck. "

..............WHAT a coward----------not only does he kill his beautiful wife (that's-half-his size-)--------he stabs her in the back.

..i'm a canadian------and i have no problem what so ever wishing we had the death penalty ---he stabs his pregnant wife to death? leaves the little 3 yr.old girl with no mother ?---------and he gets to live ????how on earth is that fair ?

 

[otto]

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/061102/n1102140.html

.......AND, he was also the one who led a search team OUTSIDE the parameters of the search area, that miraculously found liana ??

.......AND...he now shows up in court with his hair grown out------------as if any of us, or the jury, will forget that yeah, he was the bald guy last summer.

.."Forensic tests showed Liana White was stabbed twice in the back, had wounds on her fingertips and likely died from a wound near her neck. "

..............WHAT a coward----------not only does he kill his beautiful wife (that's-half-his size-)--------he stabs her in the back.

..i'm a canadian------and i have no problem what so ever wishing we had the death penalty ---he stabs his pregnant wife to death? leaves the little 3 yr.old girl with no mother ?---------and he gets to live ????how on earth is that fair ?

The problem with the death penalty is whether it is used as punishment or as a deterent. In theory it is supposed to be a deterent, not punishment, since murder in the heat of the moment is a type of mistake; an uncontrolled, out of character situation. The murder rate is in Canada is relatively low compared to most countries even without the death penalty, so it's not needed as a deterent. Additionally, the death penalty is considered barbaric by most western countries. When you think about it, someone is allowed to commit murder to enforce capital punishment, and that should be a problem in itself.

What Michael White did is horrible and he should be punished, but sitting in a little room for a very long time with no rights is a pretty awful punishment. Death always seems like the easy way out to me.

 

[Jess]

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=5bd18637-62d6-43be-97ac-209463f0f6c5&k=0

na White's body was covered with tree branches and leaves when a volunteer search team found the pregnant woman lying in a ditch north of the city last summer.

Her husband Michael White, who had pleaded for the public's help to find the missing woman, sat in the court prisoner's box Tuesday wiping his nose as dozens of police photos were entered into evidence.

White, 29, is on trial charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body. He has pleaded not guilty.


A middle-aged woman sitting on the jury also cried and wiped tears from her face while looking through binders of photos.

Among the pictures of Liana's decomposing body, police took photos of blood stains found in the couple's Castledowns home and in the back of Liana's Ford Explorer.

A chemical compound called luminol was used to make most of the invisible blood spots glow in the dark, explained Edmonton police Const. James Johnstone.

White reported his wife missing after her SUV was found in the gravel parking lot next to a baseball diamond at 157th Avenue and 116th Street on July 12, 2005. The vehicle's door was left open and Liana's purse and shoes were on the ground.

Liana's body was found on July 17, in a ditch along Rural Route 251 at Township Road 542. She was four months pregnant with the couple's second child.

Crown prosecutor Troy Couillard earlier told the jury evidence will prove White stabbed Liana to death in their bedroom then cleaned up the blood, dumped her body in the ditch and staged an abduction.

White's lawyer, Robert Shaigec, said his client plans to testify later in the trial that he loved his wife and did not kill her.

 

[Jay78]

I live in Edmonton. This case rocked the city last summer. I just hope he gets a lengthy stay in prison. It angers me that he could have the will to plead innocence when he claims his wife left and never came back when there is a HUGE pile of evidence indicating that he killed her at home. As for motive, it was revealed at one point during the prelim. hearing that Liana had told someone she was planning to leave him. Perhaps she said she was going and he simply lost it. The trial began last week and is expected to take a month.

 

[Jess]

According to Globalnews , Michael White broke down while the jury was looking at the binder of photos which included pictures of the two garbage bags, the knife and pictures of Lianna's body. Awwww dontcha feel sorry for him !!
Who is he trying to fool !

 

[otto]

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=5bd18637-62d6-43be-97ac-209463f0f6c5&k=0

na White's body was covered with tree branches and leaves when a volunteer search team found the pregnant woman lying in a ditch north of the city last summer.

Her husband Michael White, who had pleaded for the public's help to find the missing woman, sat in the court prisoner's box Tuesday wiping his nose as dozens of police photos were entered into evidence.

White, 29, is on trial charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body. He has pleaded not guilty.


A middle-aged woman sitting on the jury also cried and wiped tears from her face while looking through binders of photos.

Among the pictures of Liana's decomposing body, police took photos of blood stains found in the couple's Castledowns home and in the back of Liana's Ford Explorer.

A chemical compound called luminol was used to make most of the invisible blood spots glow in the dark, explained Edmonton police Const. James Johnstone.

White reported his wife missing after her SUV was found in the gravel parking lot next to a baseball diamond at 157th Avenue and 116th Street on July 12, 2005. The vehicle's door was left open and Liana's purse and shoes were on the ground.

Liana's body was found on July 17, in a ditch along Rural Route 251 at Township Road 542. She was four months pregnant with the couple's second child.

Crown prosecutor Troy Couillard earlier told the jury evidence will prove White stabbed Liana to death in their bedroom then cleaned up the blood, dumped her body in the ditch and staged an abduction.

White's lawyer, Robert Shaigec, said his client plans to testify later in the trial that he loved his wife and did not kill her.

Thanks for all the updates ... I looked earlier today and couldn't find anything.

The part that bothers me is that he came up with a staged abduction in rather short time. Even if he accidentally killed her the night before, he still had only a few hours to park the vehicle with shoes, purse and cell phone strewn around to look like an abduction and then dump Liana out in the country to look like it was one of the many women discovered in those areas. This all seems to me like a planned murder, not a spur of the moment event. It's almost like he'd been thinking about it for some time and then something triggered him into putting the plan into action.

 

[Jay78]

Thanks for all the updates ... I looked earlier today and couldn't find anything.

The part that bothers me is that he came up with a staged abduction in rather short time. Even if he accidentally killed her the night before, he still had only a few hours to park the vehicle with shoes, purse and cell phone strewn around to look like an abduction and then dump Liana out in the country to look like it was one of the many women discovered in those areas. This all seems to me like a planned murder, not a spur of the moment event. It's almost like he'd been thinking about it for some time and then something triggered him into putting the plan into action.

I wouldn't be surprised if he had, like i said, in the preliminary hearing, its was revealed that their relationship had been failing for sometime, so perhaps he knew that she was gonna leave him and couldn't let her go and had planned to kill her.

 

[otto]

I wouldn't be surprised if he had, like i said, in the preliminary hearing, its was revealed that their relationship had been failing for sometime, so perhaps he knew that she was gonna leave him and couldn't let her go and had planned to kill her.

That's so sad ... that the reason he may have done this was to prevent her from having a life away from him.

 

[Jess]

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2006/11/08/2276753-sun.html


Wed, November 8, 2006
Juror cries at images
Constable describes crime scene at trial, remains seen in 'recovery site' pictures

By TONY BLAIS, COURT BUREAU




Jurors at the murder trial of accused wife killer Michael White were treated to a little CSI Edmonton yesterday as they were led down a photographic crime scene trail.

With Const. James Johnstone, of the city police forensic identification section, as their guide, the jury members pored over photos of evidence seized from garbage bags White was observed putting out for pickup.

Some of the items included a broken lamp matching a lamp from the White home, blood-stained latex gloves, bloody paper towels and blood-stained clothing.

The attention of the five women and seven men on the jury was then diverted to the White's 227 Warwick Cres. house, where they looked at typical interior shots.

However, the jury was then shown darkened pictures of certain areas, including the master bedroom, where police had sprayed Luminol, a chemical agent that glows blue when it comes into positive contact with blood.

Similar blue-tinged photos were shown of the hallway leading from the bedroom, the front entrance, the garage and the rear cargo area of the victim's Ford Explorer.

The photographic tour then took a grim twist as the scene shifted to a heavily bushed rural area near Morinville where the decomposed remains of Liana White were discovered in what is being called the body recovery site.

One female juror began crying as the jury looked at the disturbing pictures, which included photos of a leg protruding from the undergrowth and a leaf-covered face.

Michael White appeared shaken as Johnstone talked about the recovery scene pictures and leaned forward, holding his head in his hands and rubbing his eyes.

White, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains.

The jurors have been told they will hear Liana White, a 29-year-old pregnant mom, was reported missing on July 12, 2005, and her body was found five days later.

As well, they will see a security video from a nearby pub showing the Explorer heading towards the parking lot, but the driver is not Liana.

As well, the video shows a man with White's build and hair style at the time running away from the field in the direction of the Whites' home.

Police witnesses are expected to say White was seen on July 14 picking up two garbage bags from a field and taking them home and putting them out for garbage pickup.

Jurors were also told they will hear expert evidence that DNA from both Michael and Liana White was found on a sock and a latex glove seized from the garbage bags.

The defence told jurors White will testify in his own defence and say he loved his wife and did not kill her.

 

[Jess]

From the local newcasts

Blood stained items from the garbage bags were sent to a lab in Ontario
3 blue gloves ( one glove found in the pants'pocket)
gray sock
paper towels
piece of fabric taken from pants

For the DNA NOT to be Lianna's --- 1 in 5.1 trillion
For the DNA NOT to be Michael's --- 1 in 1.87 trillion

The DNA expert is to be cross-examined by the defense tomorrow.

Also a video was shown - and in it, as the officer is panning the area where the body was found, Michael's truck can be clearly seen.White was viewing his own monitor at the defense table. One news report says he was covering his mouth with his hands. Another said it looked like he was wiping away tears.

No print report so far.

 

[Jess]

http://edmsun.canoe.ca/News/Edmonton/2006/11/09/2289044-sun.html

Blood, skin cells found on latex gloves and a sock

By TONY BLAIS, COURT BUREAU




Jurors at the Michael White murder trial yesterday heard expert testimony saying there were astronomically high odds that the DNA found on two latex gloves and a sock match the DNA of both Michael White and Liana White.

Stephen Denison, a DNA expert from a private Ontario lab, testified he analysed various items sent to him from evidence gathered by city cops in the White investigation.

Regarding two latex gloves police found in garbage bags seized after White put them out for pickup while under surveillance, Denison said he was able to get DNA profiles from both the bloodstained areas and the unstained portions from inside the fingertips on both gloves.

Denison told the jury the DNA profile found on the bloodstained areas matched the DNA profile of Liana White and the odds that it belonged to someone other than her was pegged at one in 5.1 trillion.

He testified the DNA profile found on skin cells discovered inside the fingertips matched the DNA profile of Michael White and the odds it belonged to someone other than him was pegged at one in 8.7 trillion.


Court heard one of the gloves was found in the right front pocket of a pair of bloodstained pants discovered inside the seized garbage bags while the second was from a first-aid kit also found inside the seized garbage bags.

Regarding the sock, which was also discovered in the seized garbage bags, Denison said he submitted for DNA analysis both a bloodstained area and cellular material.

The DNA from the blood found on the sock matched the DNA profile of Liana White and Denison said the odds that it belonged to someone else were one in 5.1 trillion.

The DNA profile of the cellular material matched to more than one donor, including a man, and Denison said the male donor matched the DNA profile of Michael White with the odds of it belonging to someone else pegged at one in 3.4 billion.
Denison told the jury he also analysed a sample taken at autopsy from the fetus inside the pregnant Liana White and said the likelihood Michael White was the father of the unborn child was 99.998%.

 

[Jess]

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2006/11/09/2300937.html


Thu, November 9, 2006
Medical examiner testifies in White trial
Liana died of 'homicidal violence'

By TONY BLAIS, Court Bureau




Jurors at the Michael White murder trial were told Thursday by the medical examiner that victim Liana White died as a result of “homicidal violence.”

However, Dr. Bernard Bannach was unable to provide much more of a detailed cause of death due to White’s body being so decomposed as a result of widespread maggot infestation and scavenging by animals.

Bannach, who performed an autopsy on White’s body, testified he found two stab wounds to her lower back, one superficial and one deeper, and cut marks on a couple of fingers which are consistent with defensive wounds.

The pathologist said he was unable to examine one of White’s hands because there was no skin left.

Bannach told the jury the fatal injury was likely in the neck region although he had no skin tissue to prove it due to the extreme decomposition of the neck and face areas.

When asked why he had pinpointed the neck, Bannach replied: “Based on excluding other parts of the body.”

Under cross examination, the medical examiner expanded on the subject, saying the fatal injury would have been “some sort of trauma to the neck” which could have either been a stab wound or manual strangulation.

Bannach testified he sent police back to the site where White’s body was found to see if they could locate her missing hyoid, a small horseshoe-shaped bone found sitting above the Adam’s apple. It was not located.

He said the hyoid is sometimes broken during manual strangulation.

Bannach also told the jury there were no signs of sexual assault and said the size of the fetus inside White’s body showed she was between 14 and 16 weeks pregnant.

As Bannach led jurors through the graphic autopsy photos, Michael White appeared to be crying and was holding his face with his hands and rubbing his eyes with tissues.

White, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains.

Liana White, a 29-year-old pregnant mom, went missing on July 12, 2005, and her body was found five days later.

On Wednesday, a DNA expert testified he found DNA belonging to both Michael and Liana White on two latex gloves and a sock cops found in garbage bags seized after White put them out for pickup while under surveillance.

He said the DNA profile found on the bloodstained areas matched Liana White and the odds that it belonged to someone other than her was pegged at one in 5.1-trillion.

He said the DNA profile found on skin cells found inside the fingertips matched Michael White and the odds it belonged to someone else was pegged at one in 8.7-trillion.

 

[otto]

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2006/11/09/2300937.html


Thu, November 9, 2006
Medical examiner testifies in White trial
Liana died of 'homicidal violence'

By TONY BLAIS, Court Bureau




Jurors at the Michael White murder trial were told Thursday by the medical examiner that victim Liana White died as a result of “homicidal violence.”

However, Dr. Bernard Bannach was unable to provide much more of a detailed cause of death due to White’s body being so decomposed as a result of widespread maggot infestation and scavenging by animals.

Bannach, who performed an autopsy on White’s body, testified he found two stab wounds to her lower back, one superficial and one deeper, and cut marks on a couple of fingers which are consistent with defensive wounds.

The pathologist said he was unable to examine one of White’s hands because there was no skin left.

Bannach told the jury the fatal injury was likely in the neck region although he had no skin tissue to prove it due to the extreme decomposition of the neck and face areas.

When asked why he had pinpointed the neck, Bannach replied: “Based on excluding other parts of the body.”

Under cross examination, the medical examiner expanded on the subject, saying the fatal injury would have been “some sort of trauma to the neck” which could have either been a stab wound or manual strangulation.

Bannach testified he sent police back to the site where White’s body was found to see if they could locate her missing hyoid, a small horseshoe-shaped bone found sitting above the Adam’s apple. It was not located.

He said the hyoid is sometimes broken during manual strangulation.

Bannach also told the jury there were no signs of sexual assault and said the size of the fetus inside White’s body showed she was between 14 and 16 weeks pregnant.

As Bannach led jurors through the graphic autopsy photos, Michael White appeared to be crying and was holding his face with his hands and rubbing his eyes with tissues.

White, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains.

Liana White, a 29-year-old pregnant mom, went missing on July 12, 2005, and her body was found five days later.

On Wednesday, a DNA expert testified he found DNA belonging to both Michael and Liana White on two latex gloves and a sock cops found in garbage bags seized after White put them out for pickup while under surveillance.

He said the DNA profile found on the bloodstained areas matched Liana White and the odds that it belonged to someone other than her was pegged at one in 5.1-trillion.

He said the DNA profile found on skin cells found inside the fingertips matched Michael White and the odds it belonged to someone else was pegged at one in 8.7-trillion.

Thank you for all the updates. This is just awful to read. Knowing that he stabbed her twice in the lower back, once deep, you have to think that he wanted to hurt the baby without directly stabbing her in the stomach. Stabbing in the lower back is probably equally dangerous. I think he wanted to avoid having more children and the best way for him was to do what he did. This is just as awful as what Peterson did to Laci and it seems that the reasons were pretty much the same. I've wondered if Liana read about the Laci case and whether she discussed it with her husband.

 

[Jess]

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourn...=7dd640e6-9429-4277-a958-6bdfacbe21c5&k=19908

Cause of death unclear in murder trial
Chris Purdy, Edmonton Journal
Published: Thursday, November 09, 2006

Liana White died from a neck injury — likely a stab wound or strangulation.

Dr. Bernard Bannach, Alberta’s assistant chief medical examiner, testified Thursday that he could not make a clear finding because the pregnant woman’s body was badly scavenged by insects and large animals as it lay face-down in a ditch north of the city in July 2005.

Bannach ruled the official cause of death was “homicidal violence.”





Michael White sat in the courtroom prisoner’s box, sobbing into his hands as Bannach further described the body’s injuries and extensive decomposition.

White, a 29-year-old mechanic, is charged with the second-degree murder of his wife as well as offering an indignity to her dead body.

Bannach told the jury that Liana was found naked and covered with branches and leaves in the ditch, along Rural Route 251 at Township Road 542. But there was no evidence she had been sexually assaulted.

He said there were two visible stab wounds on her body. She was stabbed in the lower back and in the upper left buttock, while she was alive. Cuts on two of her left fingers suggest she tried to defend herself.

“The (cuts) can be caused by defending, trying to bat away a knife or grasp a knife,” said Bannach.

He said yellow scrapes on Liana’s backside also indicate she may have been dragged after she died.

He could not determine a time of death.

White reported his wife missing on the morning of July 12, after her Ford Explorer was found abandoned near a baseball diamond at 157th Avenue and 116th Street, not far from their Castle Downs home. He pleaded with the public for help to find her.

A volunteer search party discovered her body five days later. Liana was four months pregnant with the couple’s second child.

Crown prosecutor Troy Couillard told the jury at the start of the trial last week that he plans to prove White stabbed Liana in their bedroom, then cleaned up the blood, dumped her body in the ditch and staged an abduction.

Bannach said he sent police officers back to the ditch where Liana’s body was found to search for a small bone missing from her throat. If someone had strangled her with their hands, the bone would be broken. If she had been strangled with a ligature, such as a rope or wire, the bone would be intact.

The bone was not found.

Bannach said the amount of insect activity above Liana’s shoulders means it’s more likely she had an open stab or slash wound to her neck.

 

[Jess]

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=d888f412-58b8-48e9-86db-1f73254431d7&k=0

(1:18 p.m.)
Had previously been at site where Liana’s body was found
Chris Purdy, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Friday, November 10, 2006

Michael White was familiar with the site north of Edmonton where his pregnant wife's body was discovered in July 2005.

Next-door neighbour Frank Colautti testified today that he and White had earlier constructed a shared gravel driveway between their houses, then dumped a load of dirt and sod at the site north on 142nd Street, near Rural Route 251 at Township Road 542.

White's wife, Liana, was reported missing on July 12, after her Ford Explorer was found abandoned near a baseball diamond at 157th Avenue and 116th Street, not far from their home on Warwick Crescent. White pleaded for the public's help to find her.

* *

A volunteer search team, which included White, found her body in a ditch near the junk site five days later.

White, 29, is on trial charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body.

Colautti testified that he joined the search team and, for four days, helped White and others comb through an area northwest of the city. He said White led the search.

"It was his decision where to go," said Colautti. "He indicated where he wanted the searches to go, what to look under."

Colautti said he and his wife went to a birthday party on July 17, so he did not help with the final day of the search when Liana's body was found.

 

[Jess]

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2006/11/10/2313959.html


Fri, November 10, 2006
White appeared genuine
Cop testifies at murder trial

By TONY BLAIS, Court Bureau




Accused wife-killer Michael White was described by police as crying, distraught and concerned when he was first questioned after his wife’s disappearance.

Const. Bill Allen testified Friday that he went over to the White’s 227 Warwick Cres. home after being the first to investigate Liana White’s abandoned Ford Explorer.

Allen said he initially spoke to White on the phone and noted he “appeared distraught” and then said White returned home from his job as a mechanic at the same time as Liana’s mother, Maureen Kelly, arrived at the house.

Allen said Kelly was kneeling with her hands up to her head and White was also holding his head in his hands.

Const. Vernon Tuttle was with Allen at the time and said both Kelly and White “appeared genuinely concerned.”

Const. Eric Wilde showed up an hour later and assisted White in filling out a missing persons questionnaire.

“Mr. White was concerned, distraught. He was co-operative,” said Wilde. “He was crying. He was going to the phone trying to contact other people.”

Wilde said White also spent time trying to comfort his mother-in-law and a family friend.

“He was expressing he had no idea, that he didn’t feel this was real,” continued Wilde. “He broke down many times during the questionnaire.”

White also told Wilde he last saw and spoke to Liana about 6:15 a.m. that morning in their bedroom as he lay in the bed and she was heading out to work.

White also said he had search experience from his time as a soldier and had many questions about what type of search the police would do and how long they would look.

Meanwhile, a man who lived next door to the Whites and went searching for Liana with Michael testified Friday that he and Michael earlier dumped soil from a driveway project near the spot her body was later found.

Frank Colautti also told the jury that Michael White was in charge of their little search party.

“He indicated where he wanted the searchers to go, what to look under,” said Colautti. “It was basically his decision where to search next.”

White, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains.

Liana White, a 29-year-old pregnant mom, went missing on July 12, 2005, and her body was found five days later.

On Thursday, the jury heard Liana died as a result of “homicidal violence” and was either fatally stabbed in the neck region or manually strangulated.

On Wednesday, a DNA expert testified he found DNA belonging to both Michael and Liana White on two latex gloves and a sock cops found in garbage bags seized after White put them out for pick-up while under surveillance.