http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourn...=254a399f-d58b-44a5-97e5-0469061996c1&k=82169
Neighbour testifies at White trial (6:23 p.m.)
Chris Purdy, Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, November 10, 2006
Michael White was familiar with the spot north of Edmonton where his pregnant wife's body was discovered in July 2005.
His next-door neighbour Frank Colautti testified Friday that he and White had earlier constructed a shared gravel driveway between their houses. They then dumped a load of dirt and sod near Rural Route 251 at Township Road 542, a common site for discarded junk.
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 decomposing body in a ditch near the junk site five days later. Naked and four months pregnant with their second child, Liana was covered with branches and leaves near an old toilet.
White was arrested the next day. He is now 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 fifth and final day of the search when Liana's body was found.
Const. William Allen testified the missing person's case began shortly after he and his partner were called to investigate Liana's abandoned SUV. The driver's door was open, keys were lying on the floor and Liana's purse and shoes were on the ground.
The owner was listed as Michael White, so they left a message on the family's home answering machine then drove to their home to see if anything suspicious had happened there.
Using the set of keys left in the SUV, they unlocked the house and garage and found nothing out of place.
Allen then reached White on his cell phone. White phoned Liana's mother, and they both rushed to meet police at the house.
They were both distraught, said Allen. White, wearing mechanic's overalls, put his hands on top of his head. Maureen Kelly knelt on the front lawn and buried her head in her hands.
The officers phoned the bank to make sure no one had used Liana's credit cards. They searched the home for a note. White told them all of her clothes were there; none of their luggage was missing.
White later told Const. Eric Wilde he last saw his wife about 6:15 a.m.. Liana was dressed in green scrubs and on her way to her job as a unit clerk in the neonatal unit at Royal Alexandra Hospital. She asked White to call her later about day care and arrangements for supper.
She was a little tired but upbeat and acting normal, White said.
He told Wilde he took their three-year-old daughter, Ashley, to day care about 7:15 a.m. then went to work at Yellowhead Truck Repair.
White was crying and upset as he sat at his kitchen table, filing out a missing person's form, said Wilde.
"He broke down many times throughout the questionnaire."
In the form, White described Liana as a "fighter."
"She would not stop her vehicle or get out to help a person or pick anyone up," White wrote. "Her vehicle is like Fort Knox... We go for ice cream and it's locked.
"She is healthy, happy, no mental health issues."
Wilde said White asked several questions about the search for his wife, including whether officers would use a grid or spiral technique. White explained he used to be in the military and had special search training.
White also said he felt useless sitting around but promised to stay out of the way of police. Wilde said White was a good host and offered to make him sandwiches and coffee for supper.
The trial continues Tuesday.
Neighbour testifies at White trial (6:23 p.m.)
Chris Purdy, Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, November 10, 2006
Michael White was familiar with the spot north of Edmonton where his pregnant wife's body was discovered in July 2005.
His next-door neighbour Frank Colautti testified Friday that he and White had earlier constructed a shared gravel driveway between their houses. They then dumped a load of dirt and sod near Rural Route 251 at Township Road 542, a common site for discarded junk.
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 decomposing body in a ditch near the junk site five days later. Naked and four months pregnant with their second child, Liana was covered with branches and leaves near an old toilet.
White was arrested the next day. He is now 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 fifth and final day of the search when Liana's body was found.
Const. William Allen testified the missing person's case began shortly after he and his partner were called to investigate Liana's abandoned SUV. The driver's door was open, keys were lying on the floor and Liana's purse and shoes were on the ground.
The owner was listed as Michael White, so they left a message on the family's home answering machine then drove to their home to see if anything suspicious had happened there.
Using the set of keys left in the SUV, they unlocked the house and garage and found nothing out of place.
Allen then reached White on his cell phone. White phoned Liana's mother, and they both rushed to meet police at the house.
They were both distraught, said Allen. White, wearing mechanic's overalls, put his hands on top of his head. Maureen Kelly knelt on the front lawn and buried her head in her hands.
The officers phoned the bank to make sure no one had used Liana's credit cards. They searched the home for a note. White told them all of her clothes were there; none of their luggage was missing.
White later told Const. Eric Wilde he last saw his wife about 6:15 a.m.. Liana was dressed in green scrubs and on her way to her job as a unit clerk in the neonatal unit at Royal Alexandra Hospital. She asked White to call her later about day care and arrangements for supper.
She was a little tired but upbeat and acting normal, White said.
He told Wilde he took their three-year-old daughter, Ashley, to day care about 7:15 a.m. then went to work at Yellowhead Truck Repair.
White was crying and upset as he sat at his kitchen table, filing out a missing person's form, said Wilde.
"He broke down many times throughout the questionnaire."
In the form, White described Liana as a "fighter."
"She would not stop her vehicle or get out to help a person or pick anyone up," White wrote. "Her vehicle is like Fort Knox... We go for ice cream and it's locked.
"She is healthy, happy, no mental health issues."
Wilde said White asked several questions about the search for his wife, including whether officers would use a grid or spiral technique. White explained he used to be in the military and had special search training.
White also said he felt useless sitting around but promised to stay out of the way of police. Wilde said White was a good host and offered to make him sandwiches and coffee for supper.
The trial continues Tuesday.
