Laura Babcock Murder Trial 11.28.17 - Day 23

[Velma]

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
28s28 seconds ago
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Jill Cameron, crown. "So currently you are a research assistant at the museum?" Correct. He provides support for museum projects and has his own research. His work is involved in the study of past life and fossils. "Extinct organisms" and animal remains older than 1000 yrs.

 

[Typhoo1961]

Our first nomination for a WS field trip - the magical forest! Pity no one ever figured out exactly where it is located. Hmmmmm.

Somewhere around Oakville in biking distance.

 

[matou]

deer radius and ulna are fused together.

 

[inbetweendoors]

Somewhere around Oakville in biking distance.

It's a real mISHion to get there.

 

[Inspector_North]

When I asked a friend of mine who has lived his whole life on a farm about animal incineration, he gave me those "deer in the headlight" look. Why would we consider incineration when we can simply take the backhoe out and bury our pigs at little cost? He said those thing are for big commercial farms with lots of chickens, pigs, etc.

Was DM expecting to spend megabucks on fuel and time to dispose of deer with the Eliminator? This whole deer thing is so ridiculous.

The incineration took place in July, around the time LB disappeared, not around the time of hunting.
No pictures of a dead deer, or talk of testing it on one.
Tarp looks more like a human rolled up
DM google about cremation. Seems he could have just asked the manufacturer about animal cremation.
Lots of planning days ahead of the deer dying. Very good intuition?

.... and on and on.

MOO

 

[Velma]

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
1m1 minute ago
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Zooarchaeological work is in "sub-fossil" bones, the bones haven't been replaced by minerals, or fossilized, but 1000 years or older. Mostly Bronze Age. #LauraBabcock

Crown Jill Cameron begins her cross-examination of Scott Rufolo.

She begins with his credentials, "I understand you're a research assistant at the Canadian Museum of Nature?"

He says most of the animal remains he's examined are 5 to 4000 years of age BC.

FYI This is his public biography at the museum.

https://nature.ca/en/research-collections/science-experts/scott-rufolo

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
6s6 seconds ago
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His specialty is paleontology, which is ancient bones. He's not an anthropologist, right? Technically he is because he studied in the US and did course work in anthropology in the mid 90s and 2011. "I don't study physical remains of humans," just their artifacts. #LauraBabcock

 

[Velma]

Rufolo confirms he does not study the physical remains of humans.

Crown reinforces he is not a forensic anthropologist.

"I am not," he answers.

Crown, "Have you ever been qualified as an expert to qualify in court?"

He's not. Never testified in court before.
by Shannon Martin 12:05 PM

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
31s31 seconds ago
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He's taken courses in human osteology, but is not a forensic anthropologist, he says. He's never identified human bones. He's never been qualified as an expert or testified in court before. Has never been an expert in the examination of human bones. #LauraBabcock

 

[Night_is_Mine]

You have posted twice now that he is a smart man... do you really think DM is smart? I mean, to me he seems like a complete and total moron.

DM is not the one giving testimony, it would be much easier to discredit this witness if he said "oh yeah %100 certain it's a deer" when a lot of the evidence points otherwise.

It's interesting the witness still holds his opinion after reading Dr rogers report.

I saw him in court. He came off very eloquent. Overall I do think he's smart. I just think the God complex and his heaven sent arrogance made him so some really dumb stuff. He felt invincible and didn't bother with smarts.

 

[ADAWG]

If I was the crown I would get him on the numbers game. What scale did he use, did he measure them etc or was it just an eye test. Being a numbers guy I would take the persons word who measured things out to show why they were human and not animal. Anyone can make an educated guess from a blurry picture using only their eyes. This in my opinion is where he failed in his evidence. You can tell he has very little experience giving evidence in court.

 

[Velma]

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
3s3 seconds ago
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Dr. Rogers testified that the bones were within the size and shape of human bones, Cameron reminds him. Does he know Dr. Jonathan Driver? He's in archaeology at Simon Fraser, she says. Witness knows him. #LauraBabcock

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
34s34 seconds ago
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Rufalo has seen the report from the Simon Fraser archaeologist, who was unable to say whether or not the photos were of human or animal bones. "He's certainly been active in the field for a few decades," Rufalo says.

 

[matou]

Hmmm studying ancient animal bones SHOULD involve practical knowledge of human bone identification. If he were to study an ancient burial site or garbage site, there could potentially be human bone fragments mixed with animal bones. JMO

 

[Jealoushe]

I saw him in court. He came off very eloquent. Overall I do think he's smart. I just think the God complex and his heaven sent arrogance made him so some really dumb stuff. He felt invincible and didn't bother with smarts.

Smart people would have taken the opportunities he was given, and made something incredible of themselves.
He had a lot of opportunities, but not the brains to use them. JMO

 

[Lorallie1]

I agree. DM is clearly educated but he's also a moron.

Sometimes it's easy to look at someone who has a good education and think that they are smart.

I’ve seen it mentioned before that DM is educated, even highly educated. Does anyone know his educational background? I thought it was unclear if he had completed grade 12 before Later taking some cooking, makeup artistry and some type of computer/photography manipulation(?) classes. I do think he has street smarts.

 

[Typhoo1961]

When I asked a friend of mine who has lived his whole life on a farm about animal incineration, he gave me those "deer in the headlight" look. Why would we consider incineration when we can simply take the backhoe out and bury our pigs at little cost? He said those thing are for big commercial farms with lots of chickens, pigs, etc.

An old boyfriend of mine pretty much told me the same thing. His parents have a horse farm in Caledon and I asked him what happens if a horse dies. He told me he simply gets the backhoe going and buries the horse. Incineration would be too costly and take too long. Burial is easier and cheaper.

 

[Velma]

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
45s45 seconds ago
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"This is not the report I was given," Rufalo says of the Driver report. Cameron wants to know what is different about the report he was given. He's looking. #LauraBabcock

Crown asks if Rufolo is aware that Millard called on another expert in this case, a Dr. Driver, an archeologist for 40 years.

Rufolo says he was provided a report - but it's not the same one Cameron is referring to.

In the document Cameron has, Dr. Driver says he was unable to make any characterization of species, given the photos provided.

Rufolo is now reading the report Cameron has given him.


by Shannon Martin 12:10 PM

 

[CJPRINCESS]

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
2m2 minutes ago
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One blue circle was already on a photo that Rufalo got after his first analysis of the photos, asking him to look again at a different area. He didn't interpret it at first because it he says it's too difficult to identify as bone. #LauraBabcock

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
1m1 minute ago
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Rufalo can't say whether the image, in this location, shows one object or two or three fragments sitting on top of one another. This is a bone forensic anthropologist Tracy Rogers identified as likely human. #LauraBabcock

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
42s42 seconds ago
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"The incineration device," #Millard calls the machine. This last section Rufalo says shows something that "may not be a bone," but it could also be several things piled on each other. Image is poor quality. #LauraBabcock

Great “expert” had to have a second photo sent to him with a blue circle “showing” him where and what he’s looking at?! Look me R, it’s deer bones...right? Look again now Mr R, ya see it now? It’s a deer right? Could a “rabbit” convince you it’s not human?

Ugh, come on DM we are seeing through this already!

Sorry, trying to get caught up here.

JMO

 

[RandomName479]

Rufolo confirms he does not study the physical remains of humans.

Crown reinforces he is not a forensic anthropologist.

"I am not," he answers.

Crown, "Have you ever been qualified as an expert to qualify in court?"

He's not. Never testified in court before.
by Shannon Martin 12:05 PM

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
31s31 seconds ago
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He's taken courses in human osteology, but is not a forensic anthropologist, he says. He's never identified human bones. He's never been qualified as an expert or testified in court before. Has never been an expert in the examination of human bones. #LauraBabcock

I have a couple of thoughts on this witness....

His experience/credentials pale in comparison to Dr. Rogers.....I hope the Crown highlights this......IMO HER opinion holds more weight....

You need context when looking at a blurry picture of the bones......context is everything.....where the bones were found/the conditions they were found in/etc/etc/etc mean something......I hope the jury sees through this. If a zoomed in pic of anything was shown without any context it would be difficult to identify with any certainty.....

all MOO....

 

[Velma]

In Dr. Driver's report, he writes, "I have been sent photographs of what appears to be bones in some kind of fire place....My short answer is the bones cannot be identified to species based on the photographs given to me."

Dr. Driver says the images are too blurry.

Rufolo says he received a more informal finding from Dr. Driver, where he said he couldn't draw a conclusion.


by Shannon Martin 12:12 PM

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
59s59 seconds ago
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Driver report says "I have been sent photos of bones that appear to be burning..." Bones can not be positively identified to species... because photo too blurry. Rufalo did not get this report. #LauraBabcock

 

[Satchie]

Seems this whole trial is about impressions and circumstantial. MOO

I agree. Neither expert is willing to testify with any certainty about what was in the incinerator, much less whether it was LB's remains, what happened to her, or who did what. They were both paid to state what they believe they see in a crappy photo.

Dr. Rodgers stated "the objects in the incinerator appear similar to human bone". She didn't say that's what they were, because she's too smart to give testimony that she's 100% sure, she's not 100% sure.

 

[Velma]

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
49s49 seconds ago
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Driver has taught courses and supervised masters and PhD students, has been in publications and government research for 40 years, Rufalo agrees. #LauraBabcock

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
43s43 seconds ago
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What was Rufalo's methodology in making "lack of identifications" of the exhibits at court, crown wonders. He blew up the photos, estimated widths based on scale, consulted bone comparisons at museum. #LauraBabcock