Blood found on clothing in Erick Buhr's bedroom after his grandmother's death, police testify at trial
Erick Buhr, the Baden man accused of killing his grandmother, was back in court Thursday for day three of his second-degree murder trial.
Before testimony began, Justice Gerry Taylor reminded the jury they had previously heard evidence that Buhr was serving a conditional sentence of imprisonment, more commonly known as house arrest, at the time of Viola Erb’s death. He had also been using non-medically-prescribed drugs. Taylor told the jury they must not reason, or infer, that Buhr’s conviction for another offense, or his drug use, would make him more likely to commit murder.
First witness
Waterloo Regional Police Detective Matthew Mcpherson, a forensic identification officer, was first to take the stand on Thursday. He was involved in the search for bloody clothing and footwear at the Sandhills Road home on Sept. 27, 2022.
In Buhr’s bedroom, Mcpherson said he found a pair of jeans on the floor; when he picked them up, he found what appeared to be blood splatter on the legs. He also found a t-shirt with blood on it under the jeans, as well as a pair of balled up socks on a nearby desk. Mcpherson said when he turned the socks right side out, they also appeared to have dried blood on them.
Erick Buhr in a photograph taken by Waterloo Regional Police on Sept. 27, 2022. (Court exhibit)
In cross-examination, Buhr’s lawyer Bruce Ritter asked where the clothing was found, and if anything was covering them. Mcpherson answered no.
Second witness
The second officer to testify, Sgt. Andrew Kroetsch, was a field investigator in 2022 and spoke with Buhr the night of Erb’s death.
Kroetsch said Buhr took him to a wooded area behind the Sandhills Road home, showing him the log where he’d allegedly been sitting earlier that day.
Court previously heard Buhr tell the 911 operator and police he had been in the forest when his grandmother was attacked and didn’t know she was hurt until he returned home.
Viola Erb. (Mark Jutzi Funeral Home)
That night, Buhr was taken to the investigative services building at police headquarters. He was not arrested at that time.
“There was no grounds to arrest him,” Kroetsch told the court.
Kroetsch also analyzed the data from Buhr’s ankle monitor. Court heard that the location of the monitor is collected once every minute.
Emergency services respond to a home on Sandhills Road on Saturday Sept. 24, 2022. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)
Kroetsch said the data he was provided showed the ankle bracelet was in the vicinity of the residence at 12:57 p.m. on the day of Erb’s death. At 1:05 p.m., it was either in the residence or the backyard near the northeast corner and then in the vicinty of the home between 1:10 p.m. and 1:20 p.m.
Buhr’s 911 call was made at 1:18 p.m.
During cross-examination, the officer noted he could only read the GPS date provided to him and can’t say how accurate those points are.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Meta attempts to crack down on sextortion in new campaign
Meta has launched a new campaign to protect teens and children from social media sextortion scams. It’s designed to help teenagers and their parents easily spot online scammers, who trick young people into sending intimate photos and use financial blackmail, threatening exposure.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
These are the top trending Halloween costumes in Canada, according to Google
According to Google search data, the top Halloween costumes trending in Canada include everything from Taylor Swift for kids to the Joker and Harley Quinn for couples.