Forensic pathologist testifies at second-degree murder trial of Erick Buhr

Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.

Viola Erb died as a result of “external neck compression and blunt force head trauma,” the forensic pathologist who conducted her autopsy told court on Friday.

Dr. Linda Kocovski testified at the trial of Erb’s grandson, Erick Buhr, who has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder in her death.

Kocovski conducted the autopsy on Erb in Toronto on September 25, 2022, the day after Erb died at her home on Sandhills Rd., just outside of Baden.

Kocovski found numerous injuries to Erb’s face and head, including lacerations on her forehead, under her eyes, on her nose, lips and inside her mouth. Erb had fractures to her nose, the bones around her eyes, cheekbones and upper and lower jaw bones. She also had two black eyes.

Kocovski could not say exactly how many separate blunt force impacts Erb may have sustained, but said based on the various injuries, “they would have required multiple impacts.”

Kocovski noted that the bleeding from Erb’s broken nose and the lacerations in her mouth would have caused her to inhale blood, which was found in her lungs.

There was also bruising on Erb’s neck. A neck dissection found bleeding through all four layers of neck muscle. In the examination of the deepest structures of the neck, the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage were both broken.

A dissection of the head revealed widespread areas of bleeding in the underlying scalp tissues. While she could not say how many blunt force impacts would have caused those hemorrhages, given the way they were separated, Kocovski testified, “it would still need multiple impacts to account for all those areas of the head being injured.”

There were also injuries such as broken ribs and bruising to the centre of the chest that Kocovski attributes to the CPR administered by first responders.

In cross-examination, Buhr’s lawyer Bruce Ritter noted Erb was on blood thinners, and asked how that impacts bruising. Kocovski confirmed that bruises may be larger on individuals who take blood thinners.

Ritter also asked if Kocovski could say how much time elapsed between the start of Erb’s injuries to the moment of death. Kocovski said she could not give such a timeframe.

Kocovski could also not say what order the injuries were sustained.

The trial is scheduled to resume on Monday.