Sask. stabbing inquest hears graphic testimony from forensic pathologist

Melfort -

A forensic pathologist who performed autopsies on some of Myles Sanderson’s victims took the stand on Thursday at the inquest into the September 2022 mass killings in the communities of James Smith Cree Nation and the village of Weldon.

His testimony set the stage for an emotional day for the families of Myles’ 11 victims, and one of the lawyers representing James Smith had to leave the room as Dr. Derek Musgrove went into graphic detail about the lethal stab wounds.

In a room reserved for the families of victims, members of a drum group poured an offering of tobacco on their drum and filled the building with song as the inquest paused to offer relief to the jury and families of the slain.

Musgrove described indicators of defensive injuries on some of the victims, where wounds on their hands appeared to indicate they tried to grab or block the knife.

The forensic pathologist also provided an estimated timeframe for each victim’s death.

Those who suffered stab wounds directly to the heart could have died in seconds or up to 10 minutes later, he said. It’s difficult to judge the time of death accurately, given the physical differences in each victim.

“Persons respond to trauma differently, even though they may have the same traumatic injury.”

The family of Earl Burns, who drove off in pursuit of Sanderson in a school bus after being attacked at his home, has been waiting for clarity on his time of death.

RCMP reported passing the school bus about four times during the chaotic early response to the attacks. For Burns’ family, knowing how long he lived after the attack will answer a question that has haunted them for over a year – could he have been saved?

“Could an ambulance have rushed out to James Smith … and save those folks who had sustained those catastrophic injuries,” coroner’s counsel Tim Hawryluk asked Musgrove.

Musgrove did not perform the autopsy on Burns – that testimony is expected on Friday – but given the extent of the injuries he saw, he said it would have been difficult to treat the victims in time.

“It is unlikely that an ambulance would have arrived to them in time to distribute fluids, blood, [and] repair the injury in order to save the [victims’] life,” he said.

Some of the more significant injuries would have required surgery to correct, said Musgrave.

“I would not say impossible, but it is highly improbable that they could have done that procedure in the field.”

A drum group sings for the families of the victims of the mass killing in James Smith Cree Nation. (Rory MacLean / CTV News)

He confirmed the RCMP’s theory that Myles’ brother Damien Sanderson was attacked while riding in the passenger side of a vehicle with Myles, given the placement of his wounds.

Unlike the other victims he examined, none of Damien’s wounds were considered catastrophic, but Musgrove says collectively they would have contributed to the loss of blood that killed him.

Musgrove says it could have taken over an hour for Damien to die from his injuries after fleeing the vehicle into a nearby grassy area. Damien’s toxicology tests indicated he ingested a “significant” amount of cocaine just before his death, which also could have increased the rate of blood loss.

Four witnesses from the Correctional Service of Canada were scheduled to take the stand on Thursday afternoon.

Was Myles Sanderson a psychopath?

On Thursday afternoon, the inquest heard from the psychologist who wrote an assessment of Sanderson in advance of his unsuccessful applications for parole.

Forensic psychologist David McGale contested the conclusions of an earlier witness who alleged Sanderson scored high for markers of psychopathy.

Criminal psychologist and former RCMP staff sergeant Matt Logan made the claims about Myles in his testimony on Jan. 19, relying heavily on McGale’s own assessment.

McGale denied that Myles fit the profile.

“Knowing and interviewing Mr. Sanderson … he wouldn't come off as being a psychopath,” said McGale.

McGale said Myles showed some traits of anti-social personality disorder, but he didn’t feel Myles could be formally diagnosed with that, either. Myles was never tested for psychopathy.

In his reports to the parole board, he did mark Myles as a moderate risk to commit an act of violence again.

“The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour,” said McGale.

One of the biggest predictors for future violence, in McGale’s opinion, was Myles’ use of drugs and alcohol.