Evidence from the rural site where Ronald Worsfold’s body was dumped and a nearby home garage was itemized for jurors Friday in the first-degree murder trial of Beryl Musila, 33, of St. Albert.
Jurors in Justice Larry Ackerl’s Court of Kings Bench courtroom watched as RCMP members introduced scissors with carpet fibre and red stains, scissors with red stains, a wood-handled rubber-tipped mallet with red stains. A medium kitchen knife with red stains found in stained blue bedsheets, a red-stained knife blade missing a handle were all found at the makeshift dump site, under a blue tote.
Jurors were shown images of a black suitcase, blue Rubbermaid totes, a cardboard box, and a blue recycle bin wrapped in blanket, duct tape and an empty Kokanee beer can. There was a sleeveless white v-necked shirt with an ‘N’ logo—and with red spatter spots.
The makeshift dump site was located at 51223 Range Road 264 in rural Parkland County. southwest of Edmonton, where large four-foot-by-two-foot blue Rubbermaid tote containing the body of the 75-year-old St. Albert man was placed in a body bag and sealed with a tag.
The tote was then taken to the medical examiner’s office where the autopsy would occur days later.
RCMP Cst. Subegh Dosanjh, now with the Delta, B.C. police, formerly of St. Albert RCMP, was assigned to general duty on July 9, 2017, and assigned to be exhibit custodian for the file.
Crown prosecutor John Schmidt asked Dosanjh to describe the chain of custody for evidence that would end up in evidence bags, labeled, sealed, and secured in temporary lockers at the jail that couldn’t be unlocked except with a single key, or in a cell similarly secured for that purpose.
Jurors heard that a computer and tower was secured as evidence from the apartment at 75 Mission Ave., marked, and taken to the RCMP’s computer crimes department.
At her court arraignment earlier in the week, Musila pleaded guilty to indecent interference with the the longtime St. Albert resident’s remains. She had previously pleaded not guilty in that court to the indecent interference charge.
With the help of teleconferencing, Crown witness Gagandeep Singh spoke via teleconference from Toronto, Ont. Singh told Crown prosecutor John Schmidt that he was cashiering at Mission Liquor Mart/Sunshine Liquor Store on McKinney in St. Albert on the night of Friday, July 7, 2017.
He was at the cashier stand when a black woman entered the store, who the Crown alleges is Musila.
He was new to working in Canada, Singh recalled on the stand.
“All the money she gave me was 25 cent (quarters) from Canada, Australia and the United States … She told me those were acceptable here,” he said, verifying time stamps on a grainy video.
Also on Friday, other witnesses testified to seeing Musila at a party at the rural home late on the evening of Saturday, July 8, 2017, and then on Sunday, July 9, 2017.
After firing her sixth attorney in as many years, Musila went self-represented in Edmonton’s Court of King’s Bench. Amicus attorney Greg Worobec has been appointed to ensure a fair trial.
Last week, the jury of nine women and three men heard testimony from the deceased’s daughter, and from RCMP forensics experts testifying as to the contents of photo exhibits entered into evidence.
Testimony continues Monday at 9:30 a.m. in Justice Larry Ackerl’s courtroom Court of King’s Bench in Edmonton.
The first-degree murder trial is expected to take at least five more weeks.
