Trial of man accused of killing off-duty cop adjourned until Monday

HALIFAX – The trial of a Halifax man accused of killing off-duty police officer Catherine Campbell has been adjourned until next week.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Joshua Arnold told the jury Thursday that one of the 14 members of the jury panel was sick and unable to attend court, so testimony will resume Monday.

Christopher Garnier has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and interfering with a dead body.

The Crown has alleged Garnier punched and strangled the 36-year-old Truro, N.S., police officer inside an apartment and used a green compost bin to dump the body in thick brush on a steep embankment near Halifax’s Macdonald Bridge.

Garnier had met Campbell at a downtown bar on Sept. 11, 2015, and the defence put forth a hypothetical scenario on Tuesday suggesting she died during a consensual sexual encounter after encouraging Garnier to choke her.

Nova Scotia’s chief medical examiner told the jury that Campbell died of strangulation, and suffered head injuries including black eyes and a fractured nose.

Matthew Bowes said her body was found face down and partially decomposed.