Forensic expert at trial for couple accused of abuse says he found hair in tape

REGINA – Emotions ran high in a Regina courtroom as pictures of two bruised little girls were shown at the trial of a couple accused of murder and bodily harm.

Const. Tyler Boynton testified Tuesday that he took the photos of the four-year-old girl and her two-year-old sister in August 2012. Boynton said when he got to the hospital, he noticed that the older girl was on life support.

“The limbs that were visible to me were skinny,” Boynton said of the four-year-old.

Boynton described “an apparent burn mark to the left index finger” of the younger child and described multiple bruises and abrasions to both girls, including around their ankles and wrists.

Relatives of the children sobbed in court as the evidence was presented.

At the time of the four-year-old’s death, the girls were in the care of Tammy and Kevin Goforth.

The Goforths have pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and criminal negligence causing bodily harm. They sat quietly together in the prisoner’s box as testimony was heard.

Tammy Goforth occasionally wiped away tears, which prompted someone in the courtroom to say, “It’s too late for tears.”

The Crown alleges that the girls were malnourished, kept in poor conditions and at times restrained.

An agreed statement of facts says the four-year-old died of a brain injury after suffering cardiac arrest on July 31, 2012. She was also malnourished and dehydrated.

Court heard earlier in the day from a forensic identification expert who said he found duct tape in the Goforth home with hair stuck to it.

Const. Garth Fleece said he also found dark hair in the knot of a piece of pink fabric, as well as cardboard with blood and feces in the girls’ bedroom. The officer testified that he was looking for items such as rope or string that could be used as binding.

“The string was on the outside of the door, what I believed to be apparent blood was on a droplet on the wall, blood on the cardboard behind the door, painters tape on the top bunk, what I call shrink wrap behind the dresser in the closet. There’s no sheets on either of the bunk beds,” said Fleece.

He called the room “sparse.”

The smell of urine and feces dominated the room, the officer said. Fleece also showed evidence of a black cargo strap found in the basement with a single strand of hair in the buckle and a pink top with a stain that contained blood and feces.

In their opening address Monday, defence lawyers told the jury that they might hear shocking evidence.

But Jeff Deagle, who is representing Tammy Goforth, and Noah Evanchuk, who is representing Kevin Goforth, also urged the jurors not to rush to conclusions. Deagle and Evanchuk said the Goforths did not intentionally harm the girls.

Under cross examination Tuesday, Fleece said that he only looked for items that could be binding. He acknowledged that there were also toys and colouring books in the home and that there was dried food on clothing.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.