Armstrong resident Jillian McKinty died from asphyxiation testified the pathologist who performed an autopsy on her in the manslaughter trial of Salmon Arm resident Logan Scott.
Michael Tyler said McKinty’s lung congestion reflected his findings, but he also stated that she had no external signs of trauma or lacerations on her body.
Tyler was testifying Tuesday in the B.C. Supreme Court court that had been delayed by a voir dire in order for Justice Arne Silverman to rule on the admissibility of evidence the Crown wanted to introduce in the trial.
McKinty, 27, was found dead in her Armstrong home Nov. 27, 2013. Scott was arrested and charged with manslaughter in August 2014.
Under questioning from Crown counsel Shirley Meldrum, Tyler, a now retired pathologist who had performed more than 1,000 autopsies over his career, described the process for Armstrong’s autopsy.
Tyler said besides the lung congestion, McKinty also showed signs of neck injury near her esophagus and redness in both of her eyes due to signs of ruptured capillaries.
“The normal white areas of her eyes had redness which is indicative of hemorrhaging having taken place,” Tyler testified.
At the time, Tyler said he had been given no indication that there was any suspicious cause by police surrounding McKinty’s death, but he noted that after the autopsy was complete, he was later asked to visit the funeral home where she was transferred accompanied by a police officer to perform a vaginal swab test.
The trial continues.