Crown rests its case in Adam Troy Mann’s second-degree murder trial

The Crown rested its case Friday in Adam Troy Mann’s second-degree murder trial in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, after hearing from a final witness. Mann is accused of stabbing and killing Tori Dunn in June 2024 at the Port Kells home she shared with her boyfriend, Trafford Wace. It is not yet known whether Mann will testify.

Crown counsel Tim Livingston questioned RCMP Sgt. Evelyn Hui, a forensic identification specialist at the RCMP’s E-Division headquarters in Surrey’s Green Timbers area, about examining three exhibits for blood: a grey hoodie, a black toque and a pair of shoes. Hui told the court that evidence is gathered and kept in secure lockers, and that she follows the same practice standards each time she examines an item. She starts by cleaning the examination table and covering it with several sheets of craft paper.

Hui said she then wipes down the equipment she needs, including rulers, markers, two cameras — a visual camera and an infrared camera — pens and other marking tools, and places them on another sheet of craft paper for access. She double-gloves before handling each exhibit and wears a face mask and arm sleeves. The sleeves are made of material similar to the “bunny suits” forensic technicians may wear in the field. Between exhibits, she cleans all equipment and tools, puts on a fresh double pair of gloves and replaces the craft paper on the examination table.

One tool Hui uses to test stains is a Hemastix strip, a presumptive test for blood. She uses Q-tips and sterile water with special strips that are yellow at the end; a positive result turns the yellow green. If a test is positive, she marks the evidence “H+.” Hui confirmed that the hoodie was tested and that a spot on its right sleeve tested positive for blood.

Defence lawyer Paul McMurray asked whether Hui found blood on the shoes or toque. She said she did not. Asked whether she would generally expect more bloodstains in a stabbing case, Hui said, “No, not necessarily,” explaining that a stabbing is a “very dynamic event” and some scenes may not have much blood, depending on the injury.

The Crown rested before an early morning break. The trial is scheduled to resume Monday, Oct. 19.