'Most painful torture': Douglas Garland triple murder trial hears of internet search

In the months before he was accused of murdering a five-year-old boy and his grandparents, Douglas Garland'scomputer was used to search for "most painful torture," a digital forensic investigator told jurors on Tuesday.

The Crown's theory is evidence of files, photos and search history found on a hidden hard drive in the Garland home tells a story of an obsession with torture, killing, kinkand murder victims Alvin and Kathy Likness.

Const. DougKraanwas responsible for poringover 112 gigabytes of information on thedrive. In earlier testimony, jurors heard about files on the drivethat included research on dismembered bodies, autopsy toolsand sexual photos of adults in diapers.

On Monday,Kraansaid the main user of computer "would have been Douglas Garland," because ofemailsfound on the hard drive.

But under cross-examination,Kraan confirmed to defence lawyer Kim Ross it is his "opinion" as an expert that Garland is the one who used the computer and could not state it as fact.

Garland, 56, is being tried on three counts of first-degree murder, accused of killing Nathan O'Brien, 5, and his grandparents, Alvin Likness, 66, and his wife, Kathy, 53. Theywere last seen alive when the boy was having asleepoverat their home in the southwest Calgary neighbourhood ofParkhillon June 29, 2014. Their bodies have never been found.

The hard drive was discovered hidden injoists in the basement of a farmhouse north of city.

Kraanfound Google searches for:

• The Liknes's estate sale.
• "Alvin Liknes,""Kathryn Liknes"and Kathryn'sphone number.
• Amputation and autopsy tools, amputation retractor.
• "Force needed for concussion."
• "Lack of oxygen brain damage minutes."
• "How to drill out a Schlage lock" (accessed seven days before the family disappeared) .
• "Most painful torture."
• "Human dissection."
• "Bone grinder."
• "Blood stain pattern test."
• "Blood removal solution."

On Monday, the jury heard about the following evidence found on the hard drive:

• Photos ofKathyLiknes.
• Documentsrelating to AlvinLiknes'sbusinesses and his address.
• Fetish-type photos of "adult baby diapering" with some people in handcuffs and sexual positions.
• An autopsy manual.
• A folder called "Gore" with 87 photos of dead and dismembered people.
• Eighteen documents on "killing" or "murder."
• Book calledHow to Kill Without Joy: The Complete How To Kill Book.

Before Kraanbegan presenting the graphic evidence, Court of Queen's Bench Justice David Gates instructed jurors not to conclude Garland is a "bad character" because of the evidenceand therefore infer guilt. Instead, he said they could consider it in the context of three issues:identity, murderous intent, and planning and deliberation.

The hard drive shows no research on Nathan, but the Crown's theory is that he "tragically happened to be at the home that night," and Garland "incorporated him into his already meticulous research plan."

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A user and programming guide for a SchlageBE356lock was also found on the hard drive.

The same type of lock was found tampered with on theLiknes's side door the morning they were discovered missing. That folder was accessed five days before the boy and his grandparents were last seen.

Surveillance video was also played in court Tuesday, showing Garland buying a number of items from a Princess Auto store in Calgary, includingmeat saw blades.

Two weeks after themassivesearch for Nathan and his grandparents began, Garland was arrested and charged with their murders on July 15, 2014.

Garland is connected to theLiknesfamily through his sister,Patti Garland, who was in a common-law relationship with AlvinLiknes'sson, Allen.

Patti Garland, her parents and AllenLiknes all testified earlier in the trial that Garland harboured a grudge against AlvinLiknesafter a business relationship soured years earlier.

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Det. Colin Harper, who was in the economic crimes unitin July2014,told jurors that in early July, Garland was charged with identity theft and released on July 11, 2014, five days before he was arrested formurder.

At the end of the day, the judge told jurors the identity theftcharge has been stayed.

"This is evidence that you ought not to have heard," said Gates. "You should not consider it for any purpose."

One of Wednesday's witnesses will be medical examiner Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim, who examinedbones found in the burn barrel on the Garland property.

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