'The BBQ:' What accused murderer Dellen Millard called his incinerator

Dellen Millard and his employee Shane Schlatman had a nickname for the livestock incinerator in which human bones were found on his farm in Ayr, Ont. The BBQ.

The jury at the trial of Millard, 30, of Toronto, and Mark Smich, 28, of Oakville, who have both pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Tim Bosma, saw text messages between theMillardAir owner and his employee describing the incinerator as "The BBQ" Thursday.

Court has already heard that a DNA examination ofblood found on the incinerator showed an astronomically lowlikelihood that it came from anyone but Bosma.

Schlatmanreturned to the witness box for the second time to finish his testimony after legal arguments.

When he was asked about messages calling the incinerator The BBQ, he responded, "Sometimes it would be that, sometimes it would be The Eliminator [the real name of the machine]."

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The 32-year-old Bosma, who lived in the suburban Ancaster area of Hamilton, was last seen taking two men on a test drive of a truck he had for sale on May 6, 2013.

It was not a situation that every time you saw Mr. Millard, Mr.Smichwasn't there like a puppy?- Nadir Sachak, Dellen Millard's lawyer

Schlatman was the last employee left on the books at MillardAir in May 2013. He previously testified that most of the work he did for Millard was on motor vehicles.

Several other texts between Millard and Schlatman from late April to early May of 2013 showed that Millard was looking for "the big generator" the same one that was used to power the incinerator, Schlatman testified.

One text from Millard to Schlatman read: "Generator is not at farm. I recall taking it to the hangar because you needed it (welding maybe?) unless you remember putting back on the BBQ it should be at the hangar."

A text from Schlatman sent on April 28 and found on Millard's phone, read: "Last I saw generator was in corner by incinerator in the barn."

"Do you know what Mr. Millard would use the generator for?" assistant Crown Craig Fraser asked. "I do not, no," Schlatmanresponded.

Some of the texts between Millard and Schlatman had been deleted, a police report shows.

'You're not lying, are you?'

In cross-examination, Millard's lawyer Nadir Sachakrepeatedly asked Schlatmanif he was telling the truth.

"You're not lying are you? You're not tailoring your evidence to suit Mr. Millard?" Sachak asked, to whichSchlatman saidno.

Sachak also asked about Millard's relationship with Smich, his co-accused."It was not a situation that every time you saw Mr. Millard, Mr. Smich wasn't there like a puppy?" he said. Schlatman replied that Smich wasn't always there.

Millard's defence also pointed out that Bosma's truck wasn't hidden in the hangar a common theme in Sachak'scross-examination of several witnesses.

Schlatmantestifiedhe saw Bosma's truck at the MillardAir hangar onMay 8, 2013, but said at that time, he didn't know it was the missing man's truck.

"[It wasn't]covered, not concealed, not camouflaged in any way?" Sachak asked. Schlatman responded no.

Millard loved off-roading

Schlatman's testimony shed a little more light on Millard's lifestyle. Court heard the aviation heir had a passion for off-roading and had been skydiving. He asked Schlatman to join him, but he declined."If the airplane's still running I'm staying in it," Schlatman said.

Sachak also asked about why Millard bought The Eliminator. Court has previously heard that Millard said he bought the livestock incinerator to go into the pet cremation business with his uncle, who is a veterinarian. His uncle vehemently denied that suggestion when he testified.

Sachak suggested that Millard hadn't actually planned to go into business with his uncle, but had bought the device with him in mind as a possible client.

"He never said to you 'Listen Shane, me and my uncle, we had a meeting or a discussion. Me and my uncle are going to formulate a business together.' He didn't say that, right?" Sachak said. "Not together, no," Schlatmanresponded.

Sachak categorizedany suggestion that Millard said he was going to go into business with his uncle as"false, inaccurate and downright wrong."

Hangar cameras

Millard's lawyer also asked Schlatman about the security cameras at the MillardAir hangar at the Waterloo, Ont., airport. There were two connected on the night the Crown alleges Bosma was killed and then his body incinerated at the hangar. One was pointed at an outdoor wall, not giving a view of anything except siding.

The second camera was pointed at a small section of the hangar and captured footage of two men walking inside on May 6, 2013. Schlatman previously testified that the two men appeared to be Millard and Smich.

Schlatman, the jury heard, had an app on his phone that could be used to move and view the cameras at the hangar in real time.

"You had the ability to do that on May 6, and May 7," Sachak said. "Did [Millard]tell you, 'Listen I want you to delete that app on May 6?'" to which Schlatman responded, "No."

"During those 72 hours, you could have looked inside the hangar by just looking at your phone," Sachak said. Schlatman said he didn't look.

CBC reporter Adam Carteris in the courtroom each day reporting live on the trial. You can view a recap of his livebloghere:

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adam.carter@cbc.ca