Victim's DNA found on clothing of accused in Fort Resolution murder trial

Traces of the victim's DNA in an ongoing Fort Resolution, N.W.T. murder trial was found on the clothing worn by the accused the night of the killing, according to a blood evidence expert.

Sgt. Trevor Knopp told a Yellowknife court Thursday that his job is to examine the size, shape and location of blood at a crime scene. From these patterns, he then forms opinions of what did or did not happen and shares it with the principal investigators.

Knopp arrived at the crime in Fort Resolution, a small cabin on the outskirts of town, two days after Cameron Sayine was killed in July 2018. After examining the crime scene, he took blood samples and sent them off to a national forensic lab in Edmonton for testing.

A statement of factspresented to the court Thursday morningfound that every sample from the cabin's living room and several areas outsidecame back as Sayine's.

Knopp also identified traces of Sayine's blood on Chad Beck's shoes, pants and shirt that he wore the night of the killing. Beck is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Sayine.

Body likely moved outside cabin

While at the crime scene, Knopp said he divided the outside and inside of the cabin into three separate areas, to better keep track of the different blood patterns.

The most significant find at the scene was a trail of blood from the living room carpet to the front door of the cabin.

What that shows, Knopp told the court, is that Sayine's body was likely moved from the living room to the outside of the cabin.

RCMP testimony presented to the court earlier this week said Sayine's body was found near the bottom of a hill on the property.

Knopp also showed the court photos of a cluster of blood stains on a beige loveseat in the living room. The closer the stains are together, the stronger the outside trauma would have been, he told the court.

He also found blood stains on a larger green couch, carpet and a nearby coffee table.

The first part of the trial wraps up Friday, with the rest scheduled for February.