Police officer sheds tears as he describes 'gruesome' death scene at Regina murder trial

WARNING: Story contains graphic content.

With tears in his eyes, Regina police Const.Bryceton Fink described the shock he felt when he saw Jenny McKay's body lying in a pool of blood on her kitchen floor and tried to call out to her.

Fink became emotional as he testified Tuesday at the trial of Jason McKay, who is accused of killing Jenny, his wife, in September 2017. He has pleadednot guilty to second-degree murder in the death of the 33-year-old woman, who was originally from New Glasgow, N.S.

The police officer and his partner, Graham McDonald, had been dispatched to the Angus Street residence for a welfare check,Fink explainedduring his testimony at Regina's Court of Queen's Bench.

The officers had been told that Jason McKay's mother was worried about her son, whohad a history of self-harm. They were told she feared he might be intoxicated, or had usedhis medication incorrectly.

Fink said when they arrived, Jason McKay was covered in blood but assured them he was not injured. Fink testified that in response to McDonald's question, "Where's Jenny?" McKay'sexact response was "She's dead. I f--king killed her."

McDonald stayed with McKay as Fink entered the home, finding what he described as the "gruesome" scene in the kitchen.

Fink wiped tears from his eyes as he remembered finding Jenny, witha large knife still protruding from her chest. She was cold to the touch and had no pulse. He said what appeared to be blood wassmeared on the floor andthe kitchen cabinets.

Crown prosecutor Adam Breker, who walkedFink through photos of the scene, paused briefly to ask if the scenewas difficult andshocking to come across.Fink, his voice thick, agreed it was.

Phone found with photos of victim

Const. Alyssa Gregory was part of the Regina police forensic identification unit in 2017. She testified that there was a lot of blood at the crime scene, compared to what she had previously experienced.She noted Jenny appeared to have multiple wounds around her head and neck.

Gregory found and seizedbroken knives in the kitchen. She also documented a serrated knife on the floor by Jenny's right hand.

She said shefound a cellphone on the table, which was later determined to belong to Jason McKay.It contained photos of Jenny's apparently dead body.

Gregory said they showed Jenny almost as police found her except thatthe knife was missing from her chest in the photos, and a knife was shown "inside the victim's mouth."

Gregory said the crime scene appeared to mostly be contained to the kitchen area, where she found long strands of hair in Jenny's hands, a blood-soaked blue sweater, and a broken necklace. There was also an engagement ring and a wedding band in the pocket of her shorts.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Thomas Hynes, Gregory confirmed that there had been no apparent effort made to clean up the blood, despite a nearby closet containingcleaning tools.

During Tuesday's testimony, several video clips that showedMcKay in a police car, and then at the police station, were played in the courtroom.

They showed McKay becoming combative as he was questioned by police,repeatedly challengingthe officers to fight him."He wanted to fight anybody who was willing," said Const.Garth Fleece, describing McKay as increasingly"agitated."

Fleece, who was also responsible for photographing Jason McKay's body to document any injuries, testified that McKay appeared essentially uninjured.

The trial, which is being heard by Justice Michael Tochor, is scheduled for three weeks.