Tony Bechara suffered five gunshot wounds, including two fatal injuries to his torso, a forensics expert said during a murder trial in Superior Court.
Forensic Pathologist Testifies
Forensic pathologist Dr. Elena Tugaleva told a jury on Thursday she determined the 47-year-old man died from a "perforated gunshot wound to the right torso" following an autopsy she conducted Jan. 22.
Glen Mayer, 49, is currently on trial for first-degree murder in the death of Bechara before Superior Court Justice J. Ross Macfarlane.
Allegations of Affair
Prosecutors allege Mayer drove from his house in LaSalle on January 20, 2024 to Bechara's Lakeshore residence early on the morning of Jan 20, 2024, and shot him three times, shortly after finding out his wife was having an affair with Bechara.
Later that day, police officers found a 40 calibre Glock .22 semi-automatic handgun registered to Mayer in the kitchen sink of Bechara's residence, as well as three shell casings and a kitchen knife on the floor.
Details of the Wounds
Tugaleva testified that Bechara suffered one grazed wound to the right forearm and four perforated wounds: a wound in the right forearm, two wounds in the front of the torso and one wound on the side of the torso.
She said the five wounds could have been the result of either three, four or five shots. If three shots had been fired, it is possible that two bullets may have been redirected after initially hitting Bechara before hitting him again, causing two wounds each, she said.
She determined two of the five wounds were fatal. A third wound, which caused an injury to the spinal cord, was "potentially fatal," she added.
Tugaleva said she could not determine the chronological order in which the bullets hit Bechara nor the distance between Bechara and the shooter.
Surveillance Footage
On Monday, prosecutors played surveillance footage from a neighbour in Bechara's Lakeshore neighbourhood, in which "three sounds consistent with gun shots" at 7:15 a.m. on Jan. 20 could be heard, according to an agreed statement of facts read to jurors.
Position of Victim
When asked by assistant Crown attorney Reem Said on Thursday whether Bechara's position at the time he was shot could be determined, Tugaleva said "many . . . factors" could have affected his position.
"It appears that he probably was on a couch facing the shooter," she said. "But again, it's probable. I don't know for sure."
During cross-examination, Tugaleva agreed with defence lawyer Julianna Greenspan that she "cannot come to an actual conclusion of the location where the individual (shot)" was when the three shots were fired.
Tugaleva also agreed with Greenspan that "potentially both the wound in the upper chest and the abdomen wound, both had contact with something else prior to entering into the torso."
Greenspan suggested that if Bechara's right arm had been raised when the shots were fired, two bullets may have initially hit Bechara's arm before being redirected into Bechara's torso.
Tugaleva said she agreed it was a possibility.
The defence is expected to begin their case next Monday.
phogue@postmedia.com
