The first-degree murder trial of Michael Smillie, accused in the 2022 killing of Taya Rae Anne Sinclair, entered its second day with stark visual evidence presented to the court. A police officer displayed photographs of the Saskatoon apartment where the Crown alleges the 24-year-old victim was confined before her death.
Police Testimony Details Alleged Crime Scene
Prince Albert Police Service Sergeant Curtis Bradbury took the stand on Tuesday at Saskatoon Court of King's Bench. His testimony centered on a series of photographs he took during the investigation into Sinclair's death. The images were of an apartment located in the 800 block of Third Avenue North in Saskatoon, belonging to Chelsey Wilma Crowe.
Chelsey Wilma Crowe pleaded guilty on Monday to assault and unlawful confinement related to Sinclair's death. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 30.
Bradbury's photographs documented various items found within Crowe's apartment. These included a knife and a piece of paper bearing Sinclair's name, along with a phone number and an email address. Another photo showed a black bandana draped over a bedroom mirror. Bradbury testified that this color is associated with the Terror Squad street gang.
Timeline of Events and Discovery of Body
The court was shown surveillance video capturing Sinclair entering Crowe's apartment on her own on March 13, 2022. The footage later showed two individuals removing her from the apartment that same morning.
Sinclair was reported missing to Saskatoon police the following day, March 14. Her body was discovered on March 15, 2022, at a snow dump site near the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse in Prince Albert. The body had been burned.
Key Forensic Evidence Presented
Sergeant Bradbury's photographic evidence extended to a house in Saskatoon that was searched as part of the investigation. While the court was not informed of the home's owner, Bradbury highlighted a critical find in the basement.
He photographed a zip tie in the corner of the basement and took several DNA swabs from the surrounding area for testing. One of those swabs later returned a positive match for Taya Sinclair's DNA, Bradbury testified under direct examination.
During cross-examination by defence lawyer Alora Arnold, Bradbury clarified that the swab sample containing Sinclair's DNA did not contain confirmed blood.
Michael Smillie, 58, is one of three individuals charged in connection with Sinclair's death and is the only one who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His judge-alone trial is scheduled to continue for three weeks.
