By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Derek Saretzky triple homicide trial begins with graphic evidence (WARNING – story contains details and photos that may be disturbing)

Jun 7, 2017 | 6:39 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Before the trial of 24-year old Derek Saretzky could even get underway, one of the male jurors told the court that he may have difficulty handling any graphic content. Crown prosecutor, Photini Papadatou, agreed that it would be an issue, and the man was replaced by one of the alternate jurors.

The reason became clear not long into the case.

Saretzky faces three counts of first degree murder for the deaths of 27-year old Terry Blanchette, his two-year old daughter Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette and 69-year old Hanne Meketech, as well as a single count of committing an indignity to a human body in regard to Hailey.

Saretzky was arrested and charged in September of 2015, shortly after the bodies of the father and daughter were found in the Crowsnest Pass. Then in April of 2016, the murder charge involving Meketech – who was killed one week before the other two – was added against him.

The trial started with Saretzky entering pleas of not guilty to all charges, and Papadatou proceeded to outline the Crown’s case in her opening statement.

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As part of that statement, she told the jury that not only had Saretzky already confessed to killing all three, but that they would get to hear it in his words, in a re-enactment he conducted with police in September of 2015.

Moving to an agreed statement of facts, Papadatou explained that on Sept. 14, 2015, Terry’s father had been trying to get in touch with his son and granddaughter, so they could all go out for lunch. After getting no response, he went into Terry’s home in Blairmore, where he found Terry’s body and discovered that Hailey was missing.

The Crown then showed photos from the scene, including a graphic image of Terry lying on the bathroom floor with his throat cut and covered in blood. Next were images of bloody drag marks from Terry’s bedroom into the bathroom, and a photo of a blood smear on a doll that was left in Hailey’s crib.

When police arrived on scene and confirmed that Hailey wasn’t there, an Amber Alert was issued, and based on information from a neighbour, police started searching for a white van that had been in the neighbourhood the previous night. That led Kevin Saretzky – an uncle of the accused – to contact police, saying the vehicle description matched that of one of the vans the family business, Prestige Cleaners, used. He also noted that one of the vans had been taken without consent, and police were given permission to seize the vehicle and process it for evidence. Using luminol, police discovered blood inside the van, and Derek was identified as a person of interest.

Police next conducted searches of Derek’s apartment and his mother’s home in the search for Hailey, at which time Derek’s father came to police, saying they should speak to his son. He was taken into custody after the ensuing conversation.

A search of his apartment for evidence turned up what appeared to be blood, a medical book on anatomy, the novel ‘Hannibal’ and another book titled ‘The Killer Book of Serial Killers.’

A list was also found in a notebook, with “Medicine Fresh” written at the top, followed by several lines that had been crossed out, saying: “Hanne, sleepers for the dogs, Chy, Terry and The Hideous Baby.”

During the Crown’s opening, they noted that Hailey’s mother, Cheyenne Dunbar, was often called Chy.

Hailey’s body was finally discovered at a campsite that was partially owned by a family member of Saretzky, when human bones and teeth were found in a fire pit. While they had been too badly burned to get a DNA match – and it was noted some had cut marks made by a tool – blood found on a toy and in a pot at the scene, was matched to Hailey.

The first evidence

Following the agreed statement of facts, the Crown called their first witness to the stand. Ray Labonte, Hanne Meketech’s neighbour, testified that on Sept. 9, 2015, he and his brother noticed that the front door of her trailer was open and her dogs were out and running around, something he said was unusual.

His brother went inside and quickly came back out, looking pale, so Labonte went in and noticed bloody paw prints covering the floor. He proceeded down a hallway to Hanne’s bedroom, where he found her on the floor.

As Labonte described the scene, and again as Cst. Josh Stachow – the first RCMP officer to arrive – took the stand, the Crown showed graphic photos of Hanne’s body next to a pool of blood, with a large, circular injury to the side of her head. On top of her chest in the photo was one of her small dogs.

Cst. Stachow added that it looked like the front door to Hanne’s trailer had been kicked-in, noting a deadbolt that was on the floor of the entryway.

Comments from Saretzky’s lawyer

Outside the courthouse after day one of the trial, defence lawyer, Patrick Edgerton, took some time to speak with the media.

When asked how he would defend a case in which his client confessed to police, he was careful in his response.

“Well, I think over the next few weeks, we’ll see how the evidence comes out. There still is reliability issues when it comes to confessions, and as the evidence comes out, I think it will be more clear what’s happening.

“We’re fortunate that we live in a country where we enjoy the presumption of innocence, that was explained by the Crown prosecutor at the beginning. Despite the allegations, everybody has the right to a trial, and everyone has the right to a jury. So, the jury ought to keep in mind that throughout all of the evidence that they’ll hear, they still have to remember that the Crown has to prove all of the elements beyond a reasonable doubt, and they have quite a bit more evidence that we haven’t heard yet, that didn’t come out in the agreed statement of facts.”

The trial is scheduled to resume Thursday morning (June 8), and is expected to take four weeks to complete.