By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Derek Saretzky’s grandfather says one of the victims was a close family friend (WARNING: Contains graphic details)

Jun 9, 2017 | 12:57 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A relationship between one of the three victims and the accused was established Friday (June 9), in the first-degree murder trial of 24-year old Derek Saretzky.

Day three of the trial continued to centre around the murder of 69-year old Hanne Meketech, whose body was found by a neighbour in a pool of blood on Sept. 9, 2015.

Terry Megli – the grandfather of Saretzky, who is also accused in the deaths of 27-year old Terry Blanchette and his two-year old daughter, Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette – took the stand for the Crown to end the first week.

Megli and his wife lived near Meketech in Coleman and noted that they were good friends for about 25-years.

“She was a very nice lady,” he told the court. “She had a real big heart. She was there if you needed her… she was a good friend.”

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Megli noted that Saretzky and his mother had lived across the street from Meketech for a brief period of time, and that he had even helped her with some yard work. He also stated that they would have been together at certain family get togethers and holidays.

In September of 2015, Megli said Saretzky had wanted to see them, but that he couldn’t bring himself to meet with his grandson.

“He was having trouble with alcohol and drugs, and I didn’t want that in my house,” Megli explained.

During cross examination from defence lawyer, Patrick Edgerton, Megli acknowledged that he understood Meketech had received approximately $90,000 from the death of her mother. He added that he thought she kept the money in her trailer, saying she didn’t trust banks.

After agreeing that he had never seen any fights or arguments between Meketech and Saretzky, Megli stated that Meketech had been involved in a “bad divorce,” adding, “She didn’t like [her ex-husband]. She made that very clear.”

The other two witnesses to testify on Friday, painted a picture of the kind of person that Meketech was, with both Irvin Dwight LaRose and Lisa Markowski, saying she was “happy go lucky.”

Markowski, who manages Chris’ Restaurant in Coleman, said Meketech would come in every day between 10:45 and 11 a.m., and that she would even call if she was running late. She said that every member of the staff noticed when Meketech never came in or called on Sept. 9.

LaRose was another one of Meketech’s neighbours, and talked about how she always had cats and dogs, and brightened up the area by always having her Christmas lights on.

On Sept. 8 around 8:30 p.m., LaRose said he had taken his dog out for a walk, and that the dog went to Meketech’s door, which was closed.

When another neighbour found Meketech’s body the following day, the door had been forced open and left ajar.

Coming off a day in which the jury had to take a break after several members became distressed while looking at Meketech’s autopsy photos, the Crown made a point of wrapping up their evidence early, and letting the jury go for the weekend before lunch on Friday.

“We’ve kept it light,” said Crown prosecutor, Photini Papadatou. “We had a tough day yesterday.”

The trial, which is scheduled to run for a month, will resume Monday morning (June 12).

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Saretzky murder trial – Day Two (June 8)

Saretzky murder trial – Day One (June 7)