Justin Breau was stabbed or struck nearly two dozen times, according to the pathologist that performed a post-mortem examination.
Testifying at the first-degree murder trial in Saint John, Dr. Mohammad Hossain led the 13-member jury through a series of photographs that were taken during Breau’s autopsy.
Hossain described 23 individual wounds that were caused by either blunt- or sharp-force trauma.
Most were superficial scratches and abrasions, he said, although some penetrated much deeper.
Hossain told the jury the fatal injury was a stab wound to Breau’s chest that punctured his heart.
The doctor said tests revealed that Breau had a variety of drugs in his system at the time of his death, including cocaine and methamphetamine.
Charles William Shatford, 49, and Donald Robert Walker, 51, are on trial for first-degree murder in Breau’s death.
On Tuesday a series of witnesses — and Breau’s own voice from recordings played in court — helped piece together the final two days of Breau’s life.
The 39-year-old was serving a drug-related sentence until Aug. 15 — two days before his death.
Robert Hawkins, the deputy superintendent of the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, helped police collect several phone recordings of Breau that were made the night before his release.
Several of those recordings were played in court. Most reveal angry exchanges between Breau and his girlfriend Megan Ross, including one where she hung up without responding to his “I love you.” He called back and resumed the argument.
Unidentifiable sounds could be heard from her side, and Breau could be heard saying, “Hello? Hello?” She didn’t answer but a man’s voice could be heard saying “Come on.”
Breau’s next call was to his mother, saying Ross had overdosed and someone had started CPR. Breau asked his mother to call 911.
When he next reached Ross by phone, Breau launched into a screaming tirade, where little beyond obscenities could be made out. He made it clear that he wanted Ross to give his apartment keys back to his mother.
Angela Totten, a crime analyst with the Saint John Police Force, led the jury through several phone extraction reports for the people who would eventually be charged in connection with Breau’s death.
The reports show Breau began texting Ross soon after he was released from jail on Aug. 15, 2022.
Through those exchanges, it’s clear that Breau believed his Ross had cheated on him with Walker. Breau soon confronted Walker and warned him to stay away from his girlfriend.
Via text, he told Ross, “There’s going to be a war and I’m not going to lose.”
The calls and texts continued between the six people who would eventually be charged in connection with Breau’s death.
Crown prosecutor Christopher Ryan has told the jury the phone calls culminated in six people meeting at Walker’s north end residence before driving to Breau’s apartment.
In court on Tuesday morning, Const. Rheal Levesque testified that he was the first officer on the scene just before 4 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2022.
When he got to the top floor of the apartment building, he began to notice blood on the stairs, the walls, and the door to an apartment.
Levesque said he found a man curled up on the floor and a woman at his feet calling out, “Justin. Justin.” He said Breau was “not in good shape.” He said his breathing was shallow and then stopped.
Levesque began CPR and Breau “appeared to come back.” Firefighters soon arrived and gave him oxygen but Breau stopped breathing again.
Levesque said he started CPR again, but when paramedics arrived soon after, they took over.
Const. Christopher McCutcheon, the lead investigator in the case, then told the jury about how the investigation progressed.
He said the police seized a number of items that were later sent to a crime lab for analysis, although he didn’t go into details about the results.
On Monday, however, Ryan told the court that footwear seized from Walker and Shatford’s homes later tested positive for blood and for Breau’s DNA.
Twenty-five days have been set aside for the trial and about 30 witnesses are expected to be called.
