Pathologist testifies stab wound killed Naomi Williams

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Sharing her expert opinion, a forensic pathologist told a Brandon courtroom that the late Naomi Hope Williams of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation died from a stab wound inflicted on the left side of her chest.

Appearing on the witness stand on Tuesday morning at Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench, Dr. Petra Rahaman — a Texas-based forensic pathologist and assistant professor at the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine — said she could testify with certainty that a stab wound caused Naomi’s death.

The ongoing trial pertains to the alleged murder by stabbing of 26-year-old Naomi Hope Williams in December 2022. Rennie Williams — a relative of the victim — was arrested by Virden RCMP and is currently being tried in the case on charges of second-degree murder.

Rahaman further added that a portion of the victim’s lungs and the right side of her heart were punctured during the fatal stabbing.

However, the pathologist clarified that she could not guarantee that the instrument used for the murder was a knife, even though the wounds found on the victim’s body were consistent with stabs typically made using a knife.

“It had pointed ends, and that’s significant because the size and shape of the wound are in keeping with what we usually see with wounds created by a knife. I can’t completely exclude that another instrument or object, a sharp instrument or object, was used, such as any type of bleeding object or glass, but as I mentioned, the size and shape on the surface of the wound are in keeping with what we see when a knife is used,” Rahaman said during her testimony.

She also explained before the court that the deceased had sustained several injuries, but only some of them were from a sharp instrument while others were a result of blunt force.

“She sustained a stab wound to the left side of her chest that involved her left breast and left areola, and as I mentioned, there were corresponding defects in her T-shirt and her bra,” Rahaman said, before adding that “(Naomi) had both sharp injuries and blunt force injuries.”

The pathologist also added that the stab wound would have been inflicted shortly before her death, or right around the time of the alleged murder.

“I can say that they were antemortem or perimortems, so before she died, or around the time that she died because they were hemorrhagic bleeding, so her heart was still bleeding at that time,” Rahaman said.

When the court reconvened following a recess, Justice Elliot H. Leven turned his attention to arguments made by Crown attorney Brett Rach, who emphasized the importance of testimonies that the court had previously dismissed.

The judge reconsidered the admissibility of testimony provided by Danica Happa last week, especially her assertion that she saw the accused pull out a knife on Dec. 9, 2022 during a disagreement with the deceased. Justice Leven also reconsidered his stance regarding Steven Desjarlais, who testified during pre-trial proceedings on Nov. 10, 2023 in Sioux Valley, even though the Crown has not been able to connect with him to appear during the actual trial.

The court listened to a recording of evidence Desjarlais provided during pre-trial, where he testified to seeing the accused with a knife on the night of Dec. 9, 2022 at Chad Roscelli’s house in Sioux Valley.

Although the justice agreed to reconsider this evidence, defence attorney Robert D. Harrison is expected to oppose the reconsideration when proceedings resume this morning.

It is also expected that the court will hear from the accused, who is yet to provide testimony during the trial.

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