Murder suspect's DNA detected on fireplace poker in Saskatoon victim's apartment

A DNA expert with the RCMP national forensic laboratory says that a biological sample taken from a fireplace poker in murder victim Richard Fernuk's apartment matches the profile of Leo Roy Daniels.

Daniels is on trial at Court of Queen's Bench charged with first-degree murder, robbery and unlawful confinement in connection with the August2019 death of the Saskatoon senior.

Police doing a welfare check on Fernukon Aug. 3 discovered the 68-year-old tied to a chair in his apartment and dead.

• Crown using video, forensics to build case against accused in Richard Fernuk murder

On Thursday, Melanie Green testified about how she interpretedthe results of DNA testing done on samples taken from items in Fernuk's apartment. These included pieces of electrical cord, a knife, an end table, a vacuum cord and the fireplace poker.

Green testified that there were matches on most of the items to a known sample from Fernuk.

But the other samples, save for what was taken off the fireplace poker,weretoo small to make a meaningful comparisonbeyond suggesting that they could have come from threeindividuals, one of whom was male.

Green said that the DNA from the poker was submitted to the national databank to see whether it matched a convicted offender who had given a sample. It matched Leo Daniels.

She added that the probability that the sample came from someone other than Daniels was one in 82 quintillion, ora one followed by 18 zeros.

Under cross examination by defence lawyer Blaine Beaven, she confirmed that the profile would not indicate the day or time that it came to be on the poker, how it got there or what he was doing when it was deposited.

She also said that there was a possibility, although not strong, that Daniels could have left DNA on an an item such as a jacket and then the jacket made contact with the poker.

The trial continues Tuesday. Amongthe witnesses will be pathologist Shaun Ladham, who will speak to cause of death.