SUDBURY - The murder trial of Felicity Altiman will see no defence witnesses or evidence, the jury learned Oct. 16.
Charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a body, Alitman is accused of stabbing Robert “Bob” Keskinen, who lived in a room at 517 Kathleen Street, just down the hall from where Altiman was staying.
She offered no testimony on her own behalf, and her lawyer, Stephen Hinkson, offered no submissions, telling the judge “I can indicate, your honour, there will not be any evidence called by the defence.”
The Crown rested their case Oct. 15 after calling 13 witnesses.
The trial was to be one that assistant Crown attorney Brittany Butler would describe in her opening submission as “a human process with imperfect witnesses.”
Butler told the jury, “During the evening hours of Christmas Eve into the early morning of Christmas Day at 517 Kathleen Street, while enjoying his dinner and drinks alone in his apartment, Robert Keskinen, a 75-year-old man, was met with violence and ultimately paid with his life.”
She also apologized to the jury for the “emotionally difficult evidence they would have to hear and see during the trial, including photos.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Kona Williams testified Oct. 11 that Keskinen’s body had 97 separate stab wounds and five incision wounds or slash injuries. The victim’s scrotum had been sliced off by a sharp instrument and his hands had defense-type injuries.
The jury first heard witness testimony from Robert Keller, a cousin of Keskinen who was dropping by on Dec. 26 to bring him a small Christmas meal, which was a tradition. Keller testified he tried to contact Keskinen the day before to make arrangements to drop it off, and told the jury when he couldn’t reach his cousin, he started to worry.
When Keskinen didn’t answer the door to Keller, and the food, Keller testified that he called property manager James Stewart to open the door. Stewart testified on Oct. 2.
The two found Keskinen sitting up against a cupboard, covered in blood, with his mouth open. His feet were pointed towards the door, which Keller testified was the first thing he saw.
Keller also testified that Keskinen’s new boots, tan with laces, were missing, as were other items.
Altiman was known to frequent the low-income rooming house, and the court heard through an agreed statement of facts that she was living with one of its residents, Alvin Irving, whose second-floor room was directly across the hall from the victim’s.
That statement came from Irving’s former partner, Misty Assinewai, who also attested that Keskinen would put his wallet under the pillow on his bed when he was drunk, and that when Altiman would go over to Keskinen’s apartment “she would sit by the wallet, pretend she was doing something, and on occasion, take money from his wallet, or in other instances, when he was drunk, she would take empties from his room.”
Another statement of fact, this time from a resident of the Kathleen Street building who has since died, told the jury that Altiman would often ask the victim, Keskinen, for cigarettes.
There was also testimony from a man named Matthieu Doucet, who told the court he just wanted to get warm when he paid Altiman $5 to let him inside the rooming house building to sleep in the stairwell. It was here that Doucet would find a bag of items he came to believe had drugs within, and in his attempt to find it, removed socks, two green rubber gloves and a pair of jeans.
He was also tasked with taking out some garbage for Altiman, and testified she gave him two grocery bags with items to be taken to the dumpster in the back of the building. But as Doucet had not returned the jeans to the bag, and required a way to keep the back door open, he used them to “wedge” the door, and dropped the jeans on the ground when he was finished.
These jeans were found by property manager Stewart, and became a key piece of Crown evidence when he testified he saw a substance on them and turned them over to police.
Forensic officer Det.-Const Gregory Smuland told the jury a bloody fingerprint belonging to Altiman was found on a bottle of dish soap and on the locking mechanism inside Keskinen’s apartment. Forensic biologist Ronald Lai said items found in Keskinen’s apartment were covered in his blood, and a second DNA profile that matched to Altiman was also located. The aforementioned jeans also matched DNA profiles to both Keskinen and Altiman.
A knife was also entered as Crown evidence, which was discovered two years after the murder, in 2023, when a plumber working on the sink in the bathroom that once belonged to Keskinen found it in the drain. Described as a non-serrated steak knife, the jury then heard from a man who said he was with Altiman that night and said she had a similar knife, which he testified she showed him and then tucked into the back of her pants.
And just before the close of the Crown’s case, the jury heard from Altiman’s brother, Lawrence Dashner. Though he testified they had a difficult relationship, he said he would help her as much as he could, and worried about her safety.
He testified she made a call to him “around the holidays,” and told him “something bad happened, and that she might be in trouble.” He testified that she changed her appearance when he saw her again in the new year, on Jan. 4, and he was concerned for her, though she never told him what she was concerned about, he said.
After the defence rested their case, Justice Dan Cornell offered the jury next steps in the case.
“You now know that all of the evidence is in, there will be no more evidence; having said that the case is not over,” said Cornell.
Next up for the jury will be the closing address, which will be held Friday; as Hinkson did not call any defence evidence, he will offer his submissions after the Crown.
Though it is unlikely to take all day on Friday, said Cornell, he would prefer to bring his jury charge on Monday, offering them instructions both on the evidence they have heard, and the laws they must now apply to their verdict. Additionally, said Cornell, the jury will be sequestered, and he did not wish to require them to be away from home over the weekend.
Once his charge is concluded, “then I would ask that you begin your deliberations,” said Cornell.
Closing submissions begin in Sudbury Superior court on Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.
Jenny Lamothe covers court for Sudbury.com.