The trial of Schuyler "Skyler" Van Wissen began Monday in Winnipeg with the jury hearing disturbing details of the day the victim’s body was discovered by her father.
Van Wissen is facing first-degree murder charges for the 2011 killing of Gina Swanson, 33.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Gina Swanson's body was found bound and stabbed in her home on Edderton Avenue on May 14, 2011.
In opening statements, the Crown alleged the accused tied Swanson’s hands behind her back.
The Crown said the victim was stabbed several times and sexually assaulted.
The victim's father Dennis Swanson made the grisly discovery.
In a videotaped statement played for the jury, Swanson described how he got a call from his daughter’s workplace. He was told Gina didn’t come in that day, and couldn't be reached by phone.
He couldn't reach her either and went to her house.
After unlocking the door, Swanson said he saw Gina lying on her back.
“I saw a knife embedded in her chest area. I could see there was no life,” he said.
During the three-week trial, the Crown intends to introduce evidence showing Van Wissen’s DNA was found on her body.
Constable Jan De Vries, a forensic identification officer with the Winnipeg Police Service, testified that a blue plastic bag was found covering Gina Swanson's face.
Her hands were tied behind her back so tightly that it blocked circulation.
The Crown also plans to call on several other witnesses including a pathologist, identification officer and other witnesses who knew the victim.
