An expert testified that fibres on a blood-stained tank top matched those found on a blanket in the camper where the Crown alleges Amber Kirwan was held before she was murdered.
Steven Pitts, an RCMP forensic expert on textiles and fibres, testified at the first-degree murder trial of Christopher Alexander Falconer in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Pictou on Tuesday.
The court heard last week that DNA from both Kirwan and Christopher Alexander Falconer was found on the tank top, which was seized from Falconer’s vehicle.
Kirwan disappeared in the early morning hours of Oct. 9, 2011 after spending a night out with friends.
The 19-year-old was last spotted leaving Dooly’s pool hall and bar in New Glasgow around 1:45 a.m. and heading towards Big Al’s, a convenience store located just up the street.
Kirwan’s boyfriend, Mason Campbell, testified that Kirwan was supposed to meet him at Big Al’s but she never showed up.
Her partly-decomposed body was found in a shallow grave off of a logging road in Heathbell, N.S. on Nov. 5, 2011. She was found naked, her wrists tied with a sweater and towel.
Pitts testified that he examined Kirwan’s sweater as well as black fabric seized from the camper, which belonged to Falconer’s stepsister at the time.
Pitts said the sweater tied around Kirwan’s wrists matched the fabric found in the camper and that the fabric would have been attached to the sweater at one time.
The court heard Monday that a text message placed Falconer at the camper on Hardwood Hill Road shortly after Kirwan disappeared.
The morning of Oct. 9, Falconer texted his stepsister, Alice Meier, that he had been at her place the night before and left some items in her camper.
Falconer is charged with first-degree murder in Kirwan’s death. He has pleaded not guilty.
Court will not be held Wednesday due to a pending storm. The Crown is expected to close its case Thursday.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh
