Blood-spatter expert testifies at Leslie Greenwood trial

A Nova Scotia couple killedin September 2000 were both shot to death while seated in chairs in their rural home, an RCMPblood-splatter expert testified Thursday at the murder trial of Leslie Greenwood.

Greenwood is on trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Kentville for two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Barry KirkMersereauand Nancy Paula Christensen.

It is the second time he has faced trial on the charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

The trial began earlier this month, but there was no testimony this week until Thursday.Justice Jamie Campbell told the jury they may notice Greenwood now has a black eye and is in pain, butsaidit has nothing to do with the case and warned them not to speculate on why.

The jury heard Thursday fromRCMP Sgt. Adrian Butler, who testified he drew on autopsy reports andphotos from the crime scene in Centre Burlington, N.S., to draw conclusions about how the coupledied on Sept. 9, 2000.

Butler saidChristensen was sitting upright in a chair when she was shot twice in the head. He saidshe slumped over on her left side as she died.

Butler concluded Mersereau was also seated when he was shot twice behind his left ear, butthen went down on one kneebefore falling face first on a seat cushion on the ground where he died.

Mersereau had hundreds of small blood droplets on the back of his shirt, Butler said.

The prosecution has alleged the couple were "executed in cold blood." The Crown's key witness is convicted killer Michael Lawrence, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the murders.

Lawrencehas testified he shot the couple, but only after Greenwood entered the house first and killed them with a gun of his own. Lawrence said he agreed to take part in the killings in order to pay off a $28,000 drug debt to a man named Curtis Lynds, who wanted Mersereauand Christensen dead.

Blair Rhodes was live blogging from the court. On mobile? Follow along here.