Bloodstain expert back on the stand at Erick Buhr's second-degree murder trial

Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb’s home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.

Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.

The Crown has wrapped up its case at the second-degree murder trial of Erick Buhr.

Buhr is charged in the death of his grandmother, Viola Erb. The 88-year-old was found injured in her home, just outside of Baden, on Sept. 24, 2022. She was pronounced deceased minutes after first responders arrived on scene.

On Wednesday morning, an expert in bloodstain pattern analysis from Peel Regional Police completed his testimony at Buhr’s trial. Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb’s home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there. Among them, Hofstetter told the jury there was evidence of at least three separate areas of impact: one in the front hallway, one other in a space between the hallway and kitchen, and one in the kitchen where Erb’s body was located. The blood was tested and identified as Erb’s. Hofstetter also determined that, in all three areas, the source of the blood was on, or near, the ground. During cross-examination, defense lawyer Bruce Ritter asked Hofstetter if he could say what kind of force could create those patterns. “It’s some sort of blunt striking,” Hofstetter said, adding that it could include actions like punches, kicks or hits. Hofstetter also concluded Erb came into contact with the baseboard in the entranceway and either moved, or was moved, into the kitchen. He testified that a person, whose bare foot was wet with Erb’s blood, walked through the front entrance area, kitchen, dining room, stairs to the second floor, upper hallway, an upstairs bathroom and an upstairs bedroom. They then made their way to the bedroom closet where Erb’s blood was found on the wall, near a light switch.

The jury has heard from other witnesses that the upstairs bedroom was Buhr’s.

A pair of bloodstained jeans, also found there, were also tested. “The front of the jeans… were in proximity and exposed to a spatter event involving Viola Erb’s blood,” Hofstetter told the jury Tuesday.

During cross-examination, Ritter asked Hofstetter about another blood pattern found on those jeans: a right handprint in the upper right leg area. Hofstetter said the way the print was made suggested there was some kind of touching and, likely, a grip and release. He added that he could not say whose hand left the print.