Editor’s Note: The following article contains graphic details that could be disturbing for some readers.
On the second day of a double-murder trial following the deaths of a father and son, Barrie police officers testified they arrived to a gruesome scene after responding to a pair of silent 911 calls on Feb. 8, 2017.
With the help of a spotlight attached to a police cruiser, officers were able to clearly see the devastation at 54 William St., located in a quiet Barrie neighbourhood.
“I just saw a massive amount of blood on both sides of the hallway” leading to the upstairs apartment, Const. David Edgar told the court on Wednesday.
Dyrrin Daley, 28, is standing trial on charges of first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of 19-year-old Nickolas Pasowisty and his 51-year-old father, James Pasowisty, who were found stabbed to death in their home.
Brian Alvarenga told the court he had responded to an online message from his brother, Kevin, to pick him up at his friend’s place.
Alvarenga headed that way at about 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 7, not knowing his brother had already taken a taxi home.
Alvarenga said he entered the unlocked apartment entrance on William Street and climbed the creaky stairs to the second floor to find the Pasowistys’ home silent with only a couple of lights on.
He went to Nick’s room where the guys would hang out and startled the teenager, who was in bed.
“It looked like he was just passing out,” Alvarenga testified. “He appeared one high, two tired.”
Nick told him Kevin had already gone home, so Alvarenga left.
Less than six hours later, at 3:19 a.m., Barrie communications clerk Melissa Nadeau received the first of two 911 calls, which came eight minutes apart. Both times she heard nothing at the other end, so she pressed a key to make noise.
“It was an open line and there was no voice contact made,” she told the court.
Nadeau hung up and called back after the first call, but there was no answer. She also texted and received no reply.
When the second call came in, Nadeau again heard nothing and again there was no response to her returned call.
Nadeau said hang-up calls aren’t unusual, but a second call so many minutes apart indicated that it could be something other than a pocket dial and perhaps there was something wrong.
She called the cellphone service provider to get the phone’s location, which was determined to be 54 William St.
Nadeau sent that information to the dispatch officer.
“If there’s any doubt in our mind, then we send officers,” Nadeau testified.
Const. Edgar arrived first, followed by Const. Andrew Young. Const. Kevin Barkley arrived in a third cruiser when the first two officers quickly determined they had come across a violent scene, but were unsure of what, or who, lay inside.
The three gathered on the stairs. Two of the officers unholstered their firearms, which were outfitted with lights, and the third drew his Taser, also with a light attached. They developed a plan to safely clear the apartment and provide any help if needed.
“As soon as I enter the hallway area… I step into puddles of blood,” Const. Young testified.
A lifeless body lay not far away.
A second was discovered as they cleared the rest of the apartment.
Blood from about shoulder height to right down to the floor appeared to be smeared on the wall, court heard.
Barkley said he used a light on the pupils of one victim, but nothing happened and there was no chest movement, so he went to the second victim, who had no pulse and did not appear to be breathing.
A paramedic arrived on scene and confirmed the two victims were deceased.
The officers had noticed the balcony door was open and there were bloody footprints in the snow, which had piled up.
Barkley wondered if the suspect had jumped off the balcony and he looked down to find footprints leading from the house to the street.
Judging from the spacing, he figured whoever made them was likely running.
A tracking dog later arrived and, after determining the main-floor residents were safe, officers began canvassing the neighbourhood.
The trial is scheduled to resume with an identification officer testifying for much of the next two days.
