Accused killer's ex-wife testifies on Day 7 of Janeiro murder trial

Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic descriptions heard in court that may not be suitable for some readers.

A witness tied to the 1994 murder of a young woman in her apartment remained on the defensive Tuesday as he was grilled by a defence lawyer for a second day in a Barrie courtroom.

Witness Paul Daigle, 56, described being inside Katherine Janeiro’s Dunlop Street West home shortly after she was found stabbed to death on Oct. 10, 1994.

The trial entered its seventh day today as it delves into a three-decade-old homicide that left the young mother dead.

Robert MacQueen, who is now 61 and is also known as Bruce Ellis, is on trial for second-degree murder in Janeiro's death. None of the allegations against him have been proven in court.

Daigle has testified that he lived in Newmarket at the time of Janeiro's death and was a fairly new acquaintance of William Theakston, who went by the nickname Woody. Theakston was the local president of the Para Dice Riders motorcycle club and lived in Innisfil in 1994. Daigle also testified he had known Theakston for about six months at the time of the homicide.

Daigle testified on Monday that he had spent the Thanksgiving Monday with Theakston and his girlfriend, enjoying dinner along with another female friend.

He testified the three had been consuming alcohol, but he didn't drink, so Theakston asked him to drive him around to run errands, such as picking up cash from two houses belonging to “friends," then go to Janeiro’s to pick up cough syrup, which contained codeine to get high on, as well as cannabis, which was at Janeiro’s apartment.

Defence lawyer Mary Cremer continued to press Daigle on the stand, suggesting again that he and Theakston were responsible for the homicide.

Daigle continued to insist they had nothing to do with the woman's murder.

He testified that all they did in the apartment was wipe down “all the things we touched,” which included door handles, knobs, the kitchen table where he sat and part of the toilet he used.

Right from the beginning of today's court session, Daigle, who appeared to be in discomfort on the stand, would pause his statements and exhale heavily, seemingly having trouble breathing. The judge stopped the court proceedings to ask if he was well and if he could continue with his testimony.

Daigle responded by saying he felt sick, but would be able to continue.

Cremer suggested he used the contents of two shampoo bottles found in the tub to help clean the bathtub of blood after Janeiro was killed, and then move her body to the bedroom where she was later discovered.

“No,” Daigle replied.

Cremer also suggested Daigle and Theakston removed items from Janeiro’s apartment, such as the large pill bottles, after the murder.

“I don’t think so,” Daigle answered flatly.

Neither of the two men bothered to call 911 after finding her body, court heard.

“She was pretty dead,” Daigle testified.

He agreed with Cremer when she suggested their first priority was to remove all traces of their presence in the apartment so they wouldn’t be blamed in Janeiro’s death.

Daigle testified the two of them left the apartment and went to a local bar. It was at that time Theakston called his lawyer for legal advice. The pair then turned themselves in to Barrie police several hours later.

The next witness in line for cross-examination on Tuesday was Karen Unger, the ex-wife of Robert MacQueen, who was known as Karen Ellis at the time of the homicide.

Robert MacQueen also goes by the name of Bruce Ellis. His surname at birth originates from his biological father, but he took the name Bruce Ellis when his mother remarried.

Unger testified she believed her husband at the time was more than just friends with Janeiro, but MacQueen repeatedly denied having a sexual relationship with the young woman.

Unger said she did not know or meet Janeiro until one particular instance at a downtown Barrie bar two or three weeks before she was killed. This was around the same time Unger believes MacQueen’s relationship ended with the young woman.

Unger testified that Janeiro had told her she was pregnant, and the father was believed to be MacQueen or possibly another man.

Unger said her "shocked" response to Janeiro in that brief meeting was “no, there’s no way — he had a vasectomy,” which was a lie, court heard.

The two never spoke to each other before that time or after, she testified.

Unger described hearing a rumour going around that both MacQueen and Janeiro may have had AIDS.

MacQueen became angry, telling his wife it was a lie, and “his whole body would vibrate” with anger and frustration.

The defence will be continue to cross-examiner Unger on Wednesday.

The trial is expected to last seven weeks.

At the time of Janeiro's death, police said she had suffered multiple stab wounds. Her two-year-old daughter had been visiting family members at the time of the homicide.

Court heard the last time Janeiro had contact with anyone was around 4 a.m. on Oct. 10, 1994. Her body was discovered by a friend around 7 p.m. that night.

Court previously heard from the Crown that MacQueen had been in a relationship with Janeiro while he was married and living nearby on Dunlop Street.

MacQueen was initially charged with first-degree murder in January 2021, more than 26 years after Janeiro’s body was discovered in her apartment. The charge was reduced to second-degree murder following a preliminary hearing in December 2022. He was granted bail in July 2023.

According to news reports published by the former Barrie Examiner, Janeiro’s body was found lying on the floor, covered in blood with scratches on her face. She’d been at a pair of downtown bars most of Sunday night and early Monday morning prior to her body being discovered.

Janeiro left home at age 16 and moved to Barrie. A year later, she gave birth to a girl. About 10 months prior to her death, Janeiro had moved into the Dunlop Street apartment with her toddler.