THUNDER BAY – Almost immediately after being placed under arrest for suspicion of murder, Monica Spence told the lead police investigator the man she was accused of killing had sexually assaulted her.
Spence, along with Daniel Debassige, are on trial for second-degree murder in the homicide of 62-year-old Richard Spence, who was found dead on the bedroom floor of his Secord Street apartment during the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 2014.
Testifying on Wednesday, Thunder Bay Police Service Det. Ian West said Monica Spence told him “he raped me, he raped me” when placing her under arrest for second-degree murder in the killing of Richard Spence.
Crime scene photos presented to the court on Tuesday showed Richard Spence lying face down with his head turned to the side in a pool of blood. As well, his pants were down below his waist and his belt appeared to be undone.
The court heard on Tuesday that Richard Spence had suffered 74 separate injuries, 44 of which were to his head and neck area. Pathologist Dr. Kona Williams had previously testified the combination of facial injuries from blunt force trauma, alcohol intoxication, blood in the airways and heart disease all contributed to the death of Spence.
Monica Spence was arrested in the afternoon, a little more than 12 hours after the body of Richard Spence was found. Investigators had received a tip that Monica Spence had some involvement in the case, with further information that was provided giving West grounds to make an arrest.
Spence, who had been drinking prior to her arrest, was taken to the Balmoral Street police station. She was interviewed early the next morning but declined to answer questions or elaborate on her claim of being a victim of sexual assault.
Following a video court appearance later in the day, she was remanded to the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre where she requested a sexual assault kit. Spence was taken to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre where the sexual assault kit was completed but she did not sign the necessary documentation to allow hospital staff to turn the evidence over to police.
When asked by a detective who the alleged assailant was, she said it was Richard Spence.
“That was the only information she provided to us,” West said.
But as the 12 jurors who have been tasked with deciding the case heard, that was not the first time allegations were made that Monica Spence had been a victim of sexual violence committed by Richard Spence.
Crown prosecutor Rob Kozak entered a transcript of a 2007 court hearing where Richard Spence pleaded guilty to sexual assault against Monica Spence into evidence as an exhibit. According to that transcript, Monica Spence had fallen asleep after consuming alcohol and had awoken to Richard Spence touching her genitals with his fingers. She then threw him off the bed and pushed him out the door before calling police.
Spence was penalized with a 15-month conditional sentence, which included abstaining from alcohol and not having any contact with Monica Spence. At the time, Monica Spence said she wanted nothing further to do with Richard Spence.
The sentencing judge in that case noted Richard Spence had previously served 10 months in jail for an “indecent assault” in 1995. No further information about that incident was revealed in court.
The court also heard testimony from OPP Const. John Frankcom, who was certified as an expert witness on bloodstain pattern analysis.
Frankcom had analyzed photos from the Secord Street crime scene and came to four conclusions about a number of blood spatter patterns in the apartment.
Two distinct patterns on the left and right end of the front side of the bedroom door would have come from at least one impact near the floor level. However, Frankcom said he could not determine whether those two bloodstains could have come from the same blow.
As well, he determined the path of the black, dried bloodstains on the floor underneath the door suggests it was open at the time of impact, noting there was no evidence of blood on the back of the door.
Finally, he came to the conclusion a number of blood spatter patterns found throughout the bedroom, including on two walls, pillowcases and the bed sheet, came from an “unknown spatter event.”
Frankcom also found transfer blood stains on the apartment door, refrigerator, stove, living room wall and on top of the stove and handle surfaces as well as blood all over the floor. However, he could not conclusively say whether the blood on the floor could have been caused by the body of Spence being dragged.
The trial continues on Thursday with Kozak expecting to complete his case on Friday.
