Christopher Garnier says he vomited and his vision blurred after watching off-duty police officer Catherine Campbell open her eyes and gasp her last breath during a sexual encounter in which she had asked to be slapped and choked.
Garnier, 30, began testifying in his own defence Monday at his second-degree murder trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax. He is also accused of interfering with human remains. He has pleaded not guilty to both counts.
In his opening remarks to the jury, defence lawyer Joel Pink called Campbell's death an "unfortunate accident" during "rough sex" she had initiated at a Halifax apartment in the early hours of Sept. 11, 2015.
Garnier testified he met Campbell at the Alehouse, a downtown Halifax bar, and the two returned to an apartment on McCully Street.
It's there, Garnier testified, that Campbell asked if he was into domination and asked him to choke her. He initially didn't reply, Garnier testified, because he was caught off guard and had never been into rough sex.
Campbell asked him to choke her and Garnier testified he put both his hands on her neck for about 30 seconds. He testified he would have stopped if she had asked him to. But she didn't.
He said they then moved to the den, to a pullout couch. In the courtroom, Garnier demonstrated what happened next by lying on a table. He showed how Campbell laid across the bed and he laid on top with his right arm on her neck.
Catherine Campbell, an off-duty police officer with the Truro Police Service, was found dead near Halifax's Macdonald Bridge in on September 2015. (CBC)
Garnier then told the court Campbell asked him to slap her and reassured him it was alright. He said he slapped her three times fast with the back of his hand. He told the court he looked at her body, and not her face, because he was embarrassed.
Campbell then grabbed his arm, Garnier testified, and pushed it down on her throat. Garnier said he felt his arm was wet and warm. He looked and saw there was blood.
He went to get a towel. He said when he came back she was still lying there. He then tried to pick her up. Her eyes opened and Garnier said he could hear her gasp her last breath.
Garnier then told the court he got up and stood in the doorway; his vision was blurry and he felt sick to his stomach. He never called 911 or tried CPR.
Garnier testified he doesn't remember loading Campbell's body into a green compost bin and dumping her at a steep embankment near the Macdonald Bridge, where she was found five days later.
He said he was panicked and everything felt "loud." He remembers folding the couch mattress to get it through the back door and glimpses of the Macdonald Bridge, but nothing else until his friend woke him the next morning.
'Acute stress disorder'
Defence lawyer Joel Pink told jurors in his opening remarks that a psychiatrist will testify why Garnier can't remember details from the night Campbell died and that he has "acute stress disorder," which explains some of his actions. The psychiatrist will also explain erotic asphyxiation, Pink said.
The Crown announced Monday that after nearly two weeks of testimony and 37 witnesses it was closing its case against Garnier.
The trial is scheduled to run until Dec. 21.
Blair Rhodes is live blogging from court. Mobile users can view the blog here.
