A 911 call was played Thursday for the jury from the night Cheryl VanHuizen died as the first-degree murder trial of her common-law partner, Shawn Trowbridge, continued.
A 911 call was played Thursday for the jury from the night Cheryl VanHuizen died as the first-degree murder trial of her common-law partner, Shawn Trowbridge, continued.
Advertisement 2
Article content
For some members of the gallery, the conversation was difficult to listen to.
Article content
“That was awful,” one person said in a hallway outside the Sarnia courtroom during a brief break in the trial.
“That was really hard to hear,” someone agreed.
During the audio clip, which lasted several minutes, a frantic male voice identifying himself as Trowbridge says he needs an ambulance at 528 Riverside Dr. in Corunna as a woman isn’t breathing. During the next few minutes the call-taker repeatedly tells him to do chest compressions.
Woven between those directions are a series of short outbursts from the person who called.
“Please hurry!”
“She’s not breathing!”
“Wake up!”
“Please wake up!”
“Please help!”
At one point amid the panicked sentences, the fairly calm dispatcher attempts to confirm the address is 528 Riverside Dr. as emergency crews couldn’t find the house.
Advertisement 3
Article content
“582!” the man hollers back.
“582,” the call-taker responds. “You gave me the wrong address.”
VanHuizen was found dead at that address – the common-law couple of seven years had moved to the home just weeks prior – shortly after midnight on Dec. 31, 2020. The former waitress and professional cleaner, remembered by her family for her sense of humor, was 51.
Trowbridge was later charged with first-degree murder. The 54-year-old boilermaker from the Corunna-Mooretown area pleaded not guilty earlier this week, kicking off what’s expected to be a six-week trial.
As it continued Thursday, the 911 call was played in addition to the testimony of two OPP forensic identification officers, Vince Carron and Erin Babbitt, brought in to investigate that morning nearly three years ago. Carron, who started testing late Wednesday afternoon after several of VanHuizen’s family members took the stand, led the jury through a series of photos of Trowbridge at police headquarters hours after his arrest.
Advertisement 4
Article content
Shirtless in some of them, he appears to have a red mark on his neck.
Babbitt guided the jury through a detailed 20-minute video of the interior and exterior of the house shot the day VanHuizen died and from several more days in January 2021. The only person seen in the photos was VanHuizen, but her body, on the floor in the master bedroom, mostly was covered by a white blanket.
The door to that room formed a key part of Thursday afternoon’s prosecution. Through questions from assistant Crown attorney Siobhan Dundon, Babbitt showed the jury close-up photos and measurements of damage to the inside and outside of the master bedroom door. There were several large cracks on both sides and above the latch to the door, which did not have a lock.
Advertisement 5
Article content
The door itself, seized on Jan. 4, 2021, through a warrant, was brought into the courtroom and stood up by assistant Crown attorney Jonathan Lall and a police officer for the jury to view firsthand. It had greyish black smear marks on both sides, which Babbitt explained was magnetic powder she applied to examine it, but no fingerprint ridge details or patterns were found.
Babbitt also showed the jury a photo of a pair of eyeglasses with no lenses and the left arm missing. One of the lenses was found on the floor of the master bedroom while the broken-off arm was discovered around the back of VanHuizen’s hairline during the post-mortem examination, Babbitt testified.
Late Thursday afternoon, defense lawyer Tyler MacDonald cross-examined Babbitt about the photos including the master bedroom and its door, but also bathrooms and the garage, where contents of a lunch pail were strewn about on the floor.
The trial continues Friday.
Trowbridge initially was charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was later upgraded to first-degree. He’s out of custody as he was released on $170,000 lease in December 2021.
Article content
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to one hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.