Snelson takes the stand

Update Tuesday Sept. 27:  Neil Snelson took the stand today as the defence begins putting on its case.

​A packed courthouse listened as Snelson recounted his actions from Friday, October 15, 1993.

​He admitted he went with friends to Iggy's night club and then to the party on Richter.

​"I met a girl called Teri in the backyard and kissed her for 15 minutes."

​Snelson then said he went inside the party house for a while and then he went outside where he met another girl who went back to his truck with him. Sneslon says they had sex on the seat of the truck, but he does not know who the girl was.

Afterwards Snelson said he and the girl went inside and he never saw her again. He reported he left the party with his friend Bart and two girls, Lynn and Shawna. He says he drove them to their homes and he went to try and find other friends at Denny's but they were not there so he went home.

In 2009 he says he was questioned by two RCMP officers who said they found DNA on the victim and they found a match.

"I was hoping the answer was no (that it wasn't mine), but I didn't know if the girl I had sex with was Miss Cusworth."

Then his lawyer asked him about the questionnaire the RCMP had given to people at the party and Snelson reiterated how he filled out the document.

On the question, "Did you cause the death of Jennifer Cusworth?" he said he answered "No".

On the question, "Did you take part in the death of Jennifer Cusworth?" he again said his answer was "No".

​The trial is continuing and we will have more details as the case progresses.

The odds that someone other than Neil Snelson's DNA was found in swab samples taken from Jennifer Cusworth is 1 in 36 Trillion.

Photo: Contributed - Facebook

Neil Snelson

This evidence was presented as part of the final day of testimony on behalf of the Crown in the first degree murder trial of Neil Snelson at the Kelowna Court House.

The testimony came Monday from Dr. Norma Szakacs, a forensics expert employed by the RCMP Forensics Lab in Regina. Her lab is part of an investigative network known as the Evidence Recovery Unit.

These units are staffed by personnel specially trained in the testing of DNA and the application of statistical weight to match samples. They analyze biological samples taken from a crime scene and attempt to create a "DNA profile" from the evidence gathered.

Dr. Szakacs earned her PhD from the University of Regina and later taught biology at the university before joining the RCMP forensic lab in 1990.

She explained to the court the basic science behind the profiling of DNA and also described just how precisely they can compare sample.

By identifying "repeat patterns" in the code embedded into each DNA sample, they are able to determine a match due to the unique nature of each DNA.

In the lab, nine different areas of a DNA sample are examined and the person's gender is determined. Dr. Szakacs explained that while it's not unusual for one area to be a match to a sample taken from another person, the odds of more matches grows exponentially.

Therefore, in the case of two samples being identical matches through all nine testing areas and sex, the odds reach into the trillions.

When comparing a known sample of DNA from Snelson, with that of the male DNA identified from swabs taken from the body of Jennifer Cusworth, forensic investigators found a match.

Dr. Szakacs says the chance of the samples her lab tested coming from someone other than Snelson are "one in 36 trillion from the rectal swab and one in 75 billion from the vaginal swab."

Testing of fingernails and fingernail scrapings taken from Cusworth revealed no usable DNA samples.

After a short recess, the second witness of the day, Ronald Glave, took the stand.

Glave had come forward to police after hearing about the murder through the media.

While admitting that today, he had no complete recollection of the events that night, he recited his testimony from his original statement given on October 20, 1993.

Glave said he heard about the house party on Richter Street while attending Gotcha's nightclub on Friday October 15, 1993.

He said he was introduced to Jennifer Cusworth just a short time before she went missing. Glave testified he was introduced by Faith Klinksiek, who had earlier testified that she was planning on taking Cusworth home, but lost sight of her and was never able to locate her again.

He said he was introduced around 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 16, standing outside the Richter Street home. Faith then asked him to watch Jennifer while she went to find a ride home.

When asked by the crown, Glave said "It was apparent to me that she (Cusworth) had had a few drinks...she needed watching over by someone who could make better decisions."

He also described her as being in a good mood, "but a bit impatient and she wanted to leave because she wasn't feeling well."

Glave eventually left Cusworth to try and locate Klinksiek, but was unable to do so. He returned outside, and noticed Cusworth returning back inside the house. He would never see her again.

He and Faith searched the surrounding area after she went missing, but were unable to find any sign her in or near the property.

Under cross examination by the Defence, Glave also testified that he had consumed between nine and 12 beer that night. He also noticed four other "fairly aggressive and quite drunk" men who left the party around 4:30 a.m., left for about 45 minutes and then returned to the party around 5:15. He thought it was odd that they would leave and return at that time of the morning.

After Glave finished his testimony, the Crown announced it had concluded it's case. The Defence says it is now ready to present evidence in the case.

The trial will resume at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.