Photo: Contributed

An expert witness testified Wednesday on how Jillian McKinty may have died.

An expert witness testifying at the B.C. Supreme Court trial of a man accused of the 2015 manslaughter of an Armstrong woman delved into the medical reasons of how the victim may have died.

Logan Scott is charged in connection with the Nov. 27, 2013 death of Jillian McKinty who was found in her home at Wolfenden Terrace in Armstrong. McKinty was 27 when she died.

Under questioning in a voir dire hearing at the Vernon courthouse, Dr. Anny Sauvageau, the former chief medical health officer of Alberta, spent a lot of time explaining what couldn't have happened to McKinty and agreed with the pathologist's finding that the victim died of asphyxia.

The voir dire hearing, in which the judge must rule on whether or not Sauvageau's evidence is admissible, began after the defence expressed grave concern about the doctor's expertise when it came to this particular case.

During her testimony, Sauvageau said McKinty's death was neither manual strangulation nor smothering.

Under questioning by Crown Counsel, Sauvageau explained how a person could be strangled without marks or trace evidence showing up afterward.

In the case of someone consenting to be strangled during sex, Sauvageau said a person would lose consciousness within 10 seconds if firm, even pressure was applied, but the person who was applying that pressure might not notice until some time after the 14-second mark when convulsions would begin.

“I know by the end, she is not pulling it herself,” Sauvageau said.