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4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 25, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Accused tried to pass off stench as burnt hamburgers Continued from page 1 "Most of the body was missing, and is still missing today," Goodman said, adding some of the destruction of the body was through "boiling and freezing some parts." A bathtub filled with kitty litter "soaking up bodily fluids," saws and more will come out through testimony, pictures and video over the course of the trial, the crown told the jury as he outlined his case. A dark-haired man, who stands about six-feet tall, George sat expressionless in court and stared ahead during much of Thursday's testimony before Justice John Sproat. Wearing a dark suit and a blue dress shirt, only occasionally did George glance to the side at the eight-woman, four-man jury, who heard the outline of the case from both sides. In his opening address, Goodman painted a picture of Helen ­ the eldest of three Arsoniadis siblings ­ as "a petite woman" who had "minor difficulties" with her personality. It's those difficulties the defence stressed, Thursday. "You will hear from witnesses of how difficult it was to live with Helen, specifically how she was predisposed to violence and aggression," O'Marra told the court. Helen was charged in 2001 with assaulting her mother, who died in 2002. O'Marra said witnesses, including Helen's sister, will show "Helen was impulsive, unpredictable and often violent over the most immaterial matters." After being charged with assaulting her mother, Helen was sent to a woman's shelter, which she was later asked to leave due to her violent behaviour, O'Marra told the jury. The defence lawyer said Helen was taken to St. Joseph's Health Centre, and "in the presence of hospital staff, she said she wanted to kill both her mother and her sister" if any charges were laid due to her past behaviour. As well as hearing of Helen's behaviour from neighbours and family, O'Marra told the jury to expect to hear about her from George himself. "George will tell you what happened that day. He'll tell you what was going through his mind," his attorney said. "He'll tell you he was faced with her aggression and he felt he had no other option than to defend himself against that aggression." Goodman told the jury that the pair had lived together since the death of their mother in 2002, first in a condo in Etobicoke, which was later sold by its owner. George, then 28 and working at the Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto, found an apartment in Oakville. He signed papers to lease it from the realtor on July 1, 2005, the crown said. That July long weekend, Helen and George moved in. SAVE THE GST EVENT! NO GST RONA PAYS THE EQUIVALENT OF THE GST MAY 26 AND 27 ONLY! ON EVERYTHING IN STORE!* * This offer is valid on May 26 and 27, 2007 only and applies to in-store merchandise and the installation program. Not applicable on special orders.The discount will be applied at the cash on the total purchase price (before taxes) of the transaction. Unpaid balances are not included in the promotion. Only purchases made by cash, debit or major credit cards are eligible.This promotion cannot be combined with any other promotion. Offer not valid to in-house or contractor accounts, or for customers with contractual agreements. Certain conditions apply. Details at participating RONA stores and at rona.ca. This offer does not apply to gift card purchases. ® TM Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by Loyalty Management Group Canada Inc. and RONA Inc. On July 3, the crown alleges, George killed his sister and "displaced and destroyed most of" her body. His arrest on July 11, 2005, was made by Constable Jeff Springstead, the first witness to take the stand Thursday. Called to the apartment that night after another tenant complained of "a pungent odour," Springstead said George told he and Sgt. Val Taylor that the bad stench was due to some burnt hamburgers. When the officers looked in his apartment to make sure everything was okay ­ Springstead and Taylor both testified that George allowed them to come in after first asking if they needed a warrant ­ the smell didn't fit the hamburger explanation, the jury heard. "As soon as he opened the door, there was a very, very strong odour of rotten meat," said Taylor, who testified after Springstead. "It's hard to describe. It's not a smell of what one might call fresh human body. It's a very rotting smell." The jury heard from both officers that one of George's kitchen sinks was filled with a "brown liquid," which George emptied at their request. Asked to describe the emotions of the accused at this time, Springstead said, "He was very somber, almost void of any emotion. Emotionally vacant, almost robotic." Springstead continued into the apartment and "the putrid odour I had noticed when I first entered had gotten a lot stronger," he said. "It smelled like decaying flesh." He walked into the bathroom and said there were "black flecks on the walls and the bathtub," which Taylor later described as what appeared to be dried blood. Taylor said she also saw the butt end of a saw resting on the bathtub's tap. "I felt like some sort of violent act of some sort had occurred in the apartment at that time," Taylor told the court. George's explanation for the scene in the bathroom, Springstead said, was that "he had got a groundhog from the field, brought it home and cooked it." Taylor said an arrest was then made for investigative detention. "At that point, I still did not know if it was human or animal," she said. After George was taken into custody, Taylor opened the freezer in his apartment. "On the center shelf, there was a number of pieces of what appeared to be meat, wrapped in saran wrap, with no labels or anything," she said, adding the bottom two shelves also held two plastic bags. The unwrapping of the bag is shown on video, which the jury will later see, and Goodman warned is the most graphic part of the trial. Over the next few weeks, the crown will present other videos from local stores like Home Depot and Canadian Tire that he says show George buying items like saws, kitty litter and more, as well as security videos from the condominium. Some friends, family members and coworkers of the accused will take the stand later in the trial. It resumes today with a forensic officer who was on scene expected to take the stand. For daily coverage, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com.