Two of the women Cody Alan Legebokoff is alleged to have murdered likely consumed cocaine within a short time before their deaths, his trial heard Friday.
Christine Dagenais, qualified as an expert witness in forensic toxicology, said the drug was found in the fluid collected from the body of Jill Stacey Stuchenko and in a portion of a kidney from the body of Cynthia Frances Maas.
The body of Stuchenko, 35, was found Oct. 26, 2009 in a gravel pit near the corner of Foothills Boulevard and Otway Road and the body of Maas, 35, was found in L.C. Gunn Park nearly a year later on Oct. 9, 2010.
In addition to cocaine and cocaine metabolites - the chemicals produced when the drug is broken down in the body - Dagenais said she found Lavamisole in Stuchenko's blood. Levamisole was described as a prescription drug used for deworming people but is no longer available in Canada due to side effects. However, Dagenais said it continues to be found as a cutting agent in cocaine.
Stuchenko likely smoked the cocaine sometime within five hours of her death, and one of the metabolites found suggested she had been consuming in a "binge type manner," Dagenais said, but could not say how much was ingested or if Stuchenko was a chronic user.
Because Maas' body was so decomposed, Dagenais said she could only report the presence of cocaine and metabolites in the sample provided to her but added Maas likely smoked the drug within 12 hours of her death. Traces of cannabis and an antidepressant were also found, Dagenais said.
Smoking cocaine either in crack form or in its purer freebase form means the euphoria hits the brain more quickly and with more intensity than when inhaled in powdered form, Dagenais said. But the euphoria will not last as long and can lead the user to continue smoking every 15 to 20 minutes to maintain the high and prevent the crash until the user falls asleep from exhaustion. A binge can last from several hours to three days before exhaustion sets in, the court was told.
"The dose may increase during the binge so they're achieving that euphoria because they're always chasing that initial rush," Dagenais said. "That's why it leads to abuse of the drug in the binge fashion."
Another forensic toxicologist, Ronald Pon, went over his report on Loren Donn Leslie, 15, whose body was found off Highway 27 on Nov. 27, 2010 shortly after Legebokoff had been pulled over for speeding. The discovery sparked the investigation that has led to the trial that began June 2.
Pon said he found a low concentration of alcohol in Leslie's blood and traces of an antidepressant. Leslie had been taking medication for psychiatric troubles, the court heard in earlier testimony.
Both Dagenais and Pon work for the RCMP.
Legebokoff is also accused of murdering Natasha Lynn Montgomery, 23, who went missing in September 2010 shortly after her release from Prince George Regional Correctional Centre and whose body has never been found.
The trial resumes Monday at the Prince George courthouse, starting at 9:30 a.m.
