Kalen Schlatter breaks down in court as images of Tess Richey's body shown at murder trial
Schlatter has been charged with 1st-degree murder in Richey's death
The man accused of strangling Tess Richey broke down in court Tuesday as images of her body lying limp at the bottom of an outdoor stairwell in Toronto's Gay Village were shown for the first time at his trial.
Kalen Schlatter, 23, held a hand to his face and appeared to cry as court saw pictures of the scene where Richey's body was found at 582 Church St. in November of 2017.
Many of Richey's family members, including her mother, quickly left the courtroom before the pictures were shown. Schlatter wiped his eyes with a tissue at one point, as photos of Richey's body were displayed on a monitor in front of him.
Richey, 22, was reported missing in November 2017 after a night out in the Church and Wellesley area. Schlatter, 23, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in connection with her death.
The photos showed Richey's body was fully clothed, though Const. Rob Chevalier of Toronto police said her pants were pulled up a few inches after she was examined by the coroner to "give her some dignity."
The photos showed Richey's face had turned blue by the time she was found, and there appeared to be a wound or abrasion above her left eye. Her body was first spotted by Ann Brazeau, who testified in court last week.
"[Her face] was so blue … I didn't want to look at it for very long," she said last Friday.
DNA found on clothing
Richey's jacket could be seen in the photos lying next to her at the concrete landing at the bottom of the stairs. Both her cell phone in a polka dot case and her pink purse also lay next to her.
The photos also showed what appeared to be gravel dust on her clothes and in her hair. A gravel pile could be seen next to the stairwell in other photos.
In her opening address to the jury, Assistant Crown Attorney Bev Richards said Schlatter's DNA was found on Richey's pants and bra.
She also said surveillance video shows Schlatter leading Richey to the stairwell of a building under construction around 4:14 a.m. on Nov. 25 — around the same time she was supposed to get into an Uber.
Richards said the video, which is expected to be presented at trial, will then show Schlatter leaving the area alone 45 minutes later.
Friend testifies she kissed Schlatter
Later in the day, the jury heard from Richey's friend Ryley Simard, who was out with both Richey and Schlatter on Nov. 25.
She testified that she and Richey were friends in high school when they were living in North Bay, Ont., and they wanted to reconnect.
The pair went to Church Street nightclub Crews and Tangos that night, she said.
"[We] drank, danced, and had fun," Simard said.
At one point, Assistant Crown Attorney Jennifer Stanton asked Simard, "Who is Kalen Schlatter?"
After a long pause, Simard simply responded, "a guy."
Simard's testimony offered very few concrete details about the night Richey vanished. She said both she and Richey were "quite intoxicated," and that Richey was kicked out of the bar at the end of the night for being loud.
She also told the jury she remembered chatting with Schlatter outside the club, and kissing him at the corner of Church and Wellesley streets.
But for the most part, many of her answers to questions from both the Crown and the defence were just, "I don't recall."
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