‘I was covered in the victim’s blood’: Saskatoon police officer testifies about frantic homicide scene

In a Saskatoon murder trial on Wednesday, court heard from the first police officer on the scene. Laura Woodward has the story.

A Saskatoon police officer described a chaotic crime scene — people moving between rooms, a woman screaming, and a man covered in blood.

Const. Erin Anthony was the first officer to arrive to 238 Avenue K North on Feb. 10, 2024, responding to a 6:47 a.m. call for an injured person.

Anthony testified it smelled like copper pennies when she walked into the house, where she found 48-year-old Arden Panipekeesick slumped over a washing machine, covered in blood and suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck.

Anthony said his clothing was “completely soaked through with bright red blood. There was blood smeared on the washing machine, the floor, the wall.”

“To me, bright red blood indicates an arterial bleed.”

Anthony said Panipekeesick’s wife, Eva Pritchard, was holding his head and screaming repeatedly, describing her as hysterical and upset.

Katlim Desjarlais-Kelly, 23, is charged with second-degree murder. Anthony was the second Crown witness to testify in his jury trial at Saskatoon’s Court of King’s Bench.

The officer said Panipekeesick wasn’t breathing when she arrived. She did CPR until paramedics got to the scene.

“I was covered, pretty much head to toe, in the victim’s blood,” Anthony said, referring to blood transfer while administering chest compressions.

“I didn’t want to touch anything and potentially disrupt any evidence.”

Panipekeesick was pronounced dead about 10 minutes after Anthony arrived.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

During testimony Desjarlais-Kelly sat in the prisoner’s box wearing a white dress shirt and glasses.

Crown prosecutor Lee Hnatiuk asked Anthony whether she saw a firearm, ammunition or shell casings inside the home.

“No,” she replied.

Court heard Panipekeesick and his wife lived in the basement of the home.

On Tuesday, Pritchard testified she did not know Desjarlais-Kelly well and had only met him a few times as a guest of her roommates.

The trial is expected to continue Thursday.