PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "At trial, Dr. Michael Pollanen, Ontario’s chief forensic pathologist, testified that the autopsy performed on Bill was not as thorough as it should have been and that it was his opinion Bill had been assaulted before he died. Fattore’s lawyer argued the original cause of death was the correct one. Bridget, 63, was a beloved educator who worked as a teacher, principal and superintendent, primarily in the Peel school board. She was found dead at the bottom of a staircase on the main floor of the family home on April 21, 2010, the day before she was to testify in Merritt’s parental abduction hearing. Her cause of death was listed as “neck injuries” including neck compression, but it appears police favoured the theory that she had fallen down the stairs. The investigation into her death “stalled, and then eventually stopped altogether,” Crown counsel Eric Taylor said in his opening argument at trial last September. On Aug. 23, 2013, Caleb was found dead in his bedroom in the house on Pitch Pine Cres. Only then did police take a closer look at the deaths of his parents. “Answers are important to fully honour the lives of those we have lost, and to help us reach closure,” the Harrison and Blackwell families said in their statement Saturday. “We feel it is important to shed light on any failures or other shortcomings in the investigative process, to ensure that corrective actions are taken by the public institutions involved, such as the police, coroners, and forensic services, so that no family has to endure the anguish we have suffered.”
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STORY: "Mississauga mom and her spouse found guilty of first-degree murder in killing of ex-husband," by reporter Amy Dempsey, published by The Toronto Star on January 13, 2018.
SUB-HEADING: "Melissa
Merritt and partner Christopher Fattore were found guilty in the 2013
murder of her ex-husband Caleb Harrison at a Brampton courtroom
Saturday. Fattore was also ruled guilty in the 2010 murder of Bridget
Harrison, Merritt’s former mother-in-law, and not guilty in the 2009
death of her former father-in-law, Bill Harrison."
GIST: "Three
members of the same family were found dead in their Mississauga home
over a five-year span, but the deaths of Bill and Bridget Harrison were
not considered murders until after their son Caleb was killed years
later. Now, after a Brampton jury on Saturday delivered guilty
verdicts in the disturbing triple murder trial, a group of extended
family members are speaking out for the first time to share their
concerns about the earlier death investigations. “We are haunted
by lingering questions about the investigative and forensic handling of
the deaths of Bill and Bridget Harrison,” the Harrison and Blackwell
families said in a statement. “We need time to process the verdicts, reflect, and determine the best avenues to address our questions.” Two
dozen members of the Harrison family — a group of siblings, aunts,
uncles and cousins who have had questions for nearly a decade about how
their loved ones died — steeled themselves Saturday as a jury foreman
read the verdicts in the courtroom. Melissa Merritt, a
Mississauga mother of six, and Christopher Fattore, her common-law
spouse, were found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2013 death of
Caleb Harrison, Merritt’s ex-husband. Merritt,
37, was also charged with first-degree murder in the 2010 death of her
former mother-in-law, Bridget Harrison. On that count the court declared
a mistrial after the jury could not agree on a verdict. Fattore,
40, was found guilty of murdering both Caleb Harrison and Bridget
Harrison. The jury declared him not guilty of second-degree murder in
the 2009 death of Bill Harrison, a charge he faced alone. “Today’s
verdicts bring some relief, but the pain and sorrow we have experienced
through the tragic loss of the Harrison family . . . will remain with
us, in our hearts and minds, forever,” the family statement said. The
Crown alleged the Harrisons were killed at key moments in an
acrimonious custody dispute with Merritt, who had two children with
Caleb. Police did not classify the 2009 and 2010 deaths of Bill and
Bridget as homicides until after Caleb was killed in 2013. The
12-member jury delivered its verdicts after 11 weeks of testimony, three
days of closing arguments, a four-day charge by Superior Court Justice
Fletcher Dawson, and three days of deliberations. Merritt, who
pleaded not guilty to the charges, hung her head and cried quietly after
the verdicts were read. Her father sat in the courtroom with his arms
crossed, eyes wet. Joel Hechter, Merritt’s lawyer, declined to comment. Prosecutors
alleged that Merritt and Fattore conspired together to kill Bridget and
Caleb but Fattore alone committed the acts. Hechter argued there was no
evidence Merritt killed or planned to kill anyone. Fattore
pleaded not guilty to murder, but attempted to plead guilty to
manslaughter in Caleb’s death. He showed no emotion when he verdict was
read. Crown prosecutors Eric Taylor and Brian McGuire declined to
comment on the verdict and whether they might appeal the decision on
Bill’s death or seek to re-prosecute Merritt on the charge in Bridget’s
death. First-degree murder, which means a murder that is planned
and deliberate, comes with a mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison
without parole. At trial, Fattore testified that he did kill his
wife’s ex unintentionally after sneaking into his home in the middle of
the night with a baseball bat. He admitted to the planned and deliberate
murders of both Caleb and Bridget in an interview with police after his
2014 arrest — saying he killed them on his own, without Merritt’s
knowledge — but recanted that statement at trial, saying the confession
was forced. “We are disappointed with some aspects of the
verdicts,” said Jennifer Myers, Fattore’s defence lawyer. “It was likely
difficult for the jury to accept that Mr. Fattore falsely confessed.” Caleb
Harrison married Melissa Merritt in 2003. They had two children
together and were separated in 2005 after he was charged with domestic
assault. Soon after, he was involved in a drunk driving crash that left a
taxi driver dead. Friends and family say that by the time of Caleb’s
death at 40 he had turned his life around and was a devoted and loving
father. Merritt met Fattore after she split with Caleb and over the next several years they had four children of their own. On
April 16, 2009, Bill Harrison died suddenly at age 64, while Caleb was
serving a jail sentence for the impaired driving death. It was the same
day Merritt and Fattore fled Ontario with the children in contravention
of a court order that gave Bill and Bridget their son’s share of custody
while he was incarcerated. Bill, an analyst for Sobeys, was a
strong role model to his son, nieces and nephews. He volunteered as a
baseball coach and Big Brother. His family was devastated by his death,
which was unexpected but not considered suspicious at the time. The
cause was listed as “acute cardiac arrhythmia.” At trial, Dr.
Michael Pollanen, Ontario’s chief forensic pathologist, testified that
the autopsy performed on Bill was not as thorough as it should have been
and that it was his opinion Bill had been assaulted before he died.
Fattore’s lawyer argued the original cause of death was the correct one. Bridget, 63, was a beloved educator who worked as a teacher,
principal and superintendent, primarily in the Peel school board. She
was found dead at the bottom of a staircase on the main floor of the
family home on April 21, 2010, the day before she was to testify in
Merritt’s parental abduction hearing. Her cause of death was
listed as “neck injuries” including neck compression, but it appears
police favoured the theory that she had fallen down the stairs. The
investigation into her death “stalled, and then eventually stopped altogether,” Crown counsel Eric Taylor said in his opening argument at
trial last September. On Aug. 23, 2013, Caleb was found dead in
his bedroom in the house on Pitch Pine Cres. Only then did police take a
closer look at the deaths of his parents. “Answers are important
to fully honour the lives of those we have lost, and to help us reach
closure,” the Harrison and Blackwell families said in their statement
Saturday. “We feel it is important to shed light on any failures
or other shortcomings in the investigative process, to ensure that
corrective actions are taken by the public institutions involved, such
as the police, coroners, and forensic services, so that no family has to
endure the anguish we have suffered.”
The entire story can be found at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
