Overview
- Claire Haldane told the court her sister had fallen out with Donald Excell after he accused relatives of facilitating a paedophile ring and that he became “raging,” struck her car and frightened Rita.
- Haldane said Excell liked to “have the last word,” and she described finding her sister and performing CPR after being asked to check on her following a dropped phone call.
- Prosecutors allege Excell entered via an unlocked back door and struck Rita at least four times with an axe, with one blow piercing her heart in an attack lasting under three minutes.
- Police recovered a Gransfors Brux Small Forest Axe and sheath from a pond in October, and a pathologist said the fatal wounds were consistent with that blade; records show Excell bought the same model in 2019.
- DNA under Rita’s fingernails included profiles of three men and was compared to Excell using an alternative method the Crown says requires caution, while Excell denies the killing, disputes CCTV identification and has offered no alibi.