Tires from Manitoba ravine raised at biker slaying trial

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This article was published 15/08/2009 (6140 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONDON, Ont. — All tracks seemed to lead back to Wayne Kellestine’s southwestern Ontario farm, a footwear and tire impression expert testified Friday at the trial of six men accused of murdering eight Toronto Bandidos.

John Norman, a senior forensic analyst with the Ontario Provincial Police, said he used casts of tire impressions that were found by identification officers in the dirt laneway at Kellestine’s farm.

He compared them with a set of tires found in a ravine outside Winnipeg and tires from a site a few kilometres from Kellestine’s farm where four vehicles carrying the dead men were found.

He could not make a conclusive match on any tread but said he “could not exclude” them.

The four Winnipeg tires fit accused Michael Sandham’s red GMC Jimmy, he said. And those tires could not be excluded from the Kellestine driveway tire marks.

Sandham’s lawyer, Gord Cudmore, said his client already admitted the Jimmy was at the farm April 8, 2006.

The jury has heard that Sandham was seen buying new tires for the vehicle from a Walmart in Selkirk just days after he returned from Ontario, and then dumping his old tires into a ravine.

Assistant Crown attorney Joseph Perfetto asked Norman about the fuel level in an Infiniti SUV owned by victim Jamie Flanz that was found abandoned.

Norman said investigators were able to siphon gas from all the vehicles except the Infiniti.

“There was not enough fuel to siphon out,” he said.

The jury has heard from the Crown’s star witness, M.H., a former Winnipeg Bandido whose identity is protected, that the vehicles were left 14 kilometres from the Kellestine farm because one of them had run out of gas.

Cross-examination of Norman is expected on Tuesday.

— London Free Press