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Surrey man dismembered roommate, froze parts, Crown alleges

Ernest Hosack on trial for the 2008 murder of Richard Falardeau.
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RCMP officers examine the scene near 92 Avenue and King George Boulevard where Richard Falardeau's skull was found in November 2008.

Warning: This story contains graphic content.

 

The stench was overwhelming and hundreds of flies – dead and alive – were everywhere the summer day police arrived to the house where Ernest Hosack and Richard Falardeau once shared a suite.

Investigators soon found the source of the foul smell: inside a closet was a suitcase containing a dismembered body. An autopsy showed it was Falardeau's and that his head was not part of the remains.

Hosack is currently on trial in New Westminster Supreme Court, charged with second-degree murder in the death of 54-year-old Falardeau nearly four years ago.

The odour was "strong," it was warm and stuffy inside the house and there were a "great abundance" of flies, Cpl. Michael Dubyk told Justice Terry Schultes on the first day of Hosack's trial. The officer said there was no immediate evidence of blood around the suite.

Dubyk was one of the first officers to arrive at the the home in the 14300 block of 88 Avenue on Aug. 21, 2008. He said he spent the day there and had just left at about 8 p.m. when he was called back.

Other investigators had found items in the home's freezer.

Cpl. Curtis Bosnell, who was working with IHIT (Integrated Homicide Investigation Team) at the time, said he was called into the suite's kitchen where a colleague had found a marshmallow bag containing two severed digits and what Bosnell said they initially believed was part of a hand.

The bag's contents were later determined to be Falardeau's two thumbs, scrotum, anus and testes.

The deceased man's skull wasn't discovered until three months later (November 2008) in a grassy area beneath a Hydro tower near 92 Avenue and King George Boulevard.

In court on Monday morning, Crown prosecutor Brad Kielmann said Hosack and Falardeau had met in a coffee shop in June 2008 and that Falardeau had moved in with Hosack. The Crown contends Hosack killed Falardeau between July 15 and 21, 2008.

On Aug. 14, 2008, Falardeau's brother reported him missing and within a week, police had a searched the house and found his remains.

Hosack, who was already jailed on unrelated charges, was arrested for Falardeau's murder in May 2009 after an interview with police in which Crown prosecutor Christopher McPherson said the accused spoke of "grandiose illusions."

During the 12-hour interview, Hosack talked about ways he could save the Earth, "nuclear cutting wire," and "terraforming," said McPherson, noting his mood swung from calm to angry. It was near the end, McPherson said, that Hosack brought up "the entity" and began talking in a deep voice, claiming to be his deceased grandfather. Speaking as the grandfather, Hosack said Falardeau's death had been quick and something that would be characterized it as murder. McPherson said Hosack said he cut off the genitalia and thumbs and "froze them in hell" because his roommate had been messing with his things for "ill will."

Throughout testimony on Monday, Hosack, wearing a white dress shirt with blue stripes, studied a thick book of evidence photos taken at the home where Falardeau, sometimes holding them close to his face to examine.

The trial continues.