Emerging evidence clouds timeline in Fort Erie double homicide trial

The Fort Erie double homicide trial could end next week or next year as new forensic evidence and autopsy findings deepen questions about what happened inside the Niagara Parkway rental home.

The case in Superior Court in Welland concerns who shot and killed Christine Crooks, 18, of Toronto and Juliana Pannunzio, 20, of Windsor on January 19, 2021, at a short-term rental property in Fort Erie.

On Tuesday, the Niagara Falls Review reported Justice James Ramsay warned he will pause the proceedings for two weeks if the jury is not finished by December 19.

Ramsay told the six-man, six-woman jury that the holiday break would be mandatory if the evidence and legal arguments could not be completed by the deadline. The trial began in October, and testimony has been heard from several people who attended the party; none have said they saw the shooting take place or could identify the shooter.

Dr. Christopher Ball, a forensic pathologist with the Office of the Chief Coroner, is responsible for 13 biology reports on items seized from the house.

Ball testified that Crooks sustained multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Review, including a bullet that entered the left side of her neck and exited through the right side of her body near her armpit. Another bullet entered her back and exited through her chest. She also had a gunshot wound to her hand.

Forensic scientists found Crooks’ blood in the front foyer during blood pattern analysis.

Ball told the jury there were signs of muzzle contact on Crooks’ cheek and hand. The court was shown photographs of a black jacket she was wearing with holes on both sides. Crooks’ body was found on a bed inside the waterfront home, while Pannunzio was found in a chair in the living room.

Ball also testified that what he believed to be Lucas’ DNA was found on several marijuana butts from the scene, according to reporting by CHCH. In their opening remarks, the Crown had said the joints found next to the bodies of the two young women were a key piece of evidence.

Though none of the partygoers have said they witnessed the crime, two have been found guilty of obstruction of justice: Trevor Barnett and Heidi Bahler.

Bahler, 33, who rented the property for Barnett’s 29th birthday, testified she was in a car when she heard loud noises and saw people leaving. Audio of a nine-minute 911 call she made about an hour after the shooting was previously played in court.

Bahler told the operator she heard “some stuff” but did not mention any gunshots or other information to imply she was aware of the crime that happened about an hour prior. She pleaded guilty in 2024 to obstruction of justice for giving police false information and received time served and probation.

The Review reported Barnett of Scarborough told the jury both women were alive when he left the Niagara Parkway home. Police later seized his shoes, and testing found one victim’s blood on a shoelace. Barnett was originally charged with two counts of murder, but the charges were withdrawn after a preliminary hearing.

The court has heard Crooks was invited to the party by Lucas, then a 22-year-old Toronto rapper known as “El Plaga.” Pannunzio’s only link to the event was through Crooks.

Investigators with Niagara Regional Police have testified about phone records, clothing and video gathered under “Project Parkway,” including surveillance showing people entering the house and items later seized in Toronto, Richmond Hill and Oakville.

The Crown is expected to continue calling witnesses into mid-December. If the schedule holds, jurors could begin deliberations next week.

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