Police, doctor criticized at Haven Dubois inquest

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Mere hours after medical professionals were unable to resuscitate her son, Richelle Dubois says his death was being called an “accidental drowning” on a TV newscast.

On May 20, 2015, 14-year old Haven Dubois was found unresponsive in Pilot Butte Creek on the east end of Regina. Efforts to revive him failed.

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At the first day of an inquest into the death, held Monday at the Royal Hotel in Regina, Richelle testified she was the one who found the boy in the water.

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She tearfully explained the traumatic situation and wondered aloud how much investigation police had done in the hours following the death if it was already deemed accidental on the evening news.

As her emotional testimony continued, Richelle told her lawyer, Rheana Worme, about how she made efforts to gather more information from police about their investigation. The inquest heard that after she “camped out” in front of the Regina Police Service headquarters, she and other family members were eventually given brief access to “binders” of material related to the investigation.

Worme put to her that some graffiti related to the death was reported on a pathway. One scrawled message said “I killed Haven,” and another in the same colour chalk was a “tag” that said “Krafty,” Worme suggested.

Richelle told Worme — and later told police lawyer ShayAnne Surtees — that she only learned about the graffiti upon viewing the police material long after her son’s death.

Haven’s mother also told Worme of a suspicious person in black clothes “watching” her home after the death, which Richelle said she reported to police. She also testified that she went “canvassing around the neighbourhood,” and talked with people who said they’d seen some things, but said police hadn’t yet spoken to them.

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Richelle testified about “getting the runaround” as she sought information from police and the coroner, telling Worme that she didn’t know if a formal witness statement was ever taken from her. However, she later acknowledged to her lawyer that she’d given a recorded statement in January 2016.

Under questions from Surtees, Richelle said she did not recall receiving a number of calls from police, but said investigators knew where she lived.

“Did they show up at my door?” the mother asked Surtees.

Richelle acknowledged that she eventually was granted meetings with police about the investigation but she remained critical of their efforts, wondering aloud how diligent officers had been.

Richelle’s criticism of how her son’s death was handled extended to the work done by medical professionals.

The mother questioned why a fresh scratch that she testified seeing on her son’s face when she pulled him from the water wasn’t documented in any materials.

On Tuesday, the inquest heard from Dr. Amer Khalifa, who performed the autopsy. He testified that there were scrapes on both of Haven’s knees but no injuries to the boy’s neck or head.

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No bruising, no scratches, no trauma, he told coroner’s counsel Robin Ritter.

After this comment, Richelle rose from her seat.

“There was marks on his elbows and his face!” she insisted, as she hurried out of the room.

Bloodwork showed that trace amounts of the active chemical in marijuana was found in Haven’s blood. Khalifa testified that while effects of the substance are “variable,” it can cause “paranoia” or “irrational behaviour” even in low doses.

However, Dr. Graham Jones, the toxicologist who analyzed the samples, confirmed to Dubois family lawyer Mark Ebert that the bloodwork could say nothing about the level of impairment Haven may have experienced.

“There is THC in the blood, but it was at a very low level, and probably would not cause any particular adverse effect,” he concluded.

Khalifa testified that drowning was “likely” what caused the boy’s death.

Ebert, who challenged Khalifa on multiple fronts, asked whether Haven exhibited any sign of “pruning” in his hands or feet, such as one might get from sitting in a bathtub.

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It wasn’t documented, the doctor responded.

Further, he hadn’t documented any marks on the boy’s upper arm but, when shown a photo by Ebert, he acknowledged there were “pink areas” on the arm.

However, Khalifa maintained there was no evidence of trauma causing death.

Ebert asked whether there was a way someone could be held forcibly under water without receiving bruising or other evidence.

“Maybe,” Khalifa responded.

The inquest is scheduled to continue Wednesday.

bharder@postmedia.com

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