It was when he couldn’t get ahold of Robert ‘Bob’ Keskinen that his cousin started to worry.
That’s what Richard Keller told Sudbury court on Wednesday, as the first witness in the judge-and-jury trial of Felicity Altiman, who is accused of second-degree murder in Keskinen’s 2020 death.
Keller and his wife often made a small Christmas dinner for Bob, Keller’s cousin, and would bring it to the man’s small bachelor apartment at the former International Hotel in the Donovan. When they called to confirm that Keskinen, and this time, a guest, would be ready for dinner on Dec. 26, 2020, there was no answer.
Keller then asked property manager James Stewart to go to Keskinen’s apartment door and knock. After repeated attempts and conversations between the two, Keller went to the apartment with a key: he testified he had often changed the locks on Keskinen’s door as his cousin would lose the keys, so he always kept one for himself, just in case.
The newest lock was installed on Dec. 14 to help deter thefts at Keskinen’s apartment. When Keller opened the door with the key, both he and Stewart went inside, Keller testified.
Keller was asked by assistant Crown attorney Kaely Whillans if anything was out of place or abnormal in his room.
He said that one of the things “that really stuck in my mind” was that a pair of tan-coloured winter boots he had bought for Keskinen were missing. As well, the usual empty beer can grouping Keskinen would leave under the kitchen table when drinking was also not there.
Keller testified that looking into a room, he saw a foot, which he believed was Keskinen’s.
Keller testified he entered the room, and that “Bob’s body was sloped against the wall, sitting down.” Keller said he “I saw his face had a lot of cuts. I said ‘call 911’.”
Richard said Keskinen’s face had a badly swollen cheek, his mouth was open, and his bottom teeth were missing.
He said he and Stewart left the apartment. He said he locked the door, left the key in the lock and waited for police and paramedics to arrive.
Following an investigation, Greater Sudbury Police arrested Altiman on Jan. 4, 2021. She has remained in custody since. She was first represented by local defence attorneys Denis Michel and then Glenn Sandberg, but is now represented by Toronto lawyer Steven Hinkson.
In her opening statements, assistant Crown attorney Brittany Butler said a post-mortem determined Keskinen, 75, was found with 103 stab wounds, primarily to his head and chest. His sexual organs had also been mutilated.
“No one could have expected such a violent end for one of the residents at 517 Kathleen St.,” she said.
Butler said Altiman was known to frequent the International Hotel and on Christmas Eve had attended a social gathering in an apartment there. Witnesses saw her with a knife, Butler said.
Altiman had left the social gathering for a while and later returned with some men’s clothing and offered the items to the men there, the prosecutor said. One of the items was a pair of new men’s winter boots.
Butler said Altiman spent the night at the apartment but the next afternoon, people noticed Altiman had changed her hair colour.
Altiman then told a man she knew that she needed him to dispose of two bags of items into the outdoor garbage bin, including a pair of women’s jeans, said Butler, but the attorney told the court those jeans were not among the items in the bags. The jeans were later found by Stewart, the property manager, while he did his regular check of the building, hanging on a railing in a landing area by the rear stairwell.
The jeans were tested and found to have Keskinen’s blood on them as well as DNA from Altiman.
A sock with blood on it was found in the garbage bin. It was tested and the blood was determined to have come from Keskinen. The testing also found Altiman’s DNA.
The court also heard Altiman told a woman she knew that she would often drink with Keskinen in his apartment and after he went to bed, she would steal money from his wallet located under his pillow.
The trial is scheduled to run for four weeks and continues Oct. 3 with further Crown witnesses.
Jenny Lamothe covers court for Sudbury.com.