Handwriting expert testifies Wayne Bell ‘probably’ wrote cheques forging victim’s signature

There are certain habits people form in their handwriting - the proportions of tall to short letters, how often they lift the pen off the page, how they cross their Ts, or curl the beginning or end of a particular letter.

These habits and patterns become ingrained in our brains" by the time we're adults and are hard to break, Jacqueline Osmond, a forensic document examiner with the Center of Forensic Sciences testified Tuesday at Wayne Bell's first-degree murder trial.

Bell is accused of fatally stabbing 66-year-old Marilyn Mitton, found face down in a bleach- and water-filled bathtub on July 31, 2016. Her apartment at 200 Jackson St. W. was set on fire in what the prosecution says was an attempt to cover up evidence.

Bell, 69, has pleaded not guilty.

Using a microscope, Osmond was tasked with comparing writing samples known to be from both Bell and Mitton, to a collection of cheques, most of which were found in the apartment building garbage after Mitton's body was discovered.

The cheques, from Mitton's account, were made out to Bell and partially filled out. Some were signed with the name Marilyn Mitton, others had partial signatures.

Osmond concluded that three of the signatures were not written by Mitton and that she probably" did not do the rest of the writing on the cheques.

Adversely, she said Bell probably wrote all of the writing" on the cheques.

She concluded all the cheques were written by one person.

In examining letters and forms signed by Mitton before her death, Osmond pointed out how Mitton signed in one smooth stroke, how her tall letters (such as Ls and Ts) were short and her M would curl at the base.

Whereas the cheques matched patterns in Bell's writing - disconnected letters, a long cross bar on Ts, the letter Y with a long loopy tail, she said.

Why then only say probably" written by Bell and not certainly, asked defence lawyer Stephen White on cross examination.

Osmond said that's because the amount of comparable writing wasn't ideal and much of it was printed, as opposed to written in cursive. But Osmond also pointed out that there were also no differences between the writing on the cheques and Bell's.

The similarities were significant," she said. In my opinion that writer wrote those cheques."

The jury has already heard that Mitton and Bell lived in the same apartment building. At first they were friendly, court heard, but the relationship deteriorated and Mitton was harassed and lived in fear of Bell. Before her death Bell used her bank card without her consent, the Crown has said.

Osmond also testified about examining pages found in the garbage, analyzing whether they were torn from a notebook found in Bell's apartment. She concluded some of the pages probably" came from the book, but couldn't conclude whether all of the pages were also likely from the book. One of the pages contained a list of birthdays, others had banking information.

The cheques and torn pages were among items found in the dumpster by police after Mitton's death. Also in the garbage was a family photo album belonging to Mitton, a bleach bottle and bloodstained sheets.

The trial resumes Thursday.

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com