Plumbers found human flesh in the accused’s pipes, Oshawa murder trial hears

OSHAWA, Ont. — The double-murder trial of an Oshawa man is hearing gruesome details of what the prosecution alleges were the accused’s attempt to get rid of the body of one of the teenage victims.

Adam Strong has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Rori Hache and the presumed death of Kandis Fitzpatrick.

Hache disappeared in the summer of 2017 and Fitzpatrick vanished in 2008 and has not been heard from since.

Strong, 47, has pleaded not guilty to both first-degree murder charges.

CAUTION: The following paragraphs contain graphic content some readers may find disturbing.

The Crown says in its opening statement that in December 2017 plumbers found what they believed was human flesh in the pipes at Strong’s home and called police.

Crown attorney Bryan Guertin says when Durham Regional Police investigators went to Strong’s home they found what turned out to be Hache’s body parts in garbage bags in a freezer.

Guertin alleges investigators also found Fitzpatrick’s DNA on a gutting knife.

A medical examiner will testify that Hache had multiple injuries on her body, including two skull fractures, Guertin said. But the doctor could not discover a cause of death due to the state her remains were found in.

Fitzpatrick’s DNA was found on that knife. Investigators also found her blood in Strong’s freezer and in his bedroom.

“Ms. Fitzpatrick found the same fate as Ms. Hache,” Guertin said. “Both girls were vulnerable, were essentially homeless with no fixed address. Both girls suffered from drug issues and sometimes worked in the sex trade to help fund their drug habit.”