Tori Stafford murder trial: ‘Missing’ poster found in Michael Rafferty’s home, court told

 

Raveena Aulakh Staff Reporter

LONDON, ONT.—A poster of the “missing” Tori Stafford was found at the home of the man accused of abducting, raping and killing her, a court was told today.
When police searched Michael Rafferty’s home shortly after he was arrested on May 19 2009, officers found the poster in a wine cabinet in the kitchen. Police also found and seized a black pea coat, a Wal-Mart receipt, a digital memory card, an Oxycodone pill bottle.
There was also a blue folding knife, but the blade was missing, Ontario Provincial Police Const. Gary Scoyne told the jury.
It was the first peek into Rafferty’s home and life since the high-profile murder trial started five weeks ago.
Tori, 8, was abducted on April 8, 2009, while walking home from school in Woodstock. Rafferty and Terri-Lynne McClintic were arrested a month later and charged with her murder. Tori’s body was found on July 19, 2009; McClintic pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in April 2010.
Rafferty’s trial began on March 5.
Dozens of photos were shown of the semi-detached home where Rafferty lived with his mother, Deborah Murphy, on Tennyson St. in southwest Woodstock. Scoyne said there were four cats at the residence.
Scoyne said the black pea coat was significant because McClintic testified that Tori was kept covered with a black pea coat belonging to Rafferty after she was lured into his car.
The Wal-Mart receipt found in a kitchen drawer listed hair colour, which was found in McClintic’s bedroom. McClintic told investigators that Rafferty bought the hair colour after video surveillance was released from Tori’s school showing McClintic with the missing girl.
Rafferty, in a white shirt and grey suit, showed no emotion as photos of his home and bedroom were shown to the jury.
On Wednesday, an OPP officer told the jury that the search for Tori was the largest in the history of Ontario, possibly even Canada.