Ida Paul appeared "intoxicated" both before and while in police custody just before she died in hospital.
That was the testimony from her former boyfriend and RCMP officers at the coroner's inquest held into Paul's death. Coroner Keith Kilback conducted the inquest at Don Ross Centre in North Battleford.
Six jury members were assigned the task of determining the manner in which Paul died. She died in Battlefords Union Hospital on the afternoon June 10, 2009, shortly after spending approximately 12 hours in the custody of the RCMP.
The inquest was set to wrap up Wednesday with the testimony of two doctors. The jury was then tasked to determine where, when and in what manner Paul died, as well as any recommendations for strategies in future situations.
Key testimony came Tuesday afternoon from Saskatchewan's chief pathologist Dr. Shaun Ladham, who testified Paul died was from multisystem organ failure including acute liver failure, adrenal failure, metabolic acidosis and other causes.
The acute liver failure was the main diagnosis from the autopsy conducted by Ladham on June 12, 2009. According to Ladham, a "large area of the liver wasn't functioning anymore."
Ladham also testified that Paul showed signs of jaundice and also heavy internal bleeding. He testified the liver failure symptoms present were consistent with the possible overdosing of acetaminophen that could have happened over a number of days. He noted, however, blood samples showed levels of acetaminophen in a normal "therapeutic" range.
Considerable time was spent going over testimony from those who closely encountered Paul in the final hours of her life on June 9 and 10, 2009.
The six jury members - four men and two women - heard from a number of RCMP police officers as well as from Paul's former boyfriend, Lanny Okemow, who made the initial call to police during the late hours of June 9. Paul was living at Okemow's residence on 107th Street at the time.
Okemow recounted the events of June 9 and testified he thought Paul had been drinking. "I assumed she was," Okenow said on the stand. "She was acting drunk."
Okemow admitted Paul also used recreational drugs and small quanitity marijuana was left around. He was not sure if Paul had been mixing drugs. Evidence was also entered that indicated Paul also had bottles of prescription medication. Okenow told the inquest Paul was not in any medical distress at any time.
Nevertheless, Paul continued to show signs of intoxication. Okenow, fed up with her intoxication, eventually phoned the police to have Paul removed from the residence.
RCMP police arrived at the back of the residence just before midnight and placed Paul under arrest for "breach of peace." They then lifted her out of the house and into the police vehicle. According to testimony, it appeared Paul was showing some resistance.
According to multiple witnesses who testified, there were no signs of injury and no signs of blood or vomit at the residence. Okenow did say he noticed blood in the toilet, however, but didn't think anything of it.
Paul was then brought to the police station where she was held in the "drunk tank" area. Surveillance video from the police station was also entered into evidence from the early morning hours of June 10, 2009.
RCMP officers testifying Monday confirmed Paul showed signs of intoxication, but there did not seem to be any odor of alcohol on her breath.
The matron at the police cell where Paul was being held, Marlene Raymes, monitored Paul for the first several hours she was in the police cells before handing off to her replacement at around 6:30 a.m. Raymes described Paul as extremely intoxicated.
According to Raymes, Paul was "extremely stoned, really spaced out. She was in another world." Raymes also saw no signs of distress.
Police became concerned by late morning, however, as Paul had not shown any signs of sobering up. Police and the EMS personnel who later arrived also noticed a considerable odour from Paul that wasn't apparent before.
According to constable Wes Dust, who testified Tuesday, Paul was "moaning and groaning" and was unresponsive when her name was called. There was a yellow secretion on her mouth and her lips were chapped. Attempts were made to "try and wake her up," and the decision was made to call EMS shortly before noon.
Two paramedics from WPD Ambulance arrived in the police cell to assess Paul and transport her to Battlefords Union Hospital. She arrived at the hospital around 12:30 p.m.
That afternoon, Dust testified, he learned from the doctor treating Paul that her condition had taken a turn for the worse. Later on he was told the hospital was planning to transfer Paul to Saskatoon. But that never materialized, as Paul died late that afternoon.
Dust told the inquest he learned of Paul's death when he spoke to a nurse around 6 p.m. that day. The doctor treating Paul testified Wednesday that she died at 5:23 p.m.
In the hearing room were a number of members of Ida Paul's closest relatives. Among them was her brother Percy Paul, who expressed some concern about Paul's custody in the RCMP cells based on the testimony he heard and videos played during the inquest.
"It looked like they were not paying attention," Percy told reporters Tuesday, saying it was obvious that Paul "was in a lot of distress."
"One of the witnesses said she was making really loud snoring sounds," he said.
Percy acknowledged he had been given plenty of opportunities to ask questions of his own of the witnesses, but did not because of the emotions of sitting in the inquest.
"It's too emotional - hard to think," he said.
