Forensic expert says it is 'unlikely' Wayne Millard shot himself

Dellen Millard is seen in this undated file photo. (Supplied)

TORONTO -- A Toronto police forensic expert has told a murder trial that an aviation executive whose death was initially ruled a suicide did not have gunshot residue on his left hand, which was closest to the gun found beside his bed.

Court has heard that Wayne Millard was lying on his left side with his right hand tucked under his face and his left hand extended when he was found dead in his bedroom on Nov. 29, 2012.

Det. Const. Grant Sutherland says there should have been gunshot residue on Millard's left hand if he used it to pull the trigger.

A forensic pathologist testified Wednesday that Millard had his eyes closed when he was shot in the face at close range -- the bullet entering his left eye at an angle and becoming lodged in the right side of his brain.

Sutherland says Millard would have had to hold the gun upside down and use his thumb to pull the trigger -- a "strange" position he says police experts found difficult to recreate in testing.

Millard's 32-year-old son -- twice-convicted killer Dellen Millard -- has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of his 71-year-old father.