An ex-girlfriend of accused killer Travis Vader told court Tuesday he looked "gaunt and very pale" when she saw him in July 2010, saying she suspected he was using crystal methamphetamine.

Testifying at Vader’s first-degree murder trial, Andrea Saddleback-Sexsmith said she dated him from approximately January to April in 2010. He had changed dramatically when she saw him again in July that year after learning he was "wanted" in connection with the disappearance of an elderly St. Albert couple.

"He was not healthy. He was gaunt, he was very pale, he was unkempt," Saddleback-Sexsmith said. "He was also easily agitated."

The Edmonton student testified Vader had been "positive and upbeat" and "fun to be around" at the beginning of their romantic relationship, and was strong and had "meat on his bones."

When she saw him in July, he was groggy, tired and thin. His hair was messy. He was unshaven. She said hugging him was like "hugging a bean pole" and felt "squishy."

Saddleback-Sexsmith said Vader told her he was on the run from police and had been in the bush for four days and hadn’t had anything to eat.

She testified she never saw Vader use illegal drugs or appear under the influence of drugs during their time together, but said his change in appearance led her to believe he was involved in the drug subculture and using meth.

Saddleback-Sexsmith told court she broke up with Vader because she believed he was seeing other women and had come to her home with an ex-girlfriend named Amber Williams.

In the Crown’s opening statement, prosecutors said Williams is expected to testify that Vader called and texted her using a cellphone belonging to the missing couple.

Vader, 44, is accused of murdering Lyle McCann, 78, and his 77-year-old wife Marie.

Court has heard the McCanns were last seen July 3, 2010, leaving a Superstore in St. Albert.

Two days later, their motorhome was found ablaze and abandoned at a campground by Minnow Lake, near Edson.

The couple’s daughter, Trudy Holder, has testified her parents were supposed to pick up her and her daughter at the Abbotsford airport on July 10, 2010, but they never showed up.

The 2006 Hyundai Tucson SUV they were towing was found in a remote wooded area east of Edson on July 16, 2010.

Court heard police found blood spatter from the McCanns on items in the SUV, as well as Vader’s DNA, blood and fingerprints.

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Defence lawyer Brian Beresh has accused the RCMP of suffering from "tunnel vision" in the investigation, saying it resulted in them failing to pursue other suspects. He said their names will be revealed during the trial.

He has also told court there is no proof the McCanns are dead and said defence expert witnesses will raise questions about the blood, DNA and fingerprint evidence allegedly linked to Vader.