Inquest into Ottawa Valley triple-murder hears from victims' family members
A coroner’s inquest into the murders of three Ottawa Valley women is underway in Pembroke.
Basil Borutksi killed Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam in September 2015 in the Renfrew County area. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Kuzyk and Warmerdam, and one count of second-degree murder in the strangling death of Culleton.
Borutski had relationships with all three women he murdered. Prior to the murders, he had twice spent time in jail after two of the victims had accused him of assault and uttering threats.
The coroner's inquest, which began Monday at the Best Western Pembroke Inn and Conference Centre, will examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths, and may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths. It will last 15 days, and hear from approximately 30 witnesses.
“Some changes have to come out that make people safer; that make women safer,” said Zou Zou Kuzyk, Anastasia Kuzyk’s sister. “The day of her death is what’s coming back to me here.”
Kuzyk was the first to testify Monday. Natalie Warmerdam’s daughter Valerie also spoke Monday.
“You have to build a system that doesn’t only catch monsters… Because then it will always be too late,” she said.
Warmerdam described Borutski, who lived with the family for two years, as a “step-dad” who taught her how to pluck a chicken and cook a gizzard. She mentioned that how Borutski was viewed when her mother was killed was not how he was viewed before, even though her mother broke it off and people became aware she had gone to police.
“Friends of Basil’s and hers came over to the house and had conversations of how could you? How could you do this to him?”
Victims being made to feel guilty is just one of the issues the inquest hopes to tackle. Others include a criminal justice system that failed to convict Borutski’s history of abuse prior to triple murder.
“It would have come as a complete shock to Stasia that things could fall apart in that way, that systems could fail, and that’s what we have to change,” said Kuzyk.
Advocacy groups say this inquest is coming at a time when stressors leading to domestic violence are high.
“Incidents have gone up because of the pandemic,” said Joanne Brooks, coordinator at End Violence Against Women in Renfrew County.
Discussions have also touched on the rural culture of minding one’s own business and the relationship with gun culture.
At the end of the inquest, the five-person jury will be tasked with considering eight public policy issues. A lawyer will then turn it into a report with recommendations.
Borutski will die in prison. In 2017, then 60, he was handed a life sentence with no chance of parole for 70 years.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Stefan Keyes, Josh Pringle, and Dylan Dyson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.