Inquest into triple murders of Ottawa Valley women reaches halfway point
On day eight of the inquest into the murders of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam in the Ottawa Valley, jurors heard from OPP officers who responded that fateful day in September 2015, who unveiled the sequence of what happened.
OPP Supt. Derek Needham was the critical incident commander on the day of the murders and was responsible for the events that unfolded.
"There was nothing normal or typical about that day. I can't recall another incident in Ontario like it," Needham testified.
Needham said that the first call made into on police on Sept. 22, 2015, was of Kuzyk's murder, with police believing former partner Basil Borutski was still inside her Wilno, Ont. residence.
Needham testified that given the information police had at the time at the scene of Kuzyk's murder, he was "very sure nothing would have changed the trajectory of our response."
It wasn't until the second call came into police later that morning of Warmerdam's murder in Cormac that police discovered they were wrong.
Recalling that tragic day, OPP Det.-Const. Stacey Solman said Culleton, who was Borutski's first victim at her cottage near Kamaniskeg Lake, "wasn't even on their radar."
Needham testified that the biggest piece of unknown information was that Borutski was still not at the residence of the presumed first victim. He says if police had known that, things may have turned out different.
"I can tell from the questions that the jury is asking and the way in which the jury is engaging with the issues that I think they are seeing quite clearly what the critical gaps are," says lawyer Kirsten Mercer, who is serving as counsel to the Ending Violence Against Women chapter in Renfrew County.
Police admit they were duped by Borutski, who they say was very good at manipulation. Police explained how Borutski made it appear he was living at one residence with footprints in the yard and having the driveway plowed, when in reality his whereabouts were unknown.
"The idea that this is something awful that only happens somewhere else to other people was shattered pretty effectively on that day," Mercer told CTV News.
Another seven days of hearings is to come in Pembroke at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre, which will include firearms specialists and experiences from intimate partner violence survivors.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Adding just 10% ultraprocessed foods to healthy diets may raise risk of cognitive decline, stroke
Eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and stroke, even if a person is trying to adhere to a Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet or the MIND diet, a new study found.
Bangkok hospital says most seriously injured from turbulence-hit flight need spinal operations
Many of the more seriously injured people who were on the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital said Thursday.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
Tiny plastic shards found in human testicles, study says
Human testicles contain microplastics and nanoplastics at levels three times higher than animal testes and human placentas, a new small study found.
Nine killed in Mexico stage collapse at campaign event
A stage collapsed at a Mexican election campaign rally on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring dozens as high winds tore apart the large, concert-style structure, scattering politicians and attendees.
NEW AI helping to identify undiagnosed genetic disorders in children
Researchers have developed the world's first algorithm powered by artificial intelligence to identify children with undiagnosed rare genetic disorders.
How does this end? With Hamas holding firm and fighting back in Gaza, Israel faces only bad options
Diminished but not deterred, Hamas is still putting up a fight after seven brutal months of war with Israel, regrouping in some of the hardest-hit areas in northern Gaza and resuming rocket attacks into nearby Israeli communities.