On Thursday, the jury in a triple murder trial was introduced to a letter addressed to one of the homicide victims, a day before the killings.
Basil Borutski remained silent once again at trial, this time trading in his usual white shirt and sweat pants for a grey button up shirt and khaki pants.
Borutski is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 66-year-old Carol Culleton, 36-year-old Anastasia Kuzyk and 48-year-old Nathalie Warmerdam from September 22, 2015.
In court the crown focused on Culleton’s crime scene. Her brother, 61-year-old Kevin Culleton, took the stand to discuss a letter he brought to police.
Culleton, who lives in Alberta, said he was visiting Ottawa in the beginning of October, 2015. Shortly after his arrival, he said a neighbour dropped off his sister’s mail. He noticed one letter was postmarked from Palmer Rapids, ON, where Barutski lived.
“I knew it would be evidence,” Culleton said. He testified that he took the letter to police the next day.
The writer in the letter hints at some type of relationships with the victim Carol Culleton.
It starts by talking about Culleton’s cottage and her ex-partner.
“As far as karma gets, had Bob and I known each other aside from our brief meeting in the tavern, I would have never slept with you. I would have never had allowed myself to think of you in a loving manner.”
It goes on to discuss another woman.
"I went to a false friend. I should have went to the positive you. I went to the negative, my false friend. I was betrayed and you were betrayed, by my false friend. You say you hate her because you know she separated us, yet you blame me. I accept the blame. But the decision wasn't to leave you for her, my decision was to go to who I believed was my friend."
“I don’t blame you for any of this, I don’t blame for moving along I am frustrated you.”
Then the tone of the letter seemingly changes, referring to Culleton as greedy.
“Think of yourself, only take for yourself whatever you can, **** the other guy, I can’t and don’t accept that as right. I see that as wrong and I refuse to live that way.” The letter continues, before ending with “talking to me - it’s not too late.”
