Canadian True Crime - UPDATED: The Renfrew County Massacre

Episode Date: February 7, 2023

ONTARIO  The updated story of the worst-ever case of intimate-partner violence in Ontario—and one of the worst in Canadian history.  In 2015, the lives of three women - Nathalie Warmerdam, Anastasia Kuzyk and Carol Culleton - were snuffed out within hours of each other in a violent murder spree that could have been prevented.Resources for Domestic ViolenceCanada: https://endingviolencecanada.org/getting-help-2/US: https://www.thehotline.org/Signs you’re in an abusive relationship - and how to get helpSongs for Murdered Sisters 2023 Mini TourNow called Atwood, Heggie & Brahms - see ticket info hereWebsite: www.songsformurderedsisters.com/ Podcast recommendation: Devil in the DormIn late 2010, a middle-aged man moved into his daughter's college dorm and created what has all the hallmarks of a cult. Over the decade that followed, he extorted millions of dollars from vulnerable young adults through violence, psychological torture, and forced sex work. You can listen to Law&Crime’s Devil in the Dorm now exclusively on Wondery Plus. Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Available on Wondery + Renfrew County Inquiry Reporthttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/coroners-inquest-intimate-partner-violence-renfrew-probation-1.6503862https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lanark-county-declares-intimate-partner-violence-an-epidemic-1.6689222Each month, Canadian True Crime donates an organization that supports people facing injustice.This month’s donation has again gone to:Women's Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew CountyAD-FREE episodes are available via our Premium FeedsSign up via Apple Podcasts, Patreon or SupercastFor the full list of resources, information sources, and credits:See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi there. As promised, we'll be back next week with a next new episode and I'm pleased to say that we have a two-part series in post-production that I'm looking forward to releasing. Thank you so much for giving me and the team some breathing space to get things ready so that we can move forward with the podcast in a more sustainable way. Until then, here's an updated version of an episode that we originally released a few years ago. The story of the worst-ever case of intimate partner violence in the province of Ontario and one of the worst in Canadian history. We left off with the hope that there would be an inquiry scheduled to examine the many systemic failures that led to the massacre. I am happy to report that

that inquiry finally happened in 2022 and today's episode continues, unpacking the high-level findings of that inquiry and of course the response from the families of the victims. And before we start, I have to tell you about Devil in the Dorm, a new long-form podcast series just released by our friends at the Law and Crime Network and exclusively available on Wondery Plus. Devil in the Dorm is about a father named Larry Ray who in 2010 moved into his daughter's college dorm room, inserted himself into the lives of all her friends and then spent the next decade controlling them in what many would describe as a sex cult. A six-part podcast series composed from thousands of pages of a federal trial transcript, Devil in the Dorm explores how Larry Ray

extorted millions of dollars from the young students while abusing them physically, sexually and psychologically, driving several of them to the brink of suicide and perhaps beyond. Devil in the Dorm was co-written by Emily Thompson of Morbidology and Eileen McFarlane of Crime Lapse, a dynamic duo who've also written for this podcast. And the third co-writer was Adam Classfield of Law and Crime. The series is hosted by actress Elizabeth Rom who attended the college in question, Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. And because there are no cameras or audio recordings permitted in federal court, all of the testimony has been recreated by some of the biggest true crime content creators. Law and Crimes Devil in the Dorm now exclusively on Wondery Plus.

Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. And stay tuned for a trailer at the end of this episode. Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production funded mainly through advertising. You can listen to Canadian True Crime ad-free and early on Amazon music included with Prime, Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast. The podcast often has disturbing content and course language. It's not for everyone. Please take care when listening. In the province of Ontario is an area known as Renfrew County, a part of the Ottawa Valley that stretches west from Ottawa to the northern tip of historic Algonquin Park. With rolling countryside, gorgeous forests, glistening lakes and vibrant four colours, Renfrew County has a population of

107,000 people, spread out over 7,000 square miles. And it's known for traditional rural values. In 2015, Renfrew County would become known for something else. It would be the location of the worst-ever case of intimate partner violence in Ontario. Natalie Warmedam had lived in Toronto with her husband and two children. But in 2005, they moved back to the Ottawa Valley. Both Natalie and her husband Frank had been raised in the area and wanted that experience for their family while their kids were still young enough to benefit. And Natalie had recently changed careers. She was originally a technical writer, but she had a yearning to care for people, so she decided to go back to school.

She worked hard, got her qualification and secured a job as a palliative care nurse, providing care and comfort to people with terminal or degenerative illnesses. After their move to the Ottawa Valley, Natalie and Frank's marriage would only survive a few more years. At the time of their separation, 43-year-old Natalie was working at a community care access centre, travelling around the county, taking care of patients. She was known to be vivacious and fun to be around. One of the patients she cared for in hospice had a son called Basil, a 52-year-old unemployed millwright or person who works with factory machinery. While Renfrew County is a rural community, it's also tight-knit and rumours spread like wildfire, and Basil Barutski was

known to have a troublesome past. But from Natalie's experience, when he came to visit his father in hospice, they got on well. He seemed like a nice guy. Basil would later insist that it was Natalie who put the moves on him, but a friend of hers would tell Chattelaine that she remembered it differently. Quote, anything you need to know about Basil can be summed up by the fact that his father was dying in hospice and he was hitting on his father's nurse. Natalie entertained the idea, but her mother urged her not to get involved. She'd heard that Basil's marriage had ended with a terrible, violent breakup and his ex-wife had been physically assaulted. And, according to the word on the street, there were others. Natalie spoke with

Basil about the situation and he told her that even though he'd been charged with assault, all those charges were dropped. So he'd never actually been convicted of anything. He assured her that his ex-wife was just a crazy woman and any other women that said anything bad against him just had a vendetta. Regardless, he insisted that whatever happened was all in the past. Natalie's ex-husband, Frank, would tell the National Post that she was in a fragile and emotional state after their marriage breakdown. She was vulnerable. I'm Christy, an Australian who's called Canada home for more than a decade and this is my passion project. Join me to hear about some of the most thought-provoking and often heartbreaking

true crime cases in Canada. Using court documents and news archives, I take you through each story from beginning to end with a look at the way the media covered the crime and the impact it had on the community. This is Canadian true crime. Basil Borutski was born in 1957 to second-generation Polish immigrants. His father Walter was a trapper while his mother Beatrice stayed home with the children in Renfrew County. Basil's reputation can be traced back to his school days. Some saw him as someone who just did not fit in and others saw him as a bully. In 1977, 20-year-old Basil was charged with his first violent offence. He had assaulted his girlfriend. He was convicted of causing bodily

harm and uttering threats. He then began a relationship with a woman called Mary Ann, known as a kind and giving person who had a daughter from a previous relationship. Basil's violent tendencies were always lurking under the surface. Mary Ann would later describe what she was subjected to as a steady regimen of domestic violence. Relationships marred by domestic violence typically flow through a sequence, commonly called the cycle of abuse. Stage one is where tensions build and the survivor is on edge. Stage two is the incident, whether it be verbal, emotional or physical abuse. Stage three is reconciliation, where the abuser woos the survivor back into their good graces. There's apologies, there's excuses, there's promises not to do it again.

But there's also gaslighting. It wasn't that bad. No one will believe you. And victim blaming. You made me do it. After the abuser has succeeded in getting the survivor back on side, come stage four. Calm. Everyone has settled down and moved on from the incident. But because it's a cycle, it doesn't take long before the relationship is back to stage one, with tensions building again, leading up to another abusive incident. This cycle can be seen over and over in Mary Ann and Basil's relationship, which spanned some 26 years, starting from 1980. He ended up in court on three separate occasions on charges of physically assaulting Mary Ann, who was then considered his common law wife.

According to the Ottawa citizen, the first assault was in 1985. Basil spent $20,000 in legal fees to defend himself against the charges, and was successful. The cycle of abuse continued. The next year, Mary Ann gave birth to their first daughter together. The second assault on Mary Ann was at the end of 1993. According to court documents, Basil pulled her hair, slapped her, and tried to push her out of a moving vehicle. Again, he was charged with assault. But this time, instead of spending the money on an expensive legal defense, he stalked Mary Ann and pestered her to recant her statement, telling her that no one would believe her anyway because of his previous acquittal. He also threatened that she

would never see her children again. But Mary Ann remained steadfast. Now, Basil was trained and worked as a millwright, a high-precision, skilled tradesman who works with factory machinery, plants, and construction sites. But in the time after the latest assault charges, he injured his back in a car crash and could no longer work, so he went on disability. Now, Basil used every tool he had to his advantage. He'd changed, it wouldn't happen again. He announced to Mary Ann that he wanted to get married and start afresh. She agreed to reconcile. In the months leading up to his court appearance for assaulting her, the couple were married, and not long after that, Mary Ann found out she was pregnant with their second daughter.

She would later come to believe that his sudden interest in marriage and babies was part of a strategy to beat the charges. Surely, no judge would send a married father with a child on the way to prison. In court, Basil himself insisted that he was innocent and Mary Ann was just being vindictive. The plan worked. Basil was acquitted a second time. But by the time the baby was born, the couple had separated again. Four years later, Basil was able to sweet talk Mary Ann into reconciling again. It was now 1998. Over the next 10 years, Mary Ann battled breast cancer and survived. But then something happened that court documents would only describe as a violent incident. One of their daughters would say that her mother came home bloodied and

dirty after the incident. Whatever happened, Mary Ann decided that was enough. She laid domestic assault charges and the couple separated for the final time after this incident. In court, Basil had the audacity to insist that Mary Ann's injuries were self-inflicted. He was charged with uttering threats and assaulting his wife. But he agreed to sign a peace bond and the assault charges were dropped. He walked away a free man, but the court ordered that Basil had to stay away from Mary Ann for a year. He ignored it. Instead, he stalked her. Basil was highly disgruntled in his life. He erected multiple signs at the entrance to his property with a long handwritten list of people he declared were his enemies. Mary Ann was featured,

along with some police officers and other people. A neighbour would say that at least one of the signs threatened to shoot any intruders. Two years later on New Year's Eve of 2010, Basil was charged after a roadside breath test where he was found to be over the limit. He accused the police of rigging the breathalyzer. His licence was suspended. The next year, 49-year-old Mary Ann and 54-year-old Basil attended court to finalise their divorce. Mary Ann testified about the abuse she had suffered at Basil's hands and how he, quote, destroyed her spirit with his relentless threats and abuse. She said even after they separated, he continued to stalk her. He denied it all, of course, and

flipped it as he always did. It was he who lived in constant fear of being falsely accused by Mary Ann. Of course, he again brought up the fact that he was never convicted of anything during their relationship. At this hearing, both of their daughters testified about the abuse they had witnessed their mother encounter. They described how their father was violent, easily agitated and tyrannical toward his family members. The court heard that he had repeatedly threatened to burn down the house they'd lived in, and how after it had been vacated, the house did end up burning to the ground in what the media called mysterious circumstances. There was never any concrete proof about what happened. In his own defence, Basil produced a so-called marriage contract

and pointed out where he said Mary Ann agreed to give him full custody of the children and control of her finances and where she declared she had made false statements about him. Mary Ann testified that Basil had coerced her into signing the contract when she was battling breast cancer. The contract was discarded by the judge who described their marriage as being wretched. It was this divorce that formed the basis for the most recent rumours about Basil, but the only thing on the public record that indicated just how dangerous he was was the conviction from 1977 when he assaulted his girlfriend, a one-off from decades ago, and this fact would be something he would continue to reference.

So, Basil was now trying to get with Natalie Warmadam as she cared for his dying father. She'd heard the rumours about him, but friends and family described her as always seeing the good in people. Natalie rationalised it to herself. Whatever might have happened, surely if Basil was actually guilty of doing something wrong, he would have been convicted of something, and he seemed so nice. Her daughter Valerie would say that he told Natalie she was the most beautiful, amazing woman in the world. He gave her comfort at a time when she was going through a separation and was feeling vulnerable. She decided to give Basil the benefit of the doubt. Soon after the two started dating, Basil talked his way in to moving into her house.

Natalie's friends were concerned about him from early on, not only because of his reputation, but because it was clear that he had a serious drinking problem. Natalie's ex-husband Frank was concerned as well. He had moved to California for work, and this man was living in the same house as the two kids he shared with Natalie. Frank hired a private investigator to run a criminal background check on Basil Barutski. The only conviction on his record was that one from 1977. All other charges had indeed been dropped, so there wasn't much that Frank could do. Basil lived there for two years. Natalie's daughter Valerie, in her mid teens at the time, would tell the CBC that Basil

showered her mother with a constant barrage of abuse, chipping away at her self-esteem and making them all fearful of him. By 2012, the relationship had completely fallen apart. Basil's drinking was a major problem, and the house was a volatile environment with increasing arguments and yelling. By now, Natalie and both of her kids were utterly terrified. She wanted him out of her house, but he wouldn't leave, so in desperation, she moved into the guest bedroom of her own house. Her daughter Valerie, in her mid teens at the time, would tell the Fifth Estate that she and her brother heard Basil keeping their mother up at night, yelling at her, telling her that because they were common law, he deserved half of her

possessions. Valerie also heard him say, quote, if Mary Ann ever puts me in jail, don't wait for me because if I get out, I'm going to kill her. Natalie was by now desperately afraid for her and her children's safety, and after a particularly violent night, she decided enough was enough and went to the police. In July of 2012, Basil Barutski was charged with assaulting Natalie Wormadam, as well as issuing two threats, one to kill her dog and another to physically assault and kill her son. And this was not the first time. He was hostile and aggressive as he was arrested. He assaulted a police officer, and once he was in jail, he urinated on the wall and carpet of

the jail cell. These incidents would be added to his record. When it came to Natalie's charges, Basil agreed to plead guilty on the lesser charge of uttering threats, but only if the assault charge was dropped. While this seems unfair to Natalie, it meant that there would be no trial, and she wouldn't have to testify. At his sentencing, she submitted a victim impact statement, quote, his alcohol-fueled rages left me to question myself, my self-worth, and my judgment. When it came to sentencing, the rules of the Canadian legal system make it so that previous charges brought against Basil that had been dropped weren't able to be taken into consideration. So, Basil Barutski was sentenced to five months in jail, and with the four months he'd already

served, he would be released in just 33 days after the sentencing. He was also given a 10-year ban on possessing or owning weapons and a two-year probation, which required him to take part in a partner assault program called Living Without Violence. He never showed up. Even with his history of intimate partner violence and repeatedly ignoring his probation conditions, he was not the one monitored. Basil had been ordered to have no contact with Natalie, but she was the one who had to monitor it. She was given a panic button with a GPS, and told to press it if Basil came within 500 metres. She bought a shotgun to keep by the bed. She had security cameras mounted inside and outside her

house. She kept a tactical pen in her purse. She developed the habit of backing into parking spaces wherever she went, so if he did turn up anywhere near her, she could leave quickly. Natalie Warmedam was serious about defending herself and her family. Anastasia Kuzik, known as Anna to Friends, and Stacia or Stache to her family, had worked as a park ranger in Algonquin Park before moving to the community of Wilno in the Ottawa Valley to be close to her two sisters and mother. Anna was known for being shy at first, but someone who was a friend to all. She loved nature and animals and was known for her passion for horses. She rode competitively, she had competition ribbons everywhere, and had won an

Ontario Provincial Championship. Anna had worked as a server at the Wilno Tavern, a prime hangout spot in the area, and one that Basil Barutski was known to frequent on occasion. According to Shatterlane magazine, his reputation preceded him even then. He was known to be aggressive, the kind of guy you didn't want to be around. When he arrived at the tavern, some locals would move to the other end of the bar. But he was always friendly to Anna, and it wasn't hard to see why. She was well liked, easy to get along with, and attentive to customers. She was also ambitious. She had worked hard to get her Realtors license so she could become a real estate agent on the side, and she was making a serious success of it. Word of mouth

was growing. Basil asked her for help finding a new home after he and Mary Ann separated. As we know, it didn't take long before he moved in with Natalie Warmerdam, so that problem was solved. Basil's father had now passed away, so he also asked Anna for help with selling his father's home. They became so friendly that at one point, Anna and her boyfriend went and visited Basil and Natalie where they lived at Natalie's house. When Basil went to prison for threatening Natalie, Anna lost touch with him, and when he got out five months later, he needed a place to stay, so he first called on a favour from a friend who let him live in a rundown farmhouse. As soon as he sorted that out, he called Anna. By this time, Anna's relationship with her boyfriend

had soured, and they had broken up. Like Natalie, Anna was feeling vulnerable and emotional. 55-year-old Basil talked with 34-year-old Anna about her breakup and heard that she was now struggling financially, and the farmhouse she lived in required a lot of renovations. Basil offered to help her fix it up. Anna was aware of his history and brought it up with him. Just like he did with Natalie, he convinced her that it was because of vengeful, crazy women and that he was the victim. There were several other similarities between Natalie and Anna. They were both fresh from devastating relationship breakups. They both gave people the benefit of the doubt, and, before too long, Basil had moved in to Anna's farmhouse, just like he had with

Natalie. They were now a couple. It took just a few months before the relationship came apart. The day before New Year's Eve, Basil brutally assaulted Anna and tried to choke her. She would tell the police that she saw his eyes turning black and empty, and she thought he was going to either kill her or rape her. Quote, I was screaming at that point in time I was begging him to kill me. My face was very sore, very battered up, and he wanted me to stop talking. He kept holding my mouth and he had his hands around my throat, like pressing. He said that it wasn't me, he said that it was the other woman that I had taken the beating for, the other women that had wrecked his life. But Anna didn't lay charges at first, nor did she seek medical attention

for her injuries. She was scared of Basil and of what people would think. She urged him to get help for his issues, and he acknowledged that he needed it. But a few days later, he hadn't taken any action, so she photographed her injuries as a precaution. When she brought up the attack again, he effectively gaslit her. Quote, he didn't remember half the things I said that he'd done, he didn't remember hitting me, he didn't recall strangling me like trying to hold my throat upstairs, he said that it wasn't me. But not even three weeks later, Basil was at it again. At midnight, on a night in January 2014, Anna threw him out after they had an argument. She then locked the door and went to bed. But in the morning, Basil returned and he was in a rage. He busted down

the door. He ran around the house gathering what he knew were Anna's sentimental handmade childhood items, including an antique rocking horse and a wooden tabletop hockey game. Cruely, he threw them into the fireplace and set them alight. Anna would testify that she tried to wrestle him and stop him, but he fought her back so he could watch them burn. He then stole some of her other items, including her cell phone, and then took off in her mother's car without permission. Anna had been in contact with Natalie Warmedam about their shared experiences with Basil. Natalie urged Anna to lay charges. She had been outraged that her own assault charges were dropped in a plea deal and she was determined not to let it happen again. Basil needed to be convicted

of assault this time, or other women won't know that he's a danger and this could happen again. Anna summoned the courage and laid the charges. Basil was charged with the assault, burning Anna's possessions, stealing her mother's car and breaching his probation. Anna testified about her experiences as well as a disturbing dream Basil told her about, where he said he held Natalie under the water and she drowned. The prosecution noted that he had quite the collection of violated court orders, including a driving probation where he'd been asked to forfeit his driver's license and a weapons probation. The court records noted additional concerns about Basil's propensity to re-offend and the fact that the charges against him seemed to be

escalating each time he came back to court. This time Basil was found guilty and sentenced to 17 months in prison but he was out in five with two years probation. His 10-year ban on weapons was upgraded to a lifetime ban and he was also required to sign a no-contact document saying he would stay away from Anna. He refused to sign but he was released anyway and Anna had no idea that he had even been released because no one from the criminal justice system had bothered to tell her. Another person who didn't know was Natalie Warmedam. By now she was starting to feel a little safer. As far as she knew, Basil was still behind bars and in any event she felt that the time that she was most at risk was likely behind her. Natalie even started to relax a little.

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the coordinator looked out for Basel's attendance at the course, but he didn't show up again. The coordinator contacted his parole officer to let them know, but never heard anything back. While Basel mostly did show up for his scheduled parole meetings, there was no record of any follow-up or any kind of consequences for these breaches of probation. When he was released, he moved to an apartment block in a town called Palmer Rapids, still in Renfrew County. He made friends with a neighbour there, Sherl, who described him to various media outlets as a nice guy who used to bring her over baked goods as well as meals that he'd cooked himself. He even planted a strawberry patch under her picture window and did mechanical work on her car.

All he asked in return was to borrow that car several times a week to run errands. It's not known if Sherl knew that he had forfeited his driver's licence. Sherl did say he asked her something else that disturbed her one time. He wanted her to ask her boyfriend if he knew someone who could sell him a gun. Sherl felt uneasy about it and never did ask. One day, Basel was at the local tavern when he ran into a friendly acquaintance and some time love interest that he'd lost contact with when he was in prison. 66-year-old widow Carol Colletton was shoring up plans for her upcoming retirement after spending more than a decade in the public service. Her husband had died of cancer a few years beforehand

and she was getting her finances in order. She had a small cottage nearby on Caminescag Lake that she planned to sell as part of her retirement plan. When she ran into Basel at the tavern, they caught up and she mentioned to him in passing that she had to fix up her cottage before she could sell it. He was quick to offer to help her, saying he was bored and she'd save money. At first, she was okay with him giving it a go. But boundaries were an issue for Basel. He would borrow his neighbour Sherl's car and just show up at Carol's cottage to work on it. Carol wasn't happy. She told friends that not only was his work not great, but he left projects she wanted him to do unfinished and would instead start other projects she didn't ask for. She

started to feel like the cottage wasn't hers anymore. As well as showing up at her holiday cottage, Basel also showed up unannounced at her actual home, which was two hours away. Carol had never actually given him her address, but she would find out that he got it from a Christmas card. Friends were concerned for Carol. They told her that it was clear he was pursuing her romantically and in fact he seemed to be stalking her. But she gave the impression that she had the situation under control. In early September of 2015, Labor Day weekend, Carol was at the cottage having drinks with Basel and a friend called Jim. Carol was a fun person to be around. Friends described her as someone who had a dry sense

of humour and a twinkle in her eye. Things were going well that night until Carol sat on Jim's knee and Basel became jealous and angry. He and Carol fought about it. To Carol, they weren't in a relationship so what right did he have to behave like this? He retaliated by tearing up her flower garden. He even stormed around to Jim's house and demanded to know if he was interested in Carol. The second week of September, Carol celebrated her retirement and started saying goodbye to her work friends. She had worked hard and had been through the hardship of losing her husband. She was ready to start the next phase of her life and would enjoy doing gardening, playing cards and just generally enjoying herself. But Basel Borutski was not making that easy for

her. He had been texting incessantly, insisting that his act of destroying her flower garden was what a professional had told him to do to deal with his anger issues. He said it had been told to take them out on inanimate objects. Carol wasn't into the drama and didn't want to engage with him so she resorted to only answering his texts every so often, saying things like, I'm sorry you feel this way, I really am. He kept talking about putting everything behind them. Quote, it's totally up to you now. Are we going down the negative path or the positive path? Regardless of your choice, I'm okay, but obviously I prefer positive. By the third week of September, Carol had had enough. On Sunday, September the 20th,

she told Basel that she had rekindled a relationship with an old flame and asked him not to bother her anymore. He texted back, begging her for an explanation and trying to reassure her that he was a good person, not someone who was violent or vengeful. The next day, he drove over to the cottage to confront her in person, but she wasn't there. He told her neighbor that he was very upset and was there to collect his things. He then left more than 10 handwritten messages all over her property. They were incredibly passive aggressive. One said, thanks for leaving, Carol. I was wondering how I was going to get rid of you so I could do this. Happy positive retirement. Sorry, I'm such an asshole. Carol took photos of each message with

her digital camera. Later that day, his attitude changed. Now he was downright aggressive. He sent her angry texts, calling her a cruel, vindictive, self-centered human being. He accused her of scamming him for free labor and told her he will endure her betrayal and threatened that karma was going to take over. Carol planned to stay in the lake cottage by herself that night because she was meeting a real estate agent there in the morning to talk about putting it on the market. Her new partner and friends were seriously worried and warned Carol to be careful, but she insisted she would be fine and if anything were to happen, she would lock the door and call 911. That same night, Basel was complaining to his neighbors. Some of them noticed that he seemed

depressed. He told them the story that he had just broken up with his girlfriend at her cottage after finding her in bed with another man. He said he was angry and he ranted about women being sluts and whores. Shirl, the neighbor who often lent her car to Basel, heard that he hadn't slept at all the night before. He said that Carol had rejected him and he was upset. Quote, karma's going to get her. Shirl said she could see the anger in his face. She would say to the fifth estate, I could tell that night he was going to snap. When she woke up the next morning, her car was gone. It was early in the morning of September 22nd, 2015. Carol Colletton's close friend Teresa was calling the cottage to make sure she was okay. There was no answer. She called back again. Same

result. It was still early though. She'd try again soon. Anastasia Kuzik, the 36-year-old real estate agent, had her sister Ava staying at her house in Wilno. It was about 8.45 in the morning and Ava was upstairs folding laundry when all of a sudden she heard Anna scream. Ava ran downstairs to see Anna crouched on the floor of the kitchen. She said in a whisper, it's Basel. Ava then saw the man near the kitchen door. He seemed surprised to see Ava and he exited the house. Ava rushed out to confront him, yelling at him to stay away from my sister. She then ran to the front door to make sure he'd left, but instead she saw him coming back with a big shotgun, so she ran back into the house and peered out the window. He was now on the porch,

walking towards the kitchen door again. She thought to herself, we're going to die, and she knew she had to get help. Then she heard the gun go off. She ran barefoot out of the house to get help and kept running because she heard footsteps behind her and thought he was following her. It turned out to be Anna's dog. As Ava approached the highway, she saw a line marking vehicle and ran to it. When 911 was on the line, a distraught Ava told the dispatcher she heard screaming and she was hoping he hadn't killed her sister. The dispatcher told her to breathe. As the first responders rushed to the house, Ava called their other sister Laura and then their mother, who all lived nearby. They met the police back at the house, where they were given

the devastating news that their beloved Stacia was dead. The 36-year-old had been shot point blank as she tried to hide behind her kitchen island. And Basil was nowhere to be found. He had fled the scene. By 9 a.m. reports of an active shooter were spreading throughout the community. Police from three different townships descended in the community of Wilno, where Anna lived. An emergency response unit had been training in a nearby park and they arrived as well. The local schools were put on lockdown. Carol Colletton's friend Teresa was still waiting for the news that her friend was okay. Teresa turned on the TV. Ontario Provincial Police were reporting that there was a shooter on the loose in Wilno just 20 minutes from Carol's cottage

and one person was dead. They said the shooter is believed to be in the area and while the OPP conducts ground and air searches for the suspect, they advised residents to lock their doors, stay inside and call 911 if they have any information. Teresa was starting to get very worried. She called and texted Carol, urging her friend to call and confirm she was okay. Over at 48-year-old Natalie Warmedam's house, she was at home eating breakfast. Also in the house was her 20-year-old son, Adrian, who was lying on the couch watching TV. Her daughter Valerie was at school. All of a sudden, Adrian heard a scream from the other room where her mother was. He thought maybe she was just startled by a spider, but she screamed

again, louder. Adrian ran over to check it out and he saw his mother running towards him with someone chasing her, pointing a shotgun at her. He then recognized the man as Basil Barutski, someone he hadn't seen for a while, given it had been three years since he and Natalie had broken up. Adrian feared for his life and he ran. Barefoot, he exited the back door and as he ran across the field and into the bush to hide, he heard a single gunshot. As he laid on his stomach, hiding in the bush, he called 911 on his cell phone to tell them that his mother was under attack and that's where he stayed until the police came. 48-year-old Natalie Warmedam's body was found on the staircase. A shell casing from a 12-gauge shotgun was found nearby.

Natalie's 18-year-old daughter Valerie was at high school at the time of the lockdown. Classwork stopped and the students wondered aloud why they could not leave the premises. After a time, Valerie's name was broadcast over the intercom to come to the principal's office and she instinctively knew that Basil Barutski was somehow involved. Not long after, she was given the tragic news that her mother had been killed. Real estate agent Cathy Pitts was scheduled to meet Carol Colletton at the Lake Cottage at 11am that morning. But when she arrived, a window was smashed and the door looked like it had been kicked open. Cathy was uncomfortable entering the property alone,

so she went to a neighbour for help and they returned together. At first, nothing else seemed out of place until Cathy got to the bedroom and saw what she thought was a rolled-up sleeping bag. But then, she realised it wasn't. It was a person. It was Carol. There was no blood, but Carol was unresponsive. Cathy called 911. There was at least one more woman to be concerned about, Basil's ex-wife, Mary Ann. The OPP called her on her cell phone as she was driving to a doctor's appointment and told her to get to a safe place. She immediately drove to a provincial park and stayed in the park office, waiting for police to give her the word that it was safe.

By now, a police manhunt had been established to locate Basil, with ground and air searches continuing. Multiple news reports were telling residents to stay secure in their homes. As well as schools, the OPP decided to put the local Pembroke Courthouse on lockdown as a precaution, as well as several OPP detachments. Renfrew Town Hall was also evacuated as a precaution and staff were escorted to their vehicles. Three women were dead and the police didn't know what else this man had planned. It was clear that he was on a murder spree. News spread quickly in the small communities that make up Renfrew County. People were exchanging stories about what they'd heard. Who were the three people who were dead?

Who was the suspect? And why did it happen? As the hours went by, warnings spread wider than Renfrew County to Ottawa, and more than one site in that city was placed on lockdown, and added police presence was seen at the Ottawa Courthouse. Meanwhile, Basil's neighbour, Sherle, was wondering what was going on. It was now after lunchtime and she hadn't seen her car all day. Where had Basil gone with it? At almost 2pm, she got a text message. It was Basil. He told Sherle that her car was at Carol's cottage at the lake. Quote, Sorry, I left $100 for gas. Bye, friend. The police were tracing Basil's cell phone and a command centre had been set up on a side road

near where his phone had been traced to. Basil had been tracked east near a hunting cabin owned by relatives. Dozens of police officers were involved now, from both the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ottawa Regional Police Services. Helicopters were circling overhead. There was now widespread fear in Renfrew County. No one could rest until the shooter had been captured. Ottawa police were put in touch with Basil's brother, Arthur Borutski. They wanted him to cooperate with police and text message with his brother and frame the messages so that Basil would surrender peacefully. After some messaging back and forward, Arthur texted, Quote, Nobody wants to hurt you. Follow the instructions. Hands up. No gun. Borutski texted

his brother back. Quote, The guilty have paid. It is not my fault. He then raised his hands and surrendered to the police. The five hour manhunt was over. The police announced they had arrested a suspect, although they wouldn't release his name until charges were laid. As the loved ones of Natalie Warmadam, Anastasia Kuzik and Carol Coletton came to terms with their loss, local residents were able to breathe a sigh of relief. Basil Borutski was taken to the Pembroke OPP Detachment where he spent the night. The next morning, Detective Sergeant Kaylee O'Neill arrived to interrogate him. O'Neill brought coffee and breakfast for Basil, which he ate as the detective tried to get him to talk. Firstly, by explaining

his role and asking Basil if he understood what was going on. Basil was quick to establish himself as a reluctant participant who had multiple issues with police officers. He could not be described as cooperative. He was disinterested and he was nonchalant. Early on, he stated that he did not murder those women with special emphasis on the word murder. He said he killed them, implying that murder is wrong and killing isn't. He cited his own reading of the 10 Commandments, which he said he believed would provide vindication, saying he consulted his personal Bible on the eve of the murders. Detective O'Neill asked him to explain. Basil spoke about his own studies of the Bible. In fact, he'd been reading it the night before the murders.

The five-hour interrogation was released to the public, but I've selected just a few quotes to play to give an indication of how Basil sounded as he spoke, and I'll summarize the rest. Clips have been edited slightly to remove long gaps and silence. In this clip, Basil quotes what he says as one of the 10 Commandments as justification for what he did. O'Neill corrects him, but Basil insists he is right. Detective Sergeant O'Neill was clearly just reading from the wrong version of the Bible. He moved on to the next question. It seemed like God was trying to show me that the Commandment is an out-shout, not kill.

It is out-shout, not murder, and that when somebody, it's murder, you kill somebody that's innocent. That's why I couldn't kill myself, because I thought about shooting myself. I can't do that, because I am innocent. I didn't do it wrong, because that would be me murdering myself. Does that make any sense? So in terms of Carol, Nenesthesia, and Natalie, would you say you killed them or murdered them? I killed them because they were not innocent. They were guilty. I was innocent. I done nothing wrong. Basil painted a self-portrait of a man who was a chronic victim. None of what happened was his fault. He was wronged by all his previous partners, who he called bipolar, loony, and crazy. He accused

them all of framing him. He claimed he was also wronged by what he described as a corrupt police system. He sat with one arm across his chest and the other holding the side of his head. He repeatedly said he was the victim of malicious prosecution by the police and that no one ever listened to him. He said the police had even framed him for his DUI. When asked if he wanted to call a lawyer, he said, I don't want to talk to any crooks. Basil Barutski's complaints and criticisms didn't end there. He complained about the lack of humanity in his treatment by police after he was arrested. He requested a doctor, citing chronic back pain. He complained about health problems, a vitamin deficiency, four ruptured discs, a hernia, a history of concussions,

and about the medications he was on. He also declared that he had PTSD because of his treatment at the hands of the criminal justice system. He was asked, what had the women done to make him so angry that he decided to kill them? He said that if the community really wanted to know, they should start an independent inquiry. Quote, because Basil Barutski is a kind, caring, God fearing human being. He had referred to himself in the third person quite a few times throughout this interrogation. One by one, he listed what he perceived to be slights against him by his ex partners, each slight as ridiculous as the last. Mary Ann was the one who beat him up, not the other way round. Natalie was apparently in with a man stealing backhoes,

and Basil accused her of trying to frame him for it. And as for Carol, she had simply rejected him after he did all that work on her cottage. After a few hours of back and forth and continued references to the Bible, as well as his lack of sleep, Basil Barutski told his version of what happened the morning of September 22nd, 2015. He said he left his apartment in Palmer Rapids just after 7.30 am, taking off in his neighbour Schill's car. He said as he drove the car, he felt that God was helping him to do what's right. He had a 12-gauge shotgun with him that he told police he found at an old farmhouse two years earlier. As you'll remember, he had a lifetime ban on weapons, and his firearms licence had been revoked, but he still carried the expired permit

card around with him. Basil said he drove about 15 minutes northwest to Carol Colletton's Cottage on Caminescage Lake. She saw him arrive, and he said something to her like, Why do you hate me? She went inside and locked the door. He smashed the window open with his elbow, unlocked the front door and entered the cottage. She said, This is not you, Basil. This is not you. He chased Carol to her bedroom, grabbed a coaxial television cable and wrapped it around her head and neck six times while she begged for her life. He strangled her. As Carol lay dead on the bedroom floor with numerous defensive injuries and bruises on her hands and arms, Basil smoked a cigarette. He discarded the butt in Carol's kitchen sink, along with his DNA. He emptied out the contents

of her purse and took her cell phone and the keys to her car. He left Shell's car parked in the cottage with $100 in it for gas and then fled in Carol's car. At this point, no one had any idea that a killing spree had started. Basil drove about half an hour northeast to Willnow, where Anastasia Kuzik lived. He arrived at around 8.45 a.m. After the confrontation with her sister Ava, who fled out the house on foot, Basil said he located Anna cowering behind the kitchen island. He asked her, Why did you lie in court? And she said, I didn't. He fired the gun, killing her with a single shot. A 12 gauge shell casing was found near her body, along with a fingerprint that matched to Basil. Next, he drove another half an hour this time

southeast to the farm of Natalie Warmedam, the same farm where he lived for two years. Surveillance footage shows him walking into her house with a shotgun. He chased her around the corner with that shotgun as her son ran out of the house and then he fired one shot, also killing her instantly. The same size shell casing was found near her body. Two minutes later, surveillance footage captured him walking back out. By 9.20 a.m., three women were dead, and Basil told each of these stories without a shred of remorse or even emotion. He was completely nonchalant. As you'll remember, his complaint about Natalie was that she was apparently in with a man stealing back hose and had tried to frame him. According to sources close to Natalie,

she had nothing to do with whatever went on, but Basil decided that this man would be his next target. The man owned a sawmill, so Basil said he drove there and asked around for him. He was told that he wasn't there. Basil decided to leave. In reality, the owner knew that Basil was there and was hiding in the bushes, a decision which saved his life. Basil drove around for a bit before heading out east to Kinburn, Ontario, where a relative had a property. Just before 2 p.m., he parked the car on the outskirts of town, sat down at a picnic table, and texted his neighbour Sherle to let her know where her car was. He then ran into the bush with a few bottles of liquor, along with the shotgun. His plan was to drink himself stupid and then die by self-inflicted

gunshot, but he decided not to. Quote, Yeah, you can't do that, Basil. You're innocent. If you blow your head off, you'll never go to heaven. Just 30 minutes later, he was arrested. He pointed to where the shotgun was so police could take it. It was an old, rusty, and run-down gun determined to be in poor condition, but it worked. Police also found ammunition which matched the shell casings found at the crime scene. They also found a note that read, I have no gun, don't murder me, I give up. And inside the car that he stole, Carol's car, they found a large machete. As you remember, the police had warned Basil's ex-wife, Mary Ann, to find a safe space. But when he was asked about her, he told police he hadn't actually thought of including Mary Ann

in the day's plans. At the end of the confession, Detective O'Neill asked Basil if he understood what happened to Anna, Carol, and Natalie was wrong. Basil replied, Yeah. O'Neill asked, Would you take it back if you could? Basil replied, Of course I would, but then continued on into another rant about how Natalie, Carol, and Anna brought it upon themselves. He also said that he was prepared to shoot any police officer that got in his way. The only shred of remorse he showed was the fact that he borrowed his neighbour's car and left her gas tank empty. During the interrogation, Detective O'Neill repeatedly offered him legal counsel, but he turned it down. With Basil Barutski finally captured, the Renfrew County community were feeling safer,

but still reeling in shock, especially those who knew Carol, Natalie, and Anastasia. As for Basil's family, his estranged brother Will told the Canadian press that they were angry and embarrassed. Quote, We're all in disbelief. Right now the only ones we're thinking about is the victims, the children, the families, the friends. Our hearts and souls go out to them. By now, the media had started reporting on who Basil was, including his criminal past and all the times he had evaded conviction. There was a lot of outrage at how this man, with his history of escalating violence towards women, was allowed to return to the community time and time again, even through multiple breaches of probation orders.

Kathy Pitts, the real estate agent who discovered Carol Colleton's body, told CTV News, quote, I'm very angry with the legal system for allowing an animal like that man be back out on the loose. My heart just bleeds for the families of these women and what they have to go through. Women's advocate groups had started to point out that this, the worst ever case of intimate partner violence in Ontario, wasn't receiving the kind of public attention it deserved. Many media outlets noted that the murders happened in the middle of the 2015 federal election campaign. The day after, the three main political leaders were supposed to have a debate on women's issues. The debate had actually been cancelled a month earlier under controversy,

but the media noted that none of the three political leaders made a single public comment about the massacre as they campaigned. This absence was a missed opportunity to educate the public about domestic violence and the red flags that Basel was at high risk to continue reoffending, like his repeated refusal to follow his probation conditions. As journalist Sadeeha Ansari wrote in a blog post for the Huffington Post, quote, a mass shooting fuelled by misogyny is no doubt a national tragedy. So how many women have to die before this issue warrants the political attention it deserves? As Basel had his first appearance in court, where he remained absolutely silent, a women's support group gathered outside the building to

hold a vigil. Joanne Brooks, director of the Women's Sexual Assault Center of Renfrew County, was one of the organizers. Quote, when these events happen in communities, what happens is it triggers rawness for many women. We all live with the threat of violence and I think it's important to be out and publicly visible for the women who cannot come forward. The group were there again for Basel's second appearance in court a few weeks later. This time, he uttered just one word. When he was asked to identify himself, he said, God. It seemed fitting given what the police had found in his apartment. They seized three books, the Bible, the Jerusalem Bible, and a book called The Key to Freedom, which is essentially the Bible rewritten in contemporary English.

The police also seized various writings they found from Basel to be used for handwriting analysis against the messages that he wrote all around Carroll's cottage. Packed memorial services were held for the three women who were loved and missed by many. There was strong undercurrents of anger at how the massacre was allowed to have happened. Anastasia Kuzik was described as a lover of nature and a friend to everyone. Bagpipers played amazing grace in a hall that featured walls of photos, as well as a giant display of the many ribbons she'd won in horse-riding competitions. Her family asked for donations in her memory to be made to the local women's shelter. Those who gathered to memorialise Carol Collettin described her as

wonderful, someone who loved all animals. Friends said Carol didn't know the extent of Basel's past, and because she was such a trusting person, she gave him the benefit of the doubt. Natalie Wormadam was remembered as someone who smiled with her whole face and had an infectious laugh. Her friend, Danielle Pecorra-Gorzi, told the crowd that the justice system had let Natalie down, and they needed to channel their anger into bringing about change in the justice system. Quote, We need a system that works differently in cases of abuse against women. We need a justice system that puts the protection of the victims over the rights of the abuser. In the meantime, CBC were investigating for the Fifth Estate. They had requested a

phone call with Basel from prison, and to their surprise, he called back in the months after the murders. But it was more of the same as what he said in the interrogation. He'd been wronged. It was the police's fault. It was the women's fault. It was the system's fault. In the end, he declared, You're judging me and hung up. True to their word, the women's support group was organizing again for the one-year anniversary of the Renfrew County murders. Dozens attended a candlelight memorial to remember the three women. They marched through the streets, holding signs that read, Take Back the Night, in reference to the movement to end domestic violence. Natalie Wormadam, Carol Colletton,

and Anastasia Kuzik's names were etched into a monument that had been erected in memory of more than 20 women killed by their partner or ex-partner. Many were reflecting on how gaps in the justice system allowed this to happen, and how, one year on, Renfrew County was no safer for abused women than before. According to Statistics Canada, a woman is killed by her partner every five days on average, and women in rural areas are even more susceptible. They are often put at a disadvantage because of traditional moral and religious beliefs in rural areas. Women also feel they can't leave an abusive relationship for financial reasons. Often, their livelihood is tied to a farm. But they're also afraid to leave because

everyone knows everybody else in these areas. There's isolation and poverty. There's also the fact that many of the men are hunters, so have access to firearms and other weapons. In cases like this massacre and the fact that Basel was allowed to get away with not following his probation orders repeatedly, hardly encouraged women to step forward or trust the system. And what's worse, Joanne Brooks from the Women's Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew County told the media about a disturbing trend. Several women they helped at the centre reported that their abusive partners had started using the name of Basel Borutski as a threat. She said that while there had been improvements in the justice system

to warn women who are at risk when a man is released from jail, quote, at the end of the day, if a man chooses to kill a woman, it will happen. There are restraining orders and bail conditions, but those just get walked right through, especially in rural areas where we are isolated without services. We don't have neighbours that might call us and say, I just saw him coming your way down the street. We don't have neighbours necessarily. Basel Borutski's trial started in October of 2017, just over two years after he murdered three women. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for Anastasia Kuzik and Natalie Wormadam and one count of second-degree murder in the death of Carol Colletton.

This suggests that he did not plan to murder Carol, who was the first victim, but then he did plan on driving to Anastasia's and Natalie's and killing them. In the lead-up to the trial, the 59-year-old was ordered to have a psychiatric test. But he refused to comply. When asked what his name was, he said, I don't know. When asked what people call him, he said, asshole. The psychiatrist reported back to the court that an attempt was made, but due to Basel's non-compliance, the assessment wasn't possible. Basel was no different at the trial. As the judge would put it, he decided not to actively participate in his own defence, despite repeated requests by the court. He refused to hire a lawyer or request legal aid.

He just sat there in the prisoner's box, staring straight ahead. In cases like this, the court can appoint what is called an amicus curie, which means friend of the court. In Basel Borutski's case, the role assisted the trial process by offering him information, expertise and insight. In the opening address, the crown prosecutor argued that the trial is not a who-done-it, because the evidence that was going to be presented is overwhelming. It was clear that the killings were all about justice, his kind of justice. He believed there was a corrupt justice system out to get him, and women paid the ultimate price. Quote, he thought about it before he did it, and then he executed his plan perfectly.

The videotaped interrogation where Basel explained his twisted logic would become the centrepiece of the crown's considerable evidence. Other evidence included testimony from Carol's new partner, the one she had just gotten back together with, about Basel's erratic behaviour leading up to the murders, the unannounced visits, the botched projects that Carol never asked for, and the jealous possessive behaviour. There was blood on Basel's clothes that matched to Natalie and Anna, and his fingerprint was found at Anna's house, the cigarette butt in the sink of Carol's cottage with his DNA on it. Surveillance footage showed him pulling out of his apartment block in his neighbour Shirl's car, which was recovered from Carol's cottage. Inside Shirl's car was his wallet,

containing all his ID and bank cards, and his expired firearms permit, as well as $100 for gas, as per his text message to Shirl just before he was arrested. Surveillance from Natalie's house showed him going in and coming out minutes later. There was a lot of evidence. Anastasia's sister, Ava, testified about the 911 call she'd made when Basel entered the house. At this point, Basel suddenly came to life, tapping on the glass and asking for a piece of paper. Basel had questions for Ava, which he wrote on the paper. The amicus curie asked the questions, saving Ava from having to give her answers to Basel himself in the prisoner's box. The questions were not overly poignant. She was asked where she was in the house,

and when she first saw the gun. There was no explanation about why the questions were asked, or what he was trying to infer by way of defence. As you'll remember, Basel was a prolific writer. Carole Colletton's brother testified about a letter Carole's neighbour gave him in the days after the murders. It was postmarked from Palmer Rapids, Ontario, the town where Basel lived. Kevin knew immediately that it was evidence, so he took the envelope straight to the police, unopened. The letter was entered into evidence, a rambling nine-page missive that starts, Carole, positive, positive, positive. Basel then writes about what he thinks are the positive changes he made in her life and his motivation for it. Quote, I am a loving, caring,

human being. I am a good person. I am living in a world where society teaches us to be greedy. And at the end, he says, talk to me. It's not too late. The trial was supposed to have lasted for 17 weeks, but instead lasted six, thanks to Basel's refusal to participate. There was no defence put forward whatsoever. No witnesses were called. He did come to life for a second time, halfway through the judge's instructions to the jury. When asked if he had any comment about it, he responded by complaining about the trial process, about not being able to address the jury, and that he wasn't given a pencil and paper when he was. And at the end of the jury charge, he was again given the opportunity to comment.

He simply said, I am not guilty. The jury did not agree. Basel Barutski was found guilty of the two counts of first-degree murder and the one count of second-degree murder. At the sentencing hearing, the judge described him as being devoid of mercy. He said that for the family and friends of the women, the effect the losses had on them is incalculable, particularly for Anna's sister Ava and Natalie's son Adrian, who were there at the time of the attacks, and will have to carry those memories for the rest of their lives. Justice Robert Moranga quoted Natalie Warmedam's mother from her victim impact statement. There's a huge hole in our lives and in our hearts. Daily, we walk under a black cloud.

Our health and family dynamics have been sorely affected due to everlasting stress and sorrow. The justice also referred to a community impact statement that had been submitted by a group called End Violence Against Women in Renfrew County. Basel Barutski's murder spree had an incredible impact on the community. The lines of police cars on the rural roads, serious safety concerns as schools and businesses were locked down. The statement said that women still don't feel safe walking on rural roads or hiking, and what's worse, in Renfrew County during hunting season, the sounds of gunshot was considered normal. But since the murders, the gunshots were now triggering awful memories. Quote,

the sight of police vehicles once a symbol of safety and security for many are now a reminder of these horrific murders and fears of future violence. Basel Barutski was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 70 years, which will bring him to around 128 years old. He will die in prison. The judge characterised him as a violent, vindictive, calculating abuser of women who, on September 22, 2015, took his hatred to its ultimate climax and committed the triple murders of Carol Coletton, Anastasia Kuzik, and Natalie Wormadam. Outside court, Natalie's daughter Valerie spoke to CBC News about the difficulty moving forward with her life without her mother's advice and help, as well as her

experiences not being able to trust people. She said she was glad to see the increased awareness and was hoping and waiting to hear about what changes might be made to the justice system. Ironically, the sentencing decision was delivered on the anniversary of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique Massacre, which became the national day of remembrance and action on violence against women. Outside the courthouse, flags flew at half-mast to commemorate this anniversary, also the day women in Renfrew County learned Baisal Barutski will never be a threat to them again. In August of 2019, the Ontario government announced an inquiry to examine the circumstances of the deaths of Natalie, Carol and Anna. Even though this was good news, their loved ones

and the community were wary. Natalie's daughter Valerie told CBC that she hoped the inquest would do some good, but added that recommendations are good and well, but what's really needed is for politicians to follow through and implement them. Women's rights advocates noted that there had been similar inquests held over the years only to see recommendations shelved afterwards. They wondered how another inquest would help without actually following through. Whatever happens, for many, the inquiry is too little, too late. Baisal Barutski showed an escalation of violence and stalking behaviour and never stuck to the conditions of his probation, and the system failed to protect the survivors.

The long-awaited inquiry into the Renfrew County murders happened in June of 2022. A jury looked at the circumstances and offered recommendations for system changes to reduce the risk of it happening again. The inquest heard there were many systemic failures that led up to Baisal Barutski's murder spree in September of 2015. He was not well supervised by probation officers, and he also was not held accountable when he failed to comply with probation conditions. For example, he ignored several court orders to attend partner assault response programs, but there were no consequences or charges for breaching a court order. An expert witness testified that in situations like these, where a known abuser is not held accountable, it can embolden

them to escalate their behaviour. And it did. The jury heard that Baisal Barutski threatened the women who pressed intimate partner violence charges against him until they dropped those charges out of fear. And because he was highly manipulative, he would reassure new partners who'd heard about the incidents, telling them the charges had been dropped and he'd been unfairly targeted. He even told Natalie Warmedam as a threat that if his ex-wife pressed charges and he ended up in jail, he'd find a way to kill her and he didn't care about the consequences. A year before the Renfrew County murders, he was released from his latest stent and custody, and a rehabilitation officer emailed the probation service with concerns that his release

put the women he'd been harassing at risk. Nothing was done. Despite repeated reports from women that he'd become violent when drunk, not once was he ever referred to treatment for substance use. His parole officer also dropped the ball in several different ways, including allowing him to drop contact in the months before the murders, again with no consequence. The inquest heard that there are specific challenges faced by intimate partner violence survivors in rural areas, like Renfrew County. As well as a lack of privacy, there's limited transport options, limited services available to help them, and also a higher prevalence of guns. Domestic homicides involving a firearm are twice as common in rural communities,

and there is still a gap in tracking guns and ensuring people with a history of intimate partner violence do not have access to them. At the time of the murders, Basil Barutski had technically been banned for life from owning weapons of any kind, but he still had his firearms possession and acquisition license card. The inquest jury recommended that the Ontario government needs to formally declare intimate partner violence as an epidemic, a recommendation described by many as groundbreaking. One of those was lawyer and women's advocate Pamela Cross, who attended the inquiry and spoke with Canadian women.org, saying the term epidemic has enormous symbolic value because it validates the

experiences of anyone who has had to deal with intimate partner violence, especially those who were manipulated into thinking that what they experienced was their own fault. The inquiry heard that since the Renfrew County murders, 111 more people in Ontario have been murdered by their current or former partner, and according to Statistics Canada, a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six days in Canada. As well as declaring intimate partner violence and epidemic, the jury also recommended an independent commission be established to eradicate it. Other recommendations included a 24-7 hotline for men, an emergency fund to help women seek safety, and include a role of advocate for survivors regarding their experience in the

justice system. The jury recommended adding coercive control and femicide to the Criminal Code of Canada, allowing victims of abuse to testify in court via video and establishing a royal commission to review and recommend changes to the criminal justice system to make it more victim-centric and more responsible to root causes of crime. Three of the recommendations were centred around the inquest findings that poor cell phone service and connectivity played a role in the murders. There was a call for expanded cell service and high-speed internet in rural and remote areas of Ontario, which would improve safety and access to services and may have had an impact on communication in general during the rampage. With more reliable service,

electronic monitoring of high-risk offenders in the area would also have been possible, meaning Basil Barutski could have worn a device that would have telegraphed his movements to police. One of the people who testified was Valerie Warmadam, the daughter of Natalie Warmadam, who brought an empathetic perspective to the table. She said that the recommendations were a good start if they're actioned, but she wasn't holding her breath because inquests often don't bring about any action. Valerie Warmadam also said that the threat of prison time is only a band-aid solution to protect victims, and it often doesn't work because perpetrators either don't care or aren't in a place where they are capable of considering and accepting the

consequences of their actions. Same thing when it comes to restraining orders and strict bail conditions. Valerie said they aim to protect survivors but do nothing to stop the offender from finding new victims, and that's exactly what he did. Valerie told the inquest some details about the two years Basil Barutski lived in her home with her mother Natalie. She said he wasn't all bad. He had good aspects to his character as well, and focusing only on the bad after the fact isn't going to stop real everyday people who are perpetrating these harms as they escalate their behavior. She said, quote, you have to build a system that isn't just for catching monsters, because really most folks won't see them as monsters

until after these types of events have occurred, and that doesn't do anybody any good. In response to talk that Basil Barutski may have suffered abuse in his childhood, Valerie told the jury that she would be interested to hear about any recommendations for early intervention. We know that not all children who have suffered abuse go on to become killers, but Valerie's point was that if he did suffer abuse in his childhood, perhaps proper education and care earlier in his life may have made a difference to his outcomes later. She added, quote, I want to be very clear. What we want out of this is recommendations that make people the safest, everybody the safest. Even if that might mean less harm coming to perpetrators,

the best option is the one where most people are the safest. She said that when perpetrators like Basil Barutski feel isolated in society, it can be a destabilizing factor and building circles of accountability and support around them is very important. One of the recommendations was a meeting to reconvene one year after the inquest verdict to discuss the progress in implementing these recommendations. So far, there hasn't been a lot of news. None of the inquiry's recommendations to the Ontario government are binding, but a government spokesperson said they would be taking the time to review and properly consider these important recommendations. And in December of 2022, Inside Ottawa Valley reported that Lanark

County, which neighbours Renfrew County, was the first rural county to take a stand and declare intimate partner violence and epidemic in its communities. This kind of news is encouraging, but we joined the loved ones of Carol Collettin, Anastasia Kuzik and Natalie Warmedam in the hope that we will continue to see progress, that this inquiry will be different to so many others. But this isn't the final update to this case. A month before the inquiry, the Supreme Court of Canada released a decision stating that imposing long parole and eligibility periods, like the 70 years given to Basil Barutski, brings the administration of justice into disrepute. The decision read that these kind of sentences are quote, intrinsically incapable

with human dignity because of their degrading nature, as they deny offenders any moral autonomy by depriving them, in advance and definitively, of any possibility of reintegration into society. The decision goes on to state that life sentences without a realistic possibility of parole leaves offenders with no incentive to rehabilitate themselves. In other words, if they know they'll likely be in prison until they die, why bother trying to get better? The Supreme Court decision is referred to as R.V. Beesonette, after the Quebec Mosque shooter, who will now be able to apply for parole when he is 52 years old instead of age 67. But it obviously has widespread implications when it comes to other cases where consecutive sentences have been imposed, like Basil Barutski.

It's not known if he will apply to have his parole and eligibility period reduced, but it certainly is unsettling news for the women who were confident he would never be a threat to them again. The last update is not so dark. In 2021, the brother of Natalie Wormadam, Joshua Hopkins, had an idea to raise awareness of violence against women and to encourage men to own responsibility to end violence against women. It was announced that he teamed up with Margaret Atwood, Canadian author of The Handmaid's Tale, and composer Jake Heggie for a commission of eight songs by Houston Grand Opera and Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra. Margaret Atwood wrote a series of poems called Songs for Murdered Sisters. Jake set them to music, and Natalie's brother

Joshua is a professional singer, a baritone, so he provided the vocals. At the time, Joshua told the media that he felt so numb after his sister's death, it was almost impossible to comprehend. Quote, But Margaret's words and Jake's music have opened a door, and stepping through it has allowed me to access all my complicated feelings surrounding Natalie's death. The set of eight songs have now been released as both a film and a digital album, and was launched in March of 2021 to align with International Women's Day. And this week, starting Thursday, February 9th, 2023, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will be going on a mini tour with the orchestral premiere of these songs, which is now titled

Atwood, Heggie and Brahms. They will be playing Ottawa, Toronto and Kingston. Please see the show notes for more information. Thanks for listening. As well as court documents, this episode relied on the reporting and journalism of Sarah Boesvelt for Shadow Lane Magazine, Aidan Helmer for the Ottawa Citizen and Judy Trin for CBC News. For the full list of resources we relied on to write this episode, and anything else you want to know about the podcast, including how to access ad-free episodes, visit canadiantruecrime.ca. This podcast donates regularly to Canadian charitable organisations that help victims and survivors of injustice. With this re-released episode, we have again donated to the Women's Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew County, who

offer support for women in the area who have experienced or are experiencing some form of violence. And don't forget to stay tuned for the trailer for Devil in the Dorm, a new six-part podcast series from the Law and Crime Network exclusively on Wondery Plus. That'll be in about 30 seconds. Thanks to Deirdre Bradley for research in the original episode of this case. Audio editing and production was by We Talk of Dreams, who also composed the theme songs. Writing, narration, sound design and additional research was by me, and the disclaimer was voiced by Eric Crosby. I'll be back soon with a new Canadian True Crime episode. See you then. Everything about the Sarah Lawrence campus speaks to its uniqueness. A green-lawned haven 45 minutes

north of glass concrete in Steel New York City, its 19th century tutor revival architecture stands in a sharp contrast to the towering skyscrapers just 15 miles south. The campus is surrounded by 44 acres of lush woodland shaded by oak, maple and cherry trees and wisteria vines on arbor. I often call the college the land of broken toys. If you struggle to function or fit in anywhere else, Sarah Lawrence is the perfect place for you. This is the quality of Sarah Lawrence College that Larry Ray exploited to create what is all the hallmarks of a cult on campus in late 2010. I'm an actress and a proud Sarah Lawrence College graduate. In fact, I'm eternally grateful to Sarah Lawrence for who I've become as a woman and as an artist. My mom went there, I've served on

the board and I've even gone back and taught there. For me, Sarah Lawrence College is like a unicorn in a world where education isn't often uniquely formatted for creative children with a lot of depth. One of the school slogans is, we're different, so are you. And I felt that motto in my bones. When I first learned that a man named Larry Ray started what has been called a cult that took root in my old college, I was shocked, sickened and disturbed. And it takes a lot to disturb me. For four years, I played a Manhattan prosecutor on the TV series Law and Order, and you also may have seen me in David O Russell's Black Comedy American Hustle and Bombshell, a film about the sexual harassment scandal inside Fox News. But nothing prepared me for the strange,

twisted and sordid details of the Larry Ray story. Devil in the Dorm draws from thousands of pages of transcripts, exhibits, audio files and video recordings from a federal sex trafficking trial. There are no cameras or audio recordings in federal court, so all of the testimony that you'll hear has been recreated by actors. Prosecutors say Larry extorted the students of hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars, brutalizing them with a set of pliers, a hammer, a belt, duct tape and simply with his fists, according to testimony from multiple victims in court. Over the course of roughly a decade, Larry would drive several students to the brink of suicide, and according to at least one account, pushed one of them over the edge.

He would make millions of dollars by forcing one of the students into sex trafficking. Long Crime's podcast Devil in the Dorm explores how that happened and what became of him, his followers, his enablers and his victims, and I personally look into the question I can't stop asking myself as a parent. How did this slip under the nose of the college I love? This podcast contains themes and descriptions of sexual assault, violence, suicide and self-harm. If these are difficult topics for you, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is now 988 and it can be dialed anywhere in the United States. The Lifeline provides 24-7 free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your

loved ones, and best practices for professionals.