Uncover - S23 E3: If walls could talk | "The Pit"

Episode Date: December 25, 2023

Sheree gets married. Soon, cracks in the relationship begin to form. Court documents reveal troubles in Sheree's private life. There's a death threat, weapons, and the police get involved. For more,... including a 360 video experience of the gravel pit, visit cbc.ca/thepit

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news, so I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with Season 3 of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy.
Starting point is 00:00:25 On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. The death of Sherry's mom, Julianne Sorotsky, came as a shock to us. We hadn't heard from her in a while, and she was on our minds. And one night I was doing some research at home. I can't even remember what I was looking up at the time, but that's when I saw it, an obituary. It read,
Starting point is 00:00:53 It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Julianne Sorotsky on July 13, 2018. It was surprising and sad at the same time. In February of that year, Victoria and I first drove out to meet Julianne. We were just starting to work on the story. She welcomed us into her home, and she helped us learn more about her daughter. She was the first person we spoke to about Sherry, and she was also the first person we spoke to about Sherry's husband, Greg Furtuck.
Starting point is 00:01:33 Yeah, I've been asked by reporters before, you know, about Greg and I don't even know if I should have this recorded, but I'm kind of careful with what I say because, I don't know, he could come out here someday and kick the door in and, you know, because he does not like me. So I don't like to say too much against him just for that reason. It was heartbreaking to know she never got to find out what happened to her daughter. she never got to find out what happened to her daughter. It made us even more determined to find answers about Sherry and also to find out why she was so suspicious of Greg. I'm Alicia Bridges, and this is in May of 2016, about six months after Sherry disappeared.
Starting point is 00:02:37 I was sitting in the Star Phoenix newsroom and our court reporter at the time, Hannah Spray, came back with some pretty explosive news she'd found. That's Charles Hamilton. He's a reporter who helped Hannah cover Sherry's case in the early stages. In a civil case that was filed at the Court of Queen's Bench in Saskatoon, she'd found an affidavit or a summary of an affidavit that was written by the RCMP that they believed that Sherry's former husband, Greg Furtuck, was the one who had killed Sherry Furtuck. And so it was a very, very small paragraph in the court documents, but it was definitely, you know, a pretty explosive
Starting point is 00:03:20 moment. And so, yeah, it was that morning that, you know, we found out that the RCMP, at least according to this document, believed that Greg Furtuck was the one who killed her. And so we did all we could to try to find more about Greg Furtuck and try to find out who he was. Here's what Corporal Jeremy Anderson wrote in an RCMP application to the court. It was dated January 19, 2016. I have reasonable grounds to believe, and do believe that, Greg Mitchell Furtuck, born September 25, 1953, at or near Keniston, Saskatchewan,
Starting point is 00:03:57 did commit murder on the person of Sherry Furtuck. Well, holy shit. I mean, that, again, was just shocking news. It was, you know, it was a complete and utter shock that we would find it that way and that, again, that it wasn't the police who told us that, that they didn't, you know, hold a news conference and tell us this is our suspect, but that we kind of dug it up. So, you know, journalistically speaking, it was a hell of a scoop by Hannah.
Starting point is 00:04:24 In the same court package, Sherry's son Lucas says in an affidavit that the RCMP suspects his father, Greg, of killing his mother. It said, quote, The RCMP are currently investigating Gregory M. Furtuck, who is her spouse and against whom she has an outstanding divorce, child support and property application for murdering her. This information wasn't meant for the public.
Starting point is 00:04:53 At the time, Greg denied any involvement in Sherry's disappearance through his lawyer. A couple years later, we try to get a copy of the full RCMP affidavit. We want to find out why police think Sherry may have been murdered by her husband. But when we ask for the documents, we hit a roadblock. The judge stops us from accessing it. He says if we want it, we'd have to take the RCMP and Sherry's son to court. And it's something we don't want to do. So we keep digging. And that's when we find something else. More court documents that date back to around 2010. It gives us a glimpse into Sherry and Greg's relationship and how bad things were getting.
Starting point is 00:05:45 Before we get into that, let's go back in time to when Sherry and Greg first met. Sherry's friend, Joni Zdudnik, says it happened at a wedding. I was actually, my husband and I were with them the first night they got together. We were at a wedding at, the name of it jumped off my head, Highway 5, Manhattan. So we were all at a wedding there. And I don't know why. He was actually a cousin of the bride. Greg was older than Sherry by about 10 years, but there was something about him that drew her in. This is Corey Ouellette, another one of Sherry's friends.
Starting point is 00:06:26 I remember when she first started going out with her husband, and she was definitely a very happy person. I remember this kind of seeing this real overall joy in her, but that was way back in the day. That was before she ever got married, you know, when she was just dating. I remember saying, wow, Sherry is just like, because she was definitely not a girly girl. And I remember her just being very, very happy and very,
Starting point is 00:07:01 yeah, it was just, it was really nice to see. In 1991, Greg and Sherry jetted off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to get married. There aren't a lot of details about the wedding. Even her friends don't seem to know much about it. But they say it wasn't her style to have a wedding dress and a bouquet. In the early days, they went on holidays together. Trips to Mexico to escape the Saskatchewan winter. They went hunting and fishing, on camping trips with friends.
Starting point is 00:07:31 In 1993, Sherry and Greg started a family. Lucas Fertuck was born first, Lauren came three years later, and finally, in 1998, their youngest, Lana, was born. In 1998, their youngest, Lana, was born. With three young children, they decided to start a life together in Saskatoon. In 2001, they found a split-level home on a quiet crescent on the city's west side. They bought the house under Greg's name. Looking at the house now, I can't help but think of all the things that might have happened between those walls. Later we learn that there was trouble between Sherry and Greg.
Starting point is 00:08:18 It seems likely that painful words might have been said, burned into the family memory. By 2010, their marriage had started to fall apart. That's the year when Greg's name appears in the court record for the first time. Before we go any further, it's important to note that none of what we're about to tell you is meant to prove or disprove that Greg Furtack was involved with Sherry's disappearance and murder. Greg has already said he wasn't involved. His position on that hasn't changed since 2016. That's when police said they had grounds to believe he killed Sherry. But what police say is just an allegation. It hasn't been proven in court or even taken to trial. So we ask you to keep this in mind as we tell you what we know about Greg. What Alicia and I are about to tell
Starting point is 00:09:12 you is all according to the court record. On November 9th, 2010, Sherry goes to the police station. She tells police that she and Greg had an argument earlier that day. Greg had been drinking, so she took away one of his handguns and two loaded magazines. Sherry reports that Greg had become angry when she refused to give his guns back. He threatens to kill her. Greg tells Sherry that he has another gun and he's going to use it to, quote, put a bullet between her eyes. Greg isn't living with Sherry at this time. His lawyer, Morris Bodner, tells the court that alcohol is a problem for Greg and that Greg is attending AA meetings.
Starting point is 00:09:59 He also wants to get back together with his wife and maintain the family unit. Greg pleads guilty to one charge of knowingly uttering a threat to cause death to Sherry. He tells the judge that he is sorry and that he has stopped drinking. He even presents a letter saying he has joined the family church. He's ordered to go through a domestic violence program for offenders in Saskatchewan, and that's usually about 50 hours total. When he's done, the court gives Greg what is called an absolute discharge. This means that although he pleaded guilty, no conviction was registered.
Starting point is 00:10:34 Technically, he has no criminal record, although the court system still has the details. It's part of the system in the province to help people rehabilitate from their addictions and stop them from reoffending. In domestic violence cases like Greg's, the court can give more leniency than usual to offenders who agree to go through a domestic violence treatment program. It's through the Provincial Ministry of Justice. The goal is to give offenders a chance to rehabilitate. offenders a chance to rehabilitate. A 2011 study focused solely on Saskatoon found that the number of people who ended up back in court was lower if they went through the program. But 20% of people who completed the program still went on to re-offend. And so does Greg. The second incident
Starting point is 00:11:20 happens in 2011. This time he is accused of assaulting Sherry at the family home they used to share. At this point, the couple has been separated for about a year. According to audio recordings from the courts, Greg grabs Sherry by the head and neck. That's when their son Lucas steps in and Sherry calls the police. The officer on the phone asks if there are any weapons in the house, and she says yes. When police arrive, Lucas takes the officers to a collection of guns. They find a Winchester.22 pump-action rifle,
Starting point is 00:11:55 a.303 bolt-action rifle, and ammunition. Greg pleads guilty to the assault, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of the unlicensed rifles and ammunition, and unsafe storage of the rifles. He's not sentenced until a year later. They also find an Uzi in the house. That's a lightweight and illegal machine gun. Greg's lawyer, Morris Bodner, tells the court it was Sherry who brought the Uzi into the house, not Greg.
Starting point is 00:12:25 Members of Greg's family will later back him up on that. But finding out where the gun came from isn't part of the court proceeding. The goal is to decide the appropriate sentence for Greg. This is where the previous absolute discharge comes up again. Greg's lawyer argues that jail time would be inappropriate because, in effect, he has no prior convictions. This is my colleague Dan Zekreski reading what Greg's lawyer says in court. That's because we legally can't broadcast audio that's recorded in the courthouse.
Starting point is 00:12:59 We believe the Crown has gone completely overboard on their submission. For a man who has, in effect, before the court, no convictions. He received a discharge before, went through programming that was required. He has no convictions. And the Crown is now asking for one year because of a gun that's found in a garage. Wasn't being used. It wasn't threatened for being used. And they're asking for a year of jail on this. It's completely unrealistic. Greg tells the court, through his lawyer, he wants to resolve his drinking problem and the divorce that was still underway in the family court.
Starting point is 00:13:37 The Crown argues that Greg should spend a year behind bars, and they want a lifetime ban on him owning any weapons. The judge rules against it. She says she's taken the assault into account and she says compared to the kinds of assaults she hears about in court routinely, this is at the low end. But she notes that Parliament has regarded domestic violence as a very serious matter and that is an aggravating factor in this case.
Starting point is 00:14:03 Ultimately, she allows Greg to serve his sentence in the community and get counselling for alcohol addiction. His lawyer sheds more light on Greg's past. In my mind, as well the probation officer's mind, Mr Furtuck has an alcohol problem, no doubt about it. He grew up in that environment, the environment that could be described as one of an abusive situation. In his childhood, his father, he says he may well have been an alcoholic.
Starting point is 00:14:31 Well, he'd probably know quite well that if his father's drinking all the time, that he probably was. Then he starts talking about Sherry and Greg's relationship. Probably the reason the marriage stayed together is because they were not together very often, he and his wife. They've been married for 21 years. They have three children.
Starting point is 00:14:53 And he admits that he's been drinking. He admits how he drinks, the drinking he requires. And this is where he needs insight into it. He had beer. He had two or three or four beer. And if he does this every day, he's got an alcohol problem. There's no doubt he needs programming to give him the insight into it. And when that's done, he'll probably be a much better person and be able to deal with that.
Starting point is 00:15:18 When the judge sentences Greg, she gives him a six-month conditional sentence order. This means he can serve his time in the community as long as he abides by a list of rules laid out by the court. For six months, Greg must attend counselling sessions for his alcohol addiction. He is banned from going to any bar or drinking venue. He must also pay a fine of $50, and on top of this, Greg is banned from owning weapons for 10 years. After this happens, Greg isn't allowed to see Sherry in person or enter their shared home, so he moves in with a friend for a few months.
Starting point is 00:15:55 Then he moves in with another woman, Doris LeBrock, but we'll get to that later. Greg eventually breaks one of the conditions of his sentence. He's out and drinking. And when he's too drunk to pay his fare, a taxi driver drops him off at the police station. He spends 16 days behind bars. In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news. So I started a podcast called On Drugs.
Starting point is 00:16:27 We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with season three of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy. On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Greg and drinking often come up together in conversation. A lot of people we spoke to
Starting point is 00:17:00 brought it up. Barkley Purpik is one of them. He owns a bar in a neighboring town just outside of Keniston. He says Greg would sometimes stop by. When he wasn't drinking, he was pretty nice, you know, quiet. But when he was drinking, he could be a little sketchy, I'll call it. That I've seen personally, yes. Yeah. And what do you mean by that? Like, was he just, was he kind of obnoxious or like? Well, yeah, a bit of everything, you know what I mean? He had no problem,
Starting point is 00:17:33 you know, calling the waitress a bitch because she didn't bring him another drink or, you know, like, but like I said, when he was sober, he was a really nice guy. And I don't think he, I'm not saying he's an alcoholic or anything. We all out here drink and subdue ourselves sometimes, you know, so,
Starting point is 00:17:53 but he'd get pretty irritable and, you know, and I know he's, I know that, like, I, well, I shouldn't say I know he's, I know that, like, well, I shouldn't say I know. I heard about him, like, threatening her, and their marriage wasn't what you call real good, I'll say. In terms of what you personally saw, you know, were there any instances that kind of stood out to you? Well, yeah, there's a, I can't even really remember. I just remember a couple of times where it's like, well, I'm leaving here because he is, like, he's being a pain in the ass.
Starting point is 00:18:35 Or, like, I own the bar here in town and he had been drinking there a couple of times. He didn't frequent the pub that often. Didn't frequent the pub that often. But it was like, yeah, you're pretty much like, Greg, you're cut off. Get out of here. Go home, you know, or get someone to come pick you up. I don't care. But you're not staying in here anymore because you're scaring my customers away.
Starting point is 00:19:01 And was it ever, did you ever see him direct that towards Sherry? Like, did he ever say anything to her or about her? No. He's a husband, of course. We're always complaining, you know. I can't really say anything specific. Like, I'm going to go, like, I'll get that bitch or I'll fucking make her pay or something. You know, I can't say I ever heard him talk like that, but I know it was like, she's working me to death out here.
Starting point is 00:19:28 Okay. Money. Money seemed to be a big problem over there all the time. They never had enough of it, or if they had enough of it, they wouldn't spend it. I don't know how to exactly explain it. People who knew Greg say the discussion of finances would bring up a lot of tension and resentment towards his wife. He was retired from his job at the Canadian National Railway, but he was still working, and for Sherry. Before Sherry disappeared, she paid him to do extra work hauling gravel.
Starting point is 00:20:13 Greg's cousin, Sandra Torti, says it was Sherry and Greg's home in Saskatoon that was the sore spot for Greg, even after Sherry's disappearance. I said something, whether he called me or I called him, I really can't remember the details. But I remember he went on a rampage about her saying names or whatever. And I don't want to repeat that. But then I said to him, Greg, but there was good times. And he was quiet. And then he said, yes, there was. She is your mother of your children, I said, and there was good times too and she said yes to us. I'd like to add that
Starting point is 00:20:52 I was never frightened of Greg. I'd never seen the violence in him that they talk about or her, you know. So it's kind of shocking now, you know, like is this true or whatever, you know, that now I'm fearful, right? So that's not the Greg that I grew up with. What do you think it was that made you fearful?
Starting point is 00:21:19 Is it what you've read in the news or is it your own experiences, do you think? Whatever, in the news, not my experiences. And he, just in the news or is it your own experiences do you think whatever in the news not my experiences and he just in the phone calls we would talk just earlier in the spring he would get off on one subject then he was way off to another to his childhood to the present moment back and forth and i get off the phone i think what what did he say? There were so many subjects covered, but he never really said anything. He was just rambling, you know. But I know he, you know, we had a disagreement about something
Starting point is 00:21:54 and that was, you know, about his share of the property. And I said, well, you know, Greg, she deserves half, you know. And he said, no, I worked for that. It's my money, I said, well, whatever. Sandra grew up with Greg. She used to visit him and his siblings at their farm near the small town of Bigger, Saskatchewan. It's about a two-hour drive away from Keniston. Greg was born in the 50s.
Starting point is 00:22:22 He was one of five children to Alma and George Furtuck. In high school, Greg played football in Badminton. He was part of the track and field team. His yearbook photo shows a lean young man in a plaid shirt. He has thick eyebrows and soft, dark eyes. He looks gentle. The sides of his brown hair are a little overgrown. It pokes out from behind his ears.
Starting point is 00:22:46 The blurb next to his photo says, quote, We were always very close as kids, and even, you know, when they got married, we were not really close, but, you know, of all cousins, I think he always said him and I were the closest in our relationship. And he was right, we were. Well, Greg was very funny in a lot of ways. He had a sense of humor and always told jokes and stories. Not long after school, Greg got a job at the Canadian National Railways.
Starting point is 00:23:24 He worked there for more than 30 years, working his way up from a brakeman to a conductor. That's where he was working when he met Sherry. Sandra says she likes Sherry, but not everybody felt the same. I guess there's some people who didn't really like Sherry that much, you know. But, like I said, I wasn't close. I always got along with Sherry, you know. But then I get along with most everybody.
Starting point is 00:23:58 I try to. I never found her offensive or she was always very good, kind to me and very hospitable when I was there. And yeah, I knew she was a very hardworking, hardworking lady. And she loved her parents. I know her parents were of concern to her, you know. And that's funny. I know she didn't like gardening. Like Greg did all that, you know and that's about it. I know she didn't like gardening like Greg did all that
Starting point is 00:24:26 you know Greg did that most of the I think child care when they were younger because she worked so much you know yeah that's about all I can tell you about her really you know I was never excuse me like
Starting point is 00:24:43 joined at the hip with her. But I certainly enjoyed her company. She was over here a couple times socially. We have a social gathering. She came and she's very, very fun-loving, seemed to be. You mentioned that some people didn't like her. Do you remember why that was? What was it about her?
Starting point is 00:25:11 Well, Greg would often, how can I say this, be very ridicule people who didn't have much or laugh at them for their meager whatever. He was kind of a braggart in a bit. Is that the right word, braggart? Yeah, and and somebody said well but so was she. But mind you, like I said, I never heard that because I was never spent a long time with her, but some people found her offensive and said, well she was a trucker. That's all they said.
Starting point is 00:25:47 But that I, you know, I don't know. But I've never seen her drunk or anything. They said she drank too when they were younger. But I don't know about that. Some of Sherry's friends knew their marriage had problems. They say she wasn't one to talk a lot about her private life. But she did tell Sandra about the 2012 fight when the police found the Uzi machine gun.
Starting point is 00:26:13 That's the only time I ever heard her say anything to me about Greg. But I never, you know, it's funny, I never worried about Sherry because I always thought she could take care of herself. You know, she was a large lady, but strong, very, very strong. A truck driver, a gravel operator. After Sherry disappeared, Greg and Sandra continued to talk. But after a while, she started avoiding his calls. It's two different Gregs.
Starting point is 00:26:49 You could have a conversation with Greg when he wasn't drinking. When he drank, you couldn't really have a conversation with him. She says she never saw Greg angry until he was talking about Sherry and about the divorce that was still unresolved. Sandra says Greg has a different version of what happened in the family home than what was presented in court. All the false reporting she did. She's mad because that's not what happened.
Starting point is 00:27:15 That time when they called the police, no, that didn't really happen. She was mad at her for that and different things like that. Did he say what he thought did happen that was different? No. No, but every time I said, well, Greg, you know, you should quit drinking. That's not the problem. I never pushed him about it.
Starting point is 00:27:43 When we talked on the phone before, you mentioned he would say kind of strange things when he was speaking with you, and he said stuff about getting rid of people. Do you remember anything about that? Yeah. Well, he would, when he was drunk and stupor, I remember when I would say,
Starting point is 00:28:03 Oh, that would be good. Something about, that would be easy to do, or something, you know, but it, his thoughts were so, and this just happened, like, you know, in the last few years, when he phoned, his thoughts were so irrational, out there. You know, it's one minute the farm, one minute the work, one minute this. It was off in all directions. So I get off the phone sometimes I didn't know what he was saying.
Starting point is 00:28:40 There's a big gap in what we know about Greg between high school and when he marries Sherry. He was quite a bit older than her. So what was happening during this 20-year gap? As reporters, we do quite a bit of internet sleuthing. And while sifting through Greg's comments on social media sites, we come across something interesting. It makes us think Sherry might not have been Greg's first wife. And this is information we can't find online. So it takes us to the bigger museum and gallery.
Starting point is 00:29:11 There's a collection of old newspapers there. And that's where we meet Delta Faye Cruikshank. When I first started learning research, and I did a lot of this. She helps us find a marriage notice under Greg's name from 1974. It's in the bigger independent newspaper. She inserts a roll of film into an old microfiche machine in the back office of the museum. There's August 1974. What page?
Starting point is 00:29:41 That's when we see it. Oh, wait, announcements right there. Pretty summer... Oh, my God, is there a photo? There is. In the photo, Greg and his new bride, Sandra, are smiling. Greg is wearing a white suit jacket with a white flower pinned to the black lapels.
Starting point is 00:29:58 He has dark hair. He's lanky and tall, much taller than Sandra. So the headline says, Pretty Summer Wedding. A pretty summer wedding took place in St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church, Bigger, Sask, on Saturday, June 30, 1974, at 3.30pm, uniting Sandra Lee Link, daughter of Mrs Phyllis Link of Port Coquitlam, BC, and Gregory Mitchell Furtuck, eldest son of Mr and Mrs George Furtuck of Bigger. The wedding notice is so detailed. The article profiles every bit of the wedding.
Starting point is 00:30:39 Who was there, what they wore, the gifts they received. No one has ever mentioned a former wife. Not the police, not even Julianne before she passed away. We need to find Sandra, but how? She could tell us what it was like to be with Greg. And if Greg won't talk to us, Sandra could be the only person who might know what life was like for Sherry. We come across a phone number of a woman that seems to fit the bill. It's Sandra. She picks up, but right away she says no to an interview. She doesn't want to talk to us about Greg.
Starting point is 00:31:21 It was a long time ago, and they divorced after about four years of marriage. She tells us she's afraid of him, and that he's a part of her life she's been trying to forget. Her son, Mike Furtuck, who's now in his 40s, says he doesn't feel comfortable talking either, and they both said they were never interviewed by police. It's clear that a lot of people who knew Sherry suspect Greg. Some just outright dislike him. What's not clear is how much of that suspicion is based on their own experiences, or if it's influenced by speculation and gossip, a story that takes on a life of its own.
Starting point is 00:32:04 Their views could also be shaped by what's been reported in the news. What we do know is that finding people to talk to us about Greg has been difficult, frustrating and complicated. We think it's important to find out more about him and his relationship with Sherry. But it's tough when people keep saying they're still too afraid. That is, until something happens and people start to come forward and speak to us. On the next episode of The Pit,
Starting point is 00:32:47 a former roommate breaks his silence. I wanted to give the police a chance to possibly find a body and find out for sure what's actually going on. And today I really didn't tell the police some of the evidence that I probably held back at the time. What were you holding back, Ron? The Pit is a CBC investigative podcast. The story was written, produced and mixed by Victoria Dinh and me, Alicia Bridges. Our senior producer is Corinne Larson.
Starting point is 00:33:28 Editorial guidance came from Paul Dornstader and David Hutton. Additional support from Karen Yeske and Courtney Markowicz. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or just tell your friends. You can also contact us directly by emailing thepit at cbc.ca. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.

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