Uncover - S23 Update: Greg makes his case | "The Pit"

Episode Date: December 20, 2023

Greg calls some familiar faces as witnesses. The defence and Crown make their closing arguments. The judge announces a date for his final decision.

This is a CBC Podcast. Furtuck is on trial for first-degree murder. Furtuck is charged in the death of his wife, Sherry, who vanished in 2015. Her body was never found. The prosecutors spent months making their case that Greg murdered Sherry. After they're done, it's time for the defense. And Greg decides to have his say. Despite the shackles around his feet, it's his turn to for the defense. And Greg decides to have his say. Despite the shackles around his feet, it's his turn to run the show. And he calls in witnesses to testify, trying to cast doubt on the Crown's theory.

After Greg calls his evidence, he and the prosecutors make their final arguments to the judge. After years of waiting, this trial is winding down. So we're back here with a quick update to talk about what happened at court and what's next. I'm Kendall Latimer, and this is a bonus episode of The Pit. Greg has waited a long time for this, for his moment in court. He doesn't have to call any evidence, but he chooses to. Previously, he told the court he had one key witness in mind, a gun expert, who could testify about the rifle and the bullet casings found at the gravel pit. So back in 2023, after the voir dire decision, court was

adjourned for months so Greg could secure the expert. Now, Gregg says this plan is called off. He can't afford the cost. But he does have others lined up to testify. Gregg Furtuck's first-degree murder trial continues today at Saskatoon's Court of Kings bench. And as Pratush Dayal reports, Furtuck is acting as his own defense counsel. Furtuck questioned three witnesses Tuesday. None were expert witnesses. That included Sherry's brother and neighbor and Furtuk's previous lawyer.

On many occasions in Tuesday's proceedings, Furtuk was reminded by Justice Richard Danilik about how to question the witnesses and avoid commentary. As Greg questions witnesses, the judge patiently tries to keep him on track. Greg tends to launch into speeches and share his opinion rather than staying on topic and asking open-ended questions. The first witness is Sherry's brother, Darren Sarotsky. He also did some work at the gravel pit. Greg asks about Sherry's equipment

at the site and how it was vandalized before she went missing. He tries to establish that someone else might have hurt Sherry, perhaps someone in the gravel industry. Greg also asks about the front loader, the one used to move heavy loads of gravel in the pit. asks about the front loader, the one used to move heavy loads of gravel in the pit. After Sherry disappeared, police found traces of blood on the machine's bucket. And Greg told the undercover cops that he used it to move Sherry's body after killing her. Greg asks Darren if he ever used the front loader to move dead animals. Darren says no. Greg's second witness is surprising. It's Morris Bodner,

Greg's former lawyer. He withdrew from the case in 2022. Greg tells the court he wants to waive their attorney-client privilege. The judge warns him that this opens the door for both sides. That means the Crown can question Morris about what Greg told him. Greg says he understands and says that's fine because he never told Morris anything incriminating. Many of Greg's questions are related to his own grievances. We've heard them often throughout this trial. Greg asks about his former girlfriend, Doris LaRock, and about bail, Greg asks about his former girlfriend, Doris LaRock, and about bail, why he never got it. Morris confirms Greg's bail application was called off because there was nowhere for Greg to go. Doris told the police Greg was no longer welcome at her home.

Greg suggests the RCMP turned Doris against him. Morris says he wasn't there and can't speak to this. Greg asks, why would she pay Morris $60,000 to cover Greg's legal fees if she didn't want him around? The payments covered Morris's work on the trial and an outstanding debt that Greg owed him. Morris reminds Greg, Doris had power of attorney. She was just following instructions. The cash was Greg's money. Then Greg gets to the heart of the matter. The alleged killing and his confession. He questions how could police officers verify his confession without Sherry's body. But Greg doesn't ask the question straight.

He goes on a short rant, asking if police used a Ouija board or a crystal ball. My colleague, Pratush Jail, is in the courtroom when this happens. He says this prompted a stern warning from the judge. Justice Richard Darnlick, you know, jumped in several times today

to caution Furtuk about the language he was using, editorializing while he's asking his questions. On many occasions, the Crown objected to his rational questioning and Furtuk was redirected. And at one point, Justice Dynalik even told Furtuk, and I quote, we are not in a playground. This is a very serious matter. Greg's final witness is a man named Robert McJanet. He lives near the gravel pit and knew Sherry. Robert helped search for her after she was reported missing. The testimony is short. Robert confirms to Greg that yes, there were other

people working in the gravel pit after Sherry disappeared. And then court adjourns for the day. David Shield joins me now in studio. Good morning, David. What's making news? Well, the long-running trial of a man accused of first-degree murder continues today at Court of King's Bench. Greg Furtuck is accused of killing his estranged wife Sherry. Furtuck is representing himself in court and was chastised by the judge yesterday on avoiding commentary about the case. Yesterday Furtuck said he didn't want to take the stand but was given time until

this morning to confirm that. Greg tells the judge he has no plans to testify, and he closes his case. That means the evidence portion of this trial is over. Back at court, it's time for closing arguments. This is the lawyers and Greg's chance to talk about the evidence they think should guide the judge's decision. Greg speaks first. You might remember that Greg repeatedly told us he made up the confession to undercover officers because he was afraid.

But Greg doesn't use that argument in court. Instead, he tells the judge he was a lonely alcoholic when he met the undercover officers, and he made up that story because he didn't want to lose the money and the relationships he had within the fake organization. He wanted to keep the good times going. Greg says it wasn't out of character for him to lie about violence

in order to look cool or speak with bravado. He tells the judge he had no reason to harm Sherry, and he describes this case as an RCMP witch hunt, where police spent $670,000 on the undercover sting and still don't have the evidence. Greg takes about 15 minutes, and then Crown Prosecutor Corey Bliss speaks for nearly two hours. He tells the judge Greg Furtuck had a clear motive to kill Sherry, anger and frustration over money. At the time of the alleged killing, Greg and Sherry had ongoing disagreements about money. Their divorce proceedings were stalled because of the financial

issues and arguments over dividing their property. Greg owed Sherry thousands in overdue child support, and Sherry wouldn't let Greg access his pension money while these issues went unresolved. The Crown says the final straw for Greg happened the morning of December 7, 2015. Sherry had discovered Greg was claiming too many hours for his time working in the gravel pit, so she called Greg about this and tried to cancel a check. The prosecutor says that, After speaking with Sherry, Greg went to the gravel pit that day, armed with a loaded, unregistered rifle and a plan. Corey Bliss points out dozens of pieces of hard evidence that he says supports the Crown's case and Greg's confession.

He also emphasizes why, from the Crown's perspective, Greg shared details of the killing. The confession came after the undercover officers presented Greg with an opportunity to make his legal troubles go away forever. These were people he trusted. He believed they were his friends and colleagues. And he also believed they could manipulate the system, cleaning up crimes. They told Greg if he was honest, they could make the police get off his back once and for all.

The prosecutor points out that Greg didn't hesitate to ask for help. He never denied his involvement, never strayed from his detailed story. And in fact, he told the crime boss he regretted killing Sherry. The prosecutor says, quote, Why would someone making up that story add that detail? He's not bragging. He's not exaggerating. He's not trying to make himself seem like he's a stone-cold killer. He's not bragging. He's not exaggerating. He's not trying to make himself seem like he's a stone-cold killer. He regrets it. As for Sherry's missing remains, Corey Bliss

says the absence of her body doesn't weaken their case because remains can be scattered, lost, or hidden over time. Greg gets an opportunity for rebuttal. He tells the prosecutor, show me the body. And then that's it. The trial is nearly over. There's nothing more for the prosecutors or Greg to do at this point except wait for the judge's decision. wait for the judge's decision. It's clear Justice Daniluk wants to move this trial along as fast as possible, given all the delays and all the time that has passed. But he's not able to make his decision immediately. The judge is presiding over several other trials this spring, and he has piles of evidence to consider from this one. So he plans to release his decision about three months later, on June 14, 2024, eight and a half years after

Sherry vanished. Greg Furtuck has been in jail since he was charged, and soon he'll learn whether that's where he will stay. Will the judge find Greg guilty of murder? That would mean a sentence to life in prison, with no chance of parole for many years. If he's acquitted, Greg Furtuck will walk away from this trial, living his life once again in the community, free from his jail cell. As for Sherry's family, the long wait for closure, at least within the justice system, will finally be over. When that day comes, when the judge returns with his decision, we'll be there, and then we'll meet you back here for another episode.

The Pit is a CBC Investigated podcast. This bonus episode was written and mixed by me, Kendall Latimer. Corrine Larson is our senior producer. Editorial guidance came from Paul Dornstouter. If you like what you hear, please tell a friend. And you can get in touch with us by email, thepit at cbc.ca. email thepit at cbc.ca.