Testimony begins in 2015 roommate murder trial

The Kelowna man accused of killing his roommate in June 2015 said the two of them generally got along, but admitted they had their battles.

Daniel Ruff, 64, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 51-year-old Warren Welters.

For 15 months, the two had been living in an upstairs suite at 941 Bernard Ave.

Welters was found dead in his room the evening of June 14, 2015.

Ruff was arrested June 29, 2015 and is currently out on bail.

The night of Welters’ death, Kelowna RCMP Const. Paul Mlait asked Ruff if Welters had any issues or if he had been fighting with anyone.

“I know he wasn’t well-loved by a lot of people, but I don’t really know,” said Ruff on a recording played in court for the jury Wednesday morning.

Mlait then asked if he and Welters got along.

“Oh yeah,” said Ruff. “We’ve had our battles, but for the most part yeah.”

Mlait asked Ruff if he knew what happened to Welters.

“I don’t know, looks like he got smoked in the back of the head,” said Ruff.

The Crown argues Ruff hit Welters in the head with a hammer while Welters was passed out on his bed.

The night of the incident, Mlait said it was “obvious” Ruff had been drinking.

“I could smell the liquor on his breath,” he said, adding Ruff did not have any trouble walking or answering questions.

Mlait said he did not note any visible injuries or blood on Ruff’s hands or body.

In the audio recording, Mlait asked Ruff to tell him what had happened that day.

“I probably don’t have a lot of information,” said Ruff. “I got up at 8 (a.m.) and made coffee, then Warren came out and he just said ‘are you going to do a run,’ which just means are you going to the beer store. I said no and he went back to bed and I left and was gone all day.”

Ruff said he rode his bike to his friend Murray Matheson’s house, then he went to a liquor store and bought beer.

He returned home around 1 or 2 p.m., he said, adding his friend Harry Wallace arrived at his house around the same time.

Matheson came over around 3 or 4 p.m., and the three men sat on the porch drinking beer, said Ruff.

Later that evening, Ruff said he went up to invite Welters outside.

“I knocked on his door and said ‘hey Warren, you want a beer?’”

When there was no response, Ruff said he opened the door and saw Welters lying on his bed.

“He was face down and I could see blood spattered on the wall and blood on the back of his head,” he said. “I touched him and I didn’t think he was alive.”

He then left the room, closed the door and called 911.

The trial continues.