Guilty verdicts in triple murder

OTTAWA • Jurors found Basil Borutski guilty on two counts of first- degree murder and one of seconddegree murder Friday in the deaths of three women killed two years ago during an hour- long, revenge-fuelled rampage across the Ottawa Valley.

The first- degree murder convictions came in the deaths of 36-year-old Anastasia Kuzyk and 48-year-old Nathalie Warmerdam, while jurors convicted Borutski on a lesser charge of second-degree murder in the death of Carol Culleton, 66.

All three murders took place in the space of less than an hour on Sept. 22, 2015.

Clad in a grey shirt and slacks, black Croc sandals and leg chains, Borutski, 60, sat expressionless, staring straight ahead, during the verdict, which it took 11 members of the jury some 14 hours to reach. When it was over, he was ushered out of the prisoner’s box by police.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 5 in Pembroke, Ont.

I KILLED THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT INNOCENT.

Prior to the murders, Borutski — who defended himself at trial but barely said a word during the proceedings, which lasted nearly two months — had twice spent time in jail after two of the women accused him of assault and uttering threats.

In a videotaped interview that was played at trial, Borutski expressed a degree of remorse for his actions, which he said were fuelled by rage at what he considered to be the lies and betrayals of his victims.

In the video, he described how he was acting like a “zombie” on the day in question, saying he’d originally planned to take his own life, but decided against it because he believes it’s wrong to take an innocent life.

“I killed them because they were not innocent,” jurors heard Borutski say when a video recording of his confession was played in open court.

“They were guilty. I was innocent. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

In his opening statement, Crown attorney Jeffery Richardson told the jury the trial was not a case of “whodunit.”

“The evidence is overwhelming that Basil Borutski murdered Carol, Anastasia and Nathalie,” Richardson said. Borutski even told police the murders were “his kind of justice,” he added.

“Justice where women pay the ultimate price for using what Borutski says is a corrupt justice system against him,” Richardson said. “He thought about it before he did it, and then he executed his plan perfectly.”