Borutski faces 2017 trial in Wilno triple-homicide
Basil Borutski will go to trial next year on three counts of first-degree murder.
The Round Lake-area man charged in the deaths of three Renfrew County women has learned he will face a judge and jury when his trial begins Sept. 18, 2017. The trial, expected to hear from 125 Crown witnesses, is expected to continue until late January 2018.
Wrapping up a judicial pre-trial in a Pembroke superior court on Thursday, Justice Lynn Ratushny appointed Ottawa lawyer James Foord as an amicus curiae to act on behalf of the accused. The charges against the 58-year-old Borutski stem from the Sept. 22, 2015, deaths of Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam and Carol Culleton.
Wearing a grey T-shirt and grey track pants, the dishevelled Borutski, who remains in custody at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, did not stand when the justice entered the courtroom or acknowledge her as she tried to inform him about how his case will proceed next.
Despite his refusal to hire a lawyer or speak with legal aid, Ratushny told him, the trial will proceed.
“I regret, Mr. Borutski, that you have chosen this avenue,” said Ratushny, who is acting as the case management judge for the matter and will not try the accused. “By your silence, you have been proven fit to stand trial.”
Crown attorney Jeff Richardson also filed a motion under Section 486 of the Criminal Code to appoint Ottawa lawyer Patrick McCann as counsel to conduct the cross-examination of some witnesses during the trial, powers that an amicus curiae wouldn’t have. The amicus curiae acts as an intermediary between the accused and the judge, ensuring all relevant evidence and arguments are properly presented. The duties and responsibilities of the amicus curiae in this particular case will be more clearly defined by the trial judge, the court heard.
While the location of the trial has not been confirmed, it’s expected that a change of venue motion will be filed to have Borutski tried by an Ottawa jury, Postmedia has learned.
Pre-trial motions in the case will be heard from April 10 to May 19, 2017.