Hales police interrogation played in court
*Warning: graphic language
In a recorded interrogation interview after his 2008 arrest on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Daleen Bosse, Douglas R. Hales sat silent as Saskatoon police detailed his every move with undercover officers in the previous three months.
“You’ve met almost 50 officers since May 6 ... Do you feel some relief now, or just total bewilderment?” said now-retired Sgt. Glenn Cox in the interrogation video played in Court of Queen’s Bench on Friday.
The three-and-a-half hour video recorded on Aug. 10, 2008 was played in a voir dire — a trial within a trial — and has not been entered into evidence. Justice Gerald Allbright will eventually rule on its admissibility. A second, unsettled voir dire involves a 2006 video of Saskatoon police interviewing Hales as a person of interest.
Hales at first was polite when two police officers began the interview after his arrest. He turned defiant later, swearing at Cox and asking to leave the police station.
“You are in custody,” Cox said to Hales. “You’re not leaving until we are done here.”
As Cox detailed the Mr. Big sting, Hales became quiet. When Cox mentioned Hales’s then common-law partner and their infant son, the accused man started weeping.
“You didn’t intend to kill (Bosse)?” Cox asked.
“No. I didn’t kill her,” Hales said before telling Cox he believed Bosse died of alcohol poisoning while they partied after leaving a Saskatoon nightclub.
Cox eventually asked Hales why he told undercover officers — the recorded conversations were played in court earlier this week — that he killed Bosse and burned her remains.
“You’ve told different stories ... why should I believe you now?” Cox said.
“I was telling them to impress them,” Hales said, referring to the officers who posed as criminals and his friends.
Hales’ comments on the tape fit with lines of questioning posed by his defence counsel during cross-examination of the undercover officers. Defence lawyer Bob Hrycan often argued Hales was trying to fit in with the fictitious criminal organization.
Hales, 36, is charged with first-degree murder and offering an indignity to human remains.
Bosse, a 26-year-old married mother and university student, went missing on May 18, 2004. Her remains were found in 2008 at a secluded area near Martensville.
Earlier Friday before the voir dire, the defence wrapped up cross-examination of an undercover RCMP officer who frequently met and worked with Hales on jobs for the fictitious criminal organization. Hrycan continued to question the witness about pressuring Hales into vulgar conversations.
“You told him you killed many times. Your intention was to portray yourself as a serial killer,” Hrycan said.
The witness at times disputed Hrycan’s argument that RCMP encouraged deviance in Hales. Hrycan said his client wanted to talk about his family more than the sexual and violent topics undercover officers often introduced into conversations.
“We talked about lots of family events,” said the witness, whose identity is protected by a publication ban.
After a staged beating of a woman undercover officers had told Hales was going to rat on their gang, the witness encouraged Hales to get violent, Hrycan said.
“I’d suggest you said, ‘Now it’s your f---ing turn, buddy’ ... I’d suggest after that you told Mr. Hales it’s his turn to do something brutal and savage,” Hrycan said.
“I did not, no,” the witness said.
The trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday.