Forensic investigation into the 2015 triple homicide in the Ottawa Valley began Monday with families remembering two of the three victims whose lives were shortened.
On September 22, 2015, Basil Borutski murdered Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam in Renfrew County, West Ottawa. Borutsky knew the three women.
The investigation, which is being conducted in Pembroke, Ontario, not only examines the circumstances of the killings, but also instructs five county jurors, three men and two women, to recommend ways to be survivors of domestic violence. in rural communities. better protected and supported.
“You have a very important job, and that’s an understatement,” Leslie Reaume, president of the investigation, told jurors.
Zou Zou Kuzyk, Anastasia Kuzyk’s older sister, began testifying in the investigation, describing Kuzyk as an animal lover, an excellent rider, and the family’s baby, whom others referred to as “Stasia.” .
“The pretty one in the chair,” she said, gesturing to an old family photo that was shown behind her.
Kuzyk said his sister believed in systems designed to keep people safe.
“It would never have occurred to him that the institutions would fail to the extent that they did that day,” he said of his sister’s death.
TARGET | Anastasia Kuzyk’s sister says the three women failed:
Anastasia Kuzyk’s sister says the system failed to kill the three women targeted in Wilno, Ontario.
Zou Zou Kuzyk, whose sister Anastasia Kuzyk was assassinated by Basil Borutsky nearly seven years ago, says the investigation into her crimes should lead to better support for people who suffer from domestic violence.
Focused on systemic problems
Investigative lawyer Prabhu Rajan said the public scrutiny will focus heavily on systemic issues raised by the “terror lawsuit” day of the killings and will examine the events through the lens of intimate partner violence. .
“If this research can improve even a woman’s life, I think it will be worth it,” Rajan said.
Zou Zou Kuzyk, Anastasia Kuzyk’s sister, spoke to the media on Monday outside the forensic investigation investigating the murder of her sister and two other women. (Francis Ferland / CBC)
The survey will hear about the problems faced by victims in reporting violence, the role of gun access in rural homicides of female couples, and warning flags about the killer. , to name just a few areas within the scope of the research.
During the triple murder trial in 2017, which ended with three convictions, the court learned that Borutsky had been convicted of assaulting and attempting to drown Kuzyk the year before she was shot, and he had been banned for life. to carry weapons.
The trial also found that he had violated his parole by not participating in a domestic violence response program.
The daughter remembers living with a murderer
Nathalie Warmerdam’s daughter Valerie Warmerdam also testified Monday, one of more than 30 witnesses expected to speak for the next three weeks.
“I’m involved because that’s what my mother would have done,” she said in an email to CBC News before the investigation. “I would have used all available levers within the system to make changes.”
Valerie said her mother made a big career change in nursing.
TARGET | “An Unlived Life”: A friend reflects on the loss when the investigation into the murders begins:
“A Lived Life”: Friend Reflects on Loss as Renfrew County Murder Investigation Begins
Tracey McBain, whose friend Nathalie Warmerdam was murdered by Basil Borutsky, says her loss is still deeply felt almost seven years after the crimes.
“I have had many families [her] patients tell me with what affection they remember their work defending the people in their charge, “he said.
Valerie said Borutsky lived with his family for two years until his alcoholism worsened and he became increasingly insecure about being there. His mother struggled with his decision to file charges against him, he said.
Traditional means of trying to protect victims from abusers, such as restraining orders and bail conditions, could help previous partners “but it does not protect new victims,” he said.
Abusers must also be helped before they become destructive to others, he added.
TARGET | Valerie Warmerdam speaks to reporters after the 2017 verdict:
Valerie Warmerdam speaks after Borutsky’s sentence
Valerie Warmerdam speaks after Borutsky’s sentence
Valerie is one of three people or groups with “standing” in the investigation, that is, they or a representative can cross-examine each witness.
The other two groups are the Ontario government, which is expected to take on many of the recommendations the jurors may make, and End Violence Against Women in Renfrew County, a coalition focused on domestic violence in the county.
“We know that many women still live in fear of their partners,” Kirsten Mercer, a Toronto lawyer and women’s advocate representing the coalition during the investigation, said in an interview with CBC’s Ottawa Morning.
“We hope that a look at the events of September 22, 2015, and especially the events that led up to that day, will help us shed some light on the work that needs to be done to ensure that a a situation like this can never be repeated. “
Mark Zulinski, a retired Ontario Provincial Police inspector, also testified Monday with an overview of the killings and subsequent arrest.
TARGET | The research has “a lot of potential” to change partner violence in rural communities:
The research has “a lot of potential” to change partner violence in rural communities
Pamela Cross, legal director of Luke’s Place, a non-profit organization that supports women fleeing violence, says the research has the potential to create change by expanding services and supports in rural areas.
Among the next witnesses to the investigation is attorney Pamela Cross, a women’s advocate who was hired by Renfrew County End Violence Against Women County to interview county residents for a report outlining their concerns.
He said distance is a huge factor affecting women who suffer violence in rural communities.
“There are fewer services in rural communities and they are getting further and further away,” Cross said in an interview with CBC News ahead of the investigation.
“A woman who decides to leave her abuser and wants to go to a shelter … may have to travel such a distance that children cannot stay at the school they have been attending. This only adds to more stress and trauma. for those kids “.
TARGET | The investigation into the murder of 3 rural women in Ontario begins:
The investigation into the murder of 3 women in Ontario begins
An investigation into the murders of three women in rural Ontario by a man who had been an intimate partner of two of them has begun almost seven years after his death.