Accused killer Svekla made coffee break confession, co-worker says

Accused killer Thomas Svekla said he had a "dark past" and had killed someone, a co-worker testified Monday in Edmonton.

Gordon Janke, who worked with Svekla at Fountain Tire in High Level, Alta., told the Court of Queen's Bench that Svekla made the confession during a coffee break sometime after Christmas 2005. Svekla was employed at the shop as a licensed mechanic from late 2005 to early 2006.

Janke testified that the 39-year-old Svekla "looked kind of sad" that day, so he asked what the problem was.

"He told me he had a dark past and he had killed somebody," Janke told the court, adding that it seemed to calm the man. "It was like he got it off his chest. He seemed relieved afterwards."

He also testified that Svekla talked often about a Teresa Goodwin, who was also known as Teresa Innes. Innes's body was found in a hockey bag belonging to Svekla in 2006. Svekla told the court hehad beentransporting the body from High River to Fort Saskatchewan near Edmontonto give her a decent burial.

Janke said Svekla told him the woman cooked and cleaned for him and that he wanted her to be his girlfriend.

Duringcross-examination Svekla's lawyers said the co-workers did not have a good relationship, which made such confessions unlikely.

Janke testified that he didn't approve of Svekla's lifestyle, calling him a "big talker."

He also said the two had problems at work, as Janke liked to whistle. This whistling aggravated Svekla to the extent that he would throw wrenches at Janke in an effort to make him stop. In response, Janke said, he would keep whistling to further annoy Svekla.

Svekla is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Innes, 36, and Rachel Quinney, 19. Quinney's body was found in a field outside Edmonton in 2004. Svekla told the court he tripped over the body in a bush. Both women worked in the sex trade and had drug problems.

Svekla also faces two charges of offering an indignity to a body. He pled not guilty on all counts in the trial that began Feb. 19.