'I thought, we are both going to die,' victim's sister testifies at Borutski trial

Eva Kuzykwas changingsheets at her sister's house in Wilno, Ont., on Sept. 22, 2015, sometime between 8 and 9 a.m., when she heard her little sisterscream at the top of her lungs.

She ran downstairs in time to see a man hidebehind a door to shield himself from view,and found Anastasia Kuzykon the floor of thekitchen.

"'It's Basil,'" Evarememberedher sister whispering to her.

Eva rushed toconfront the man, but by thattime hewas movingacross the front lawntoward vehicles parked outside.

Sister confronted attacker

"My thought was, in order to survive this, you betterfight back," shetold court Thursday at accused triple murderer Basil Borutski'strial. "At this time,my clear memory is rushing to the door and saying, 'Stay away from my sister.' That is 100 per cent clear in my mind."

Eva ran back inside the house and peered out a window to get a better view of the man.

"The man was already on the porch, walking very quickly with his gun at shoulder height, with a very big gun at shoulder height, walking very fast along the porch ... towards the kitchen door again," she told court.

"I thought, we are both going to die. That's what I thought. Then the gun went off, [it]sounded to me literally behind me. ... I opened the door quickly and I ran for my life. And I thought, I need to get an ambulance, he probably shot Anastasia, I have to get some help. And I opened the door and I ran for my life."

911 call played in court

The bodies of Kuzyk, 36, Carol Culleton, 66, andNathalie Warmerdam, 48, were found at three separate locations in and around Wilnothat day.

Borutski, who turned 60 earlier this week, faces three counts of first-degree murder and is representing himself. The court entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf due to his refusal to enter one.

• FULL COVERAGE: Review all the court stories filed from this trial here

Eva Kuzyktestified she ran barefoot to Highway 60, panicking because she thought the manmay have been coming after her. But what she heard turned out to beher sister's dog following behind.

She jumped into a vehicle that was doing line painting on the highwayand called 911. The audio was played in court.

'I hope he hasn't killed my sister'

"There is a man, Basil, and he has a gun. ... He's at my sister's house. He has a gun," she tells the dispatcher, soundingpanicked, short of breath and distraught.

"He shot my he's shooting, he has a gun, he's shooting. Yes, he came in the house with a gun, and my sister is screaming," her voice rising in pitch and breaking.

The call ends abruptly, and the dispatcher sooncalls the number back.

At one point Eva Kuzykindicates police might know the man, and the dispatcher tells her a sergeant "thinks he knows who it is."

"I heard screaming, I hope he hasn't killed my sister.... He may have killed my sister, he may have killed my sister," Evatells the dispatcher, her voice still high and breaking asshe starts to cry. The dispatcher tells herto breathe, thenan officer arrives and starts asking questions.

Borutskireacts

After the 911 audio ended, Crown attorney Jeffery Richardson took Eva Kuzykthrough scene photos to break down what happened and where.

The Crown finished asking questions, and after a short recess, Borutskitapped loudly on the glass of his prisoner's box and waved several sheets of paper back and forth against the glass.

Proceedings were haltedand James Foord, the lawyer appointed to ensure Borutskigets a fair trial, looked at the pages with Pat McCann, the lawyer appointed to cross-examine Crown witnesses who don't feel comfortable facing questions from Borutski, including Eva Kuzyk.

Foord then notified Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Marangerof a possible procedural issue that "requires immediate consultation."

The jury was asked to leave the room to allow the lawyers to discuss it, but what's said in court without the jury present is subject to a publication ban and cannot be made public.

After about 25 minutes, court was adjourned for the lunch break.

Lawyer asks questions on Borutski'sbehalf

When court resumed Thursday afternoon, McCannasked Kuzykquestions on Borutski'sbehalf. Kuzyk testifiedshe didn't hear her sister scream specific words, didn't see the man hit or push her and didn't remember whether Anastasia was injured, but that her voice was strained and "sounded afraid."

Kuzyktestified she hadn't met Basil before and thereforedidn't recognize the man herself.

Borutski, wearing glasses, watchedKuzyk andtooknotes as she was being cross-examined.

Foordasked several questions when McCannwas finished. Kuzyktestified she couldn't remember hearing any words exchanged between the man and her sister, that she can't remember whether her sister had a gunshot wound when she first saw her, and that the man appeared hunched over and he moved behind the door when she first arrived.

Kuzyk also confirmed she told police in her original statement that the man, at that moment, didn't look dangerous to her, and that she told police she was aggressive with the man verbally "to get this person out of my sister's house."

When Foordwas finished,Borutskiagain pressed sheets of paper onto the prisoner's box. The jury was briefly excused while the issue was dealt with.

Court then heard from Dwayne Meilleur, who was foreman of the line-painting crew that helpedKuzykcall 911, as well as OPP Sgt. David Moore, who was one of the first officers on the scene.

The trial will resume Monday.