Basil Borutski angry with victim night before 3 women killed, former neighbour testifies

Basil Borutskiwas "very angry" the night before three women were killed in and around Wilno, Ont., in 2015, and suspected one of the victims of fooling aroundwith other men, a former neighbour of the accused triple murderer testified Wednesday.

Borutski, now 59, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 66-year-old CarolCulleton, 36-year-old AnastasiaKuzykand 48-year-old NathalieWarmerdam. Their bodieswere found at three separate crime scenes the morning ofSept. 22, 2015, and Borutski was arrested that afternoon.

ShirlRoesler, who lived in the same social housing building asBorutskiin Palmer Rapids, Ont., at the time of the killings, testified thatthe night before the women died Borutskishowed up at her apartment in a state of agitation.

She'd never seen him like that before, she told the jury during examination in chief by Crown attorney Jeffery Richardson.

'He said karma was going to come back and get her'

Roeslertestifiedthat Borutskiwas "very upset, he was very angry," and that ithad to do with Culleton.

Court earlier heard that Culleton was the first victim, strangled with a television coaxial cable at her cottage on KamaniskegLake, where Borutski had done some work for her.

"They were all drinking one night and she started messing around with one of his friends, with him there," Roesler told the jury.

Referring tonotes made by police during her 2015 interview with them, Roesler testified the alleged incident happened about two weeks before the killings.

"One thing that stood out was that he said karma was going to come back and get her, but that could mean anything," Roesler told court.

Accused left car at victim's cottage

Roesler alsotestifiedshe often let Borutskiborrow her vehicle after he fixed her brakes for free, and that he texted her the afternoon of the killings to say her car was at Culleton's cottage.

The text, sent by Borutski at 1:56 p.m., also saidhe left $100 in the car to pay for the fuelhe used. The text includedthe words "sorry" and "by [sic] friend."

"That's ok," Roesler replied.

In court Tuesday, the jury wasshownvideo surveillance footage of Borutskidriving Roesler's car out of their parking lot the morning the killings took place.

Court had earlier heard that Borutskileft Roesler's vehicle at Culleton's cottage, then drove Culleton's car to the homes of victims Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam.

Police soon caught up with Roesler and asked herto send two more texts to Borutski, one of them asking if her car was at the cottage, and the other asking where he was.

The trial is expected to resume Thursday morning with more testimony from Roesler.

Borutskiremains silent in court

Borutski'strial before Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Marangerin Ottawa started lastweek and is scheduled to run for 17 weeks.

• FULL COVERAGE: You can review all the court stories filed so far about this trial here
• VIDEO: Watch accused triple murderer discusskillingsin confession tape

Borutskihas not hired a lawyer andis therefore representing himself at the trial, but he has refused to enter a plea or speak at all,forcingthe court to entera plea of not guilty on his behalf.

He has sat motionless and expressionless in the prisoner's boxso far, sometimes squeezing his eyes shut, sometimes looking at relatives and friends of the victims, andother times staring at the ceiling orthe floor.

Marangerhas repeatedly toldBorutskiand the court that his silence is being interpreted as acquiescence to the proceedings.