Greg Fertuck says he won't take the stand in his murder trial
The end is near for a first-degree murder trial spanning more than two years.
Greg Fertuck told the court he will not take the stand in his own trial and has no further evidence to call — concluding the evidence portion of the trial.
Fertuck is accused of killing his estranged wife, Sheree Fertuck. The 51-year-old woman went missing in 2015 near Kenaston, Sask. Her body has never been found.
Fertuck is representing himself. His original lawyers withdrew from the case after Fertuck went behind their backs and made complaints about them to the Law Society of Saskatchewan.
The trial began September 2021 and has been filled with delays — largely driven by COVID-19 and the discovery of the alleged murder weapon.
Fertuck and the Crown prosecutors are scheduled to make their closing arguments on Monday.
Fertuck will go first, followed by the Crown, and a potential rebuttal by Fertuck.
Justice Richard Danyliuk advised Fertuck the rebuttal "is not a rite of re-arguing everything you argued the first time," but rather a chance to address specific statements made by the Crown that he didn't initially address.
Fertuck has been given permission to work on his closing arguments at the courthouse, rather than the jail.
The Crown's strongest piece of evidence is an undercover police video of Fertuck admitting to shooting Sheree at a gravel pit, where she worked.
The hidden camera captured Fertuck acting out the shooting, using his cane to imitate the rifle.
A key witness for the defence, Mary Ellen Lowdermilk, said she saw Sheree's semi truck pass her farmhouse at around 5 p.m. on the day Sheree went missing — disputing the Crown's timeline.
"This is a complex case with a huge amount of evidence," Danyliuk said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.