'It was all made up': Greg Fertuck says confession to undercover police was a lie
A man who told undercover police officers that he killed his wife says the confession was a lie.
In an RCMP interview room, during a four-hour warned statement, Greg Fertuck watched a recording of himself from a few days prior.
In the video, secretly recorded June 21, 2019, Fertuck told an undercover officer he shot his wife, Sheree Fertuck.
“It was all made up,” Fertuck said, after watching a portion of the video.
Fertuck believed the undercover officer to whom he confessed was the boss of a criminal organization for which he worked.
But it was all fake.
The undercover tactic is called a Mr. Big sting.
Fertuck was offered work for a criminal group and was told to be honest about any issues that could affect the organization.
After months of building trust and loyalty, Fertuck told the boss he shot Sheree twice — once in the shoulder, once in the head.
“I just said it to impress them. I didn’t even know I was being taped,” Fertuck said in the police interview room.
“I didn’t want to get fired, so I made up this story.”
Fertuck was getting paid for his work for the fake organization.
He told the undercover officers, whom he believed were his coworkers, that he wrapped Sheree’s body in a tarp and dumped the remains in a rural area near Kenaston, Sask.
“I guess it was a pretty stupid thing to make up a story like that … I know it doesn’t look good,” Fertuck said, during the warned statement.
Fertuck showed officers to the alleged location of where he disposed of Sheree’s body, but Fertuck was never able to find it.
RCMP Sgt. Charles Lerat flat out asked Fertuck, “Did you kill Sheree?”
“No, I still loved her,” Fertuck responded.
Fertuck told undercover officers he used a rifle to shoot Sheree and gave the men the gun clip. The men told Fertuck they were helping him “clean up” his mess.
When Lerat showed him the clip, Fertuck said the members must have stolen it from him.
“I can’t believe they actually took that from my place. I trusted those guys,” Fertuck told Lerat.
In the undercover police video, Fertuck said the shooting happened after Sheree threatened to take all his money.
“That’s when I sort of lost it,” Fertuck told the crime boss, in a room at the James Hotel.
During the warned statement, Fertuck was unaware the men were undercover officers.
Fertuck said he believed police were following him, and had wired the hotel room where he confessed, but didn’t know the boss was an undercover officer.
On the stand, Lerat said he decided not to tell Fertuck the boss was an RCMP officer “because in my opinion it would lead to more lies.”
Lerat described Fertuck as “a logical offender” with the ability to quickly “think of a response that was believable.”
The defence argues the Mr. Big sting can make “anyone confess to anything.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.