Travis Vader torched pick-up truck, friend testifies

Donald Bulmer preferred to turn a blind eye whenever anything controversial or illegal came up.

The former heavy-equipment operator has been friends with accused killer Travis Vader for more than 15 years.  

On Monday, he testified at Vader's first-degree murder trial that he knew Vader wasn't working in June 2010 and was short on money.

With his arms crossed on the witness stand, Bulmer said, "I know he was taking some copper wherever he could find it. Other than that, I didn't ask. I didn't really want to know."

In June 2010, Bulmer allowed Vader and his then-girlfriend, Amber Williams, to stay in his MacKay-area house, 150 km west of Edmonton. 

Bulmer had an open-door policy. When he went to work, he left the front door open and often times would find himself with house guests.

One of those house guests was Terry McColman, Bulmer testified.

McColman, who has since died, is the man defence lawyer Brian Beresh has offered up as a possible alternate suspect to Vader. 

"Terry wasn't actually living there," Bulmer said. "He just stayed and never left.  He slept on the couch."

Vader showed up with an SUV

Bulmer testified that in the first week of July, Vader showed up at his house in a SUV-style vehicle.  

"He had a vehicle, but I never looked at it," Bulmer said. He told the court "he didn't want to know because they were stolen."

But McColman was also at the house and took a much closer look at the vehicle Vader was driving. 

Later, when the media published a photo of the McCanns' missing SUV,  McColman told Bulmer "he thought it might have been the one."

Vader is accused of murdering Lyle and Marie McCann on July 3, 2010 before stealing their Hyundai SUV.  

During aggressive cross-examination, Bulmer admitted it could have been a Nissan SUV, not a Hyundai.

Bulmer also told the defence he asked Vader if he had any involvement in the McCanns' disappearance and said Vader insisted he had nothing to do with it.

"Yes he did. He was quite adamant," Bulmer said.

Bulmer refused to look at Vader during the entire day in the witness box. But he appeared to agree with most of the suggestions made by Vader's lawyer.  

Vader left Bulmer's house towards the end of June after he broke up with his girlfriend, Amber Williams.

Text messages Vader sent to her during that time indicate he was on the run from law enforcement because there were unrelated warrants out for his arrest. He was hungry, tired and frustrated. 

Out of the blue, Vader called Bulmer later in July asking for help. He said his vehicle had broken down near Lodgepole and he needed a ride.  

Bulmer met Vader in Lodgepole, then drove him another 20 miles to the location of a white pick up truck.

He said Vader moved a number of items from his truck to Bulmer's including a large screen TV, a pair of DVD players and some tools.  

Engulfed in flames

Then he asked Bulmer to use his truck to push the other one to get it rolling down a steep hill.  He asked Bulmer to stay at the top of the hill for a few minutes.

When Bulmer drove to the bottom, he said the white truck was engulfed in flames.  

Bulmer said no one else was at the scene, but he didn't ask Vader if he had started the fire. 

Once again, he didn't want to know, but he figured the truck and all those other items were stolen.

Vader's lawyer strenuously objected to evidence being called about the vehicle fire.  Prosecutor Ashley Finlayson said it's an important part of the Crown's theory.  

"It's relevant to show that Mr. Vader was engaged in that type of activity," Finlayson said. 

The Crown believes a theft attempt could have resulted in a confrontation with the McCanns.

"Even though there was no intent to cause harm to the individual prior to the confrontation, the crown submits such a confrontation did take place and that's how the McCann's met with their demise."

Justice Denny Thomas allowed the evidence to be heard.