Cousin says Greg Fertuck pestered him for ammunition, threatened him

Clayton Fertuck testified that his distant cousin, Greg Fertuck, pestered him for shells in 2015 and 2016.

Clayton was called as a witness Monday at the first-degree murder trial of Greg, underway at Saskatoon's Court of Queen's Bench.

Greg is accused of killing his wife Sheree and getting rid of her body in December 2015.

Clayton testified about text messages he exchanged with Greg in September 2015. Greg pushed Clayton to link him with some ammunition, as Clayton pushed off the request. Clayton testified that he never planned to get bullets for Greg, and was trying to make the conversation "go away." It did, but then in November 2016 Greg messaged him again, saying he still hadn't seen any shells and pushed again for ammunition.

Clayton didn't respond, then Greg called him a stupid boy. Clayton said he told Greg not to call him that. The two started exchanging shots over text message, with Greg eventually saying "better think about how long you want to be around, pilgrim."

Clayton took the text messages to the police, because he believed he had received a "possible murder threat."

"When he asked how long I wanted to be around I thought that might be something police wanted to see," he said. "I was concerned he might know where I live."

The defence did not cross-examine Clayton. 

Ammunition also came into focus in court on Monday when the Crown turned its attention to two spent bullet casings found at the gravel pit where Sheree was allegedly killed.

They were found by police about four months after Sheree's disappearance near where her truck was abandoned, said Constable Tanya Gordon, who was part of the tactical search. 

Gordon testified that police waited until the spring melt to conduct the arm-to-arm ground search. She said the shells appeared to be .22 casings. It had snowed shortly after Sheree went missing, covering the ground in the pit.

During cross examination, defence lawyer Morris Bodnar questioned if Gordon could confirm when the shells got there, suggesting they could have came from hunters. 

The Crown's case depends on evidence obtained in an undercover police investigation. Greg allegedly told undercover officers posing as criminals that he shot Sheree twice with a .22-calibre rifle at the rural gravel pit where she worked. He allegedly told them that he got rid of her body in a rural area and then went to the car wash in Saskatoon.

The judge, who is overseeing the trial with no jury, will rule at the end of a voir dire whether evidence gathered during the undercover police operation will be accepted. 

Greg's movements tracked 

Gordon testified that police combed through hours of surveillance tape in Saskatoon to form a timeline of Greg's movements on  Dec. 7, 2015, the day Sheree was last seen. Officers used specific features on Greg's truck, like decals and a missing mudflap, to help pinpoint the truck. 

The footage shows someone believed to be Greg on his way to a physiotherapy appointment that morning in his white Dodge. He enters the reception area wearing a hat, blue jeans and a dark jacket.

Gordon testified that someone believed to be Greg arrived at Vern's Carwash in Saskatoon just before 5:00 p.m. CST that day. Surveillance footage shows a white truck roll up to the car wash bay. A man believed to be Greg is seen exiting the vehicle and rummaging around in the back of the truck for some time. He then hops down and walks to the bay. It's unclear if he is holding something. The man then pulls the truck in for a wash. 

Gordon said police could not find video surveillance of Fertuck in the city between his physio appointment and his visit to a car wash later that day. 

In cross examination of Gordon, Morris Bodnar mentioned a reference made in another officer's documents to Greg's vehicle, the "suspect vehicle," possible seen in Saskatoon at 1:37 p.m. Gordon said she couldn't speak to that. 

Crown prosecutor Cory Bliss said during his opening remarks last week that he expects to call evidence to show Greg took a phone call around 1:20 p.m. CST from the Workers Compensation Board. He said it pinged off a tower near the gravel pit. A WCB employee, Shalane Shackleton, testified she spoke with Fertuck that day about an ongoing claim that day.  

Gordon also testified that police started tracking Greg's cellphone and truck on Dec. 16, 2015, through to February. Then they also started tracking a second vehicle linked to Greg from March to May 2016. 

The trackers register locations every 30 minutes. The trackers showed Fertuck appeared to frequent the liquor store, sometimes daily, and the casino. However, the trackers did not place Greg's phone or the vehicles at Sheree's family farm or the pit.