'I stabbed my girlfriend to death': Audio released of accused murderer's 911 confession
Meghan Grant | CBC News | Posted: February 27, 2017 6:53 PM | Last Updated: March 3, 2017
Susan Elko was killed in September 2014, two weeks before her boyfriend was supposed to move out
A Calgary man admitted to killing his girlfriend on a 911 call made minutes after she was fatally stabbed, jurors at Scott Ferguson's second-degree murder trial heard on Monday.
In his opening statement at Ferguson's second-degree murder trial in Calgary, Crown prosecutor Jonathan Hak called Susan Elko, who was 39, and her 24-year-old boyfriend a couple who "did not belong together and should never have been together, ever."
The couple fought late in the morning of Sept. 14, 2014, and Ferguson ended up stabbing Elko ten times in the neck, according to Hak. The accused then dropped a work truck off at his boss's home and called police.
Court of Queen's Bench Justice Glen Poelman agreed to released the audio of that 911 call.
- Listen to an excerpt from the 911 call. WARNING: It contains disturbing content.
"I stabbed my girlfriend to death, I killed her, I want to be picked up by the police," Ferguson could be heard saying on the call that was played in court on Monday.
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Elko and Ferguson met in 2013 and he moved into her Mission apartment shortly after. He was a roofer. She worked part-time as a server downtown and ran a promotions business.
From the beginning, the two fought a lot — often about how much money he would spend on cocaine.
"They truly had a love/hate relationship," said Hak. "Oil and water do not mix ... they do not belong together."
In the months leading up to Elko's death, Ferguson was depressed and suicidal, according to Bryce Cram, who testified on Monday.
Cram was Ferguson's boss and became a friend and confidant.
'She had saved him'
He described Ferguson as a soft-spoken employee who struggled with alcohol and drugs. At times, Cram said Ferguson would call him in tears. He said Ferguson once tried to hang himself in Elko's closet.
"He said she had saved him," said Cram.
Four days before Elko died, she told friends she had agreed to allow Ferguson to stay until the end of September to allow him time to find a place to live.
On Sept. 14, 2014, the pair went fishing on the Elbow River but began to argue, continuing the fight back at the apartment, it is alleged.
It ended with Ferguson wrestling Elko to the floor, where the prosecution says he stabbed her 10 times in the neck with a knife she'd given him as a birthday gift.
'She never had a chance'
"Horrific injuries," said Hak. "A gruesome scene; she never had a chance."
Ferguson left the scene immediately after stabbing Elko, got in his work truck and called his boss to confess, according to Cran's testimony.
When he arrived at Cran's home, Ferguson's hand was cut and he had blood on his clothing. He was described by Cran as "destroyed" and in a "catatonic" state.
The accused left his boss's home, dropped off his truck and walked to a nearby 7-11 where he called 911.
Cst. Brennan Vanderwater was dispatched to the 7-11 where he found Ferguson sitting on a curb, slumped over.
Ferguson agitated during arrest
"Just take me and hang me," Ferguson said to Vanderwater. "Can I do something extra to get the death penalty?"
Inside the police cruiser, Ferguson began to bang his head against the partition and kick at the windows.
Once Vanderwater got Ferguson into a cell at police headquarters, he was tasked with keeping an eye on the murder suspect.
Inside, Ferguson could be seen shredding the plastic jumpsuit he'd been given, tying it to a table and it appeared he was trying to hang himself.
Hak and co-counsel Tara Wells are expected to call ten witnesses during the two-week trial.
It's not known if lawyers Balfour Der and Eleanor Funk will call their client to testify in his own defence.
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