The Renfrew County Massacre

ONTARIO, CANADA

The story of the worst-ever case of intimate-partner violence in Ontario—and one of the worst in Canadian history.  In 2015, the lives of three women - Nathalie Warmerdam, Anastasia Kuzyk and Carol Culleton - were snuffed out within hours of each other in a violent murder spree that could have been prevented.

* This updated episode replaces the original episode we released in 2020.

Resources for Domestic Violence:

Canada: https://endingviolencecanada.org/getting-help-2/
US: https://www.thehotline.org/
Signs you’re in an abusive relationship - and how to get help]

Songs for Murdered Sisters 2023 Mini Tour:
Now called Atwood, Heggie & Brahms - see ticket info here
Website: www.songsformurderedsisters.com/ 

Podcast recommendation: Devil in the Dorm
In late 2010, a middle-aged man moved into his daughter's college dorm and created what has all the hallmarks of a cult. Over the decade that followed, he extorted millions of dollars from vulnerable young adults through violence, psychological torture, and forced sex work. You can listen to Law&Crime’s Devil in the Dorm now exclusively on Wondery Plus. Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
Available on Wondery + 

Each month, Canadian True Crime donates an organization that supports people facing injustice.
This month’s donation has again gone to:
Women's Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew County

Credits:

Research and writing: Dierdre Bradley
Writing and editing: Kristi Lee
Audio editing and production: We Talk of Dreams   
Disclaimer voiced by the host of True
Theme Song: We Talk of Dreams  

Music credits:

Kevin McLeod / Incompetech - Bittersweet, Long Note Two, Blue Sizzle
Chris Zabriskie - Laserdisc, Cylinder Two
Kai Engel - Oneiri, Fog, Fryeri, Imminence, July, Seeker
P Weigl - Western Shores
Theme Music by We Talk of Dreams

Resources used in this episode:

COURT DOCUMENTS:

• https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2017/2017canlii89769/2017canlii89769.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAPQmFzaWwgQm9ydXRza2kgAAAAAAE&resultIndex=1 

• https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2011/2011onsc7099/2011onsc7099.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAOYmFzaWwgYm9ydXRza2kAAAAAAQ&resultIndex=2

• https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2017/2017onsc7748/2017onsc7748.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAPQmFzaWwgQm9ydXRza2kgAAAAAAE&resultIndex=2 

INQUIRY REPORT

• https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22072317/inquest.pdf

NEWS ARCHIVES:

https://www.chatelaine.com/living/features-living/basil-borutski-murders-renfrew-county/

https://www.cbc.ca/fifth/episodes/2017-2018/basil-borutski-and-the-wilno-murders 

https://www.cbc.ca/fifth/blog/basil-borutski-full-police-interview

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/profile-of-carol-culleton 

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/friends-family-gather-to-remember-anastasia-kuzyk-one-of-three-women-slain-last-month 

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14244/tbl/tbl06-eng.htm

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/wilno-shooting-victim-carol-culleton-had-just-retired-five-days-before-she-was-killed 

https://www.chatelaine.com/living/what-the-renfrew-county-murders-tell-us-about-rural-violence/

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/timeline-from-1982-to-2015-a-history-of-basil-borutski 

https://globalnews.ca/news/3900178/basil-borutski-parole-women-ottawa/ 

https://globalnews.ca/news/2520345/rural-small-town-women-nearly-twice-as-likely-to-be-assaulted-by-their-partners-statcan/ 

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2019001/article/00018/02-eng.htm 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/basil-borutski-what-courts-knew-1.4424431 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/bail-borutski-trial-oct-18-1.4360077 

http://www.petawawapostlive.ca/stories_site/december/december15/womenvictimsofviolence.html 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/inquest-held-for-basil-borutski-murders-1.5262905 

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/letter-to-culleton-on-eve-of-killings-said-talk-to-me-its-not-too-late 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/basil-borutski-had-intention-to-kill-crown-asserts-as-trial-draws-to-close-1.4411942 http://evarenfrewcounty.com/we-remember/#:~:text=The%20Women's%20Monument%20created%20to,Touch%20Stone%20Masonry%20in%20Killaloe. 

https://nationalpost.com/news/basil-borutski-borrowed-a-friends-car-left-100-for-gas-and-allegedly-went-on-a-murderous-rampage/

https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/53nypz/why-you-should-pay-attention-to-the-wilno-triple-murder-trial

https://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/7596398-wilno-murders-were-revenge-killings-crown/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/57-year-old-man-charged-in-ottawa-valley-triple-homicide-1.2576802

https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/5924626-opp-hunt-for-shooter-in-wilno-area/

https://ottawasun.com/2015/09/22/gunman-on-loose-after-person-shot-dead-near-wilno-in-ottawa-valley

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/opp-probing-homicides-of-3-women-in-ottawa-valley-suspect-arrested-1.2575255 

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/borutski-charged-three-times-with-assaulting-ex-wife-never-convicted

https://www.macleans.ca/society/the-domestic-murders-in-renfrew-county-are-not-an-anomaly/

https://nationalpost.com/news/basil-borutski-borrowed-a-friends-car-left-100-for-gas-and-allegedly-went-on-a-murderous-rampage 

https://nationalpost.com/news/basil-borutski-borrowed-a-friends-car-left-100-for-gas-and-allegedly-went-on-a-murderous-rampage/ 

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/warmerdam-family-speaks-about-nathalie 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/opp-probing-homicides-of-3-women-in-ottawa-valley-suspect-arrested-1.2575255 

https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/5925125-wilno-shooting-suspect-in-custody/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/basil-borutski-confession-murder-trial-1.4348667

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/letter-to-culleton-on-eve-of-killings-said-talk-to-me-its-not-too-late 

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/letter-to-culleton-on-eve-of-killings-said-talk-to-me-its-not-too-late

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/despite-lifetime-weapons-ban-borutski-carried-firearms-possession-licence-on-day-of-killings

https://www.pembrokeobserver.com/2017/11/24/timeline-from-1982-to-2015-a-history-of-basil-borutski/wcm/15fd03e5-e9fe-79be-ac9a-1825a3cecba2

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/borutski-wilno-murders-fifth-estate-1.3404238

https://www.pembrokeobserver.com/2017/11/24/timeline-from-1982-to-2015-a-history-of-basil-borutski/wcm/15fd03e5-e9fe-79be-ac9a-1825a3cecba2 

https://globalnews.ca/news/2527820/did-the-law-fail-three-murdered-women/ 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/580-cfra/news/vigil-for-victims-of-wilno-as-court-hears-borutski-s-statement-to-police-1.3340534

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-stopping-brutes-like-borutski/wcm/214c2037-0ae5-4bc6-81a7-8f2eaf02ef52/

 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/triple-murder-trial-full-letter-to-victim-1.4354019 

 https://globalnews.ca/news/2527820/did-the-law-fail-three-murdered-women/\

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/wilno-shooting-victim-carol-culleton-had-just-retired-five-days-before-she-was-killed

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/wilno-murders-anniversary-basil-borutski-1.3772378 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/wilno-triple-killing-memorial-1.4118646

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/wilno-triple-murder-borutski-anniversary-pembroke-1.3770295

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/wilno-murders-anniversary-basil-borutski-1.3772378

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/basil-borutski-guilty-on-three-counts-of-murder-in-ottawa-valley-rampage

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/services.html

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/another-inquest-not-needed-1.5263535