A Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic rifle was found in a field west of Saskatoon, just north of Kinley, Saskatchewan on Nov. 14, 2021. It was found by Courtney Williams, a friend of the landowner Murray Picketts.
Picketts says he bought the land in the summer of 2020, and had never seen the gun before.
Fertuck is charged with first-degree murder in the disappearance of his estranged wife Sheree Fertuck, who has not been seen since December 2015.
In a police operation, Fertuck told undercover officers that he shot Sheree at the gravel pit where she worked, and even took officers to the spot he allegedly dumped the gun, but wasn’t able to find it.
Court heard how Williams and her husband Dean turned the rifle, which was found under a storage bin, over to Biggar RCMP after seeing an article about the case.
Specialist in forensic examination of firearms Kenneth Chan testified that after test-firing the ruger, the marks on the shell casings matched the ones found in the gravel pit near Kenaston, Saskatchewan, where Fertuck told undercover officers that he shot Sheree.
Chan also determined that the shell casings found at the gravel pit were fired by the rifle.
During cross-examination, the defense questioned whether the gun was actually tied to the case, asking Chan if the gun had been tested for traces of DNA, or to determine how long it had been outside.
Both questions were outside of Chan’s expertise.
The voir dire has been adjourned to a teleconference on May 4 at 9 am.