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- [00:00]
Mochi Health
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- [01:10]
Peyton Moreland
You're listening to an ONO Media Podcast. Hey everyone, welcome back to the into the Dark Podcast. I'm your host, Peyton Moreland. I'm so happy you are here. If you are not watching on YouTube, I am back in my set. It feels so good to be back. Thank you so much for listening and thank you for continuing to support this show. For my 10 seconds today, I did get back from Idaho. My sister and I were choreographing some cheer routines. It is so fun. It is something that I really do enjoy doing and it kind of takes me just back to my dance route days for a little bit. But now I am back and talking about murder. So let's get into today's episode. Trigger Warning. This episode includes discussions of domestic abuse, so please listen with care. Now on this show, I have covered a lot of stories that are frustrating, tragic, or unsettling, and there are some topics that are especially difficult to discuss, like domestic violence. Now, sadly, every single day, an average of 3 women in the United States are killed by their significant other. And that's not counting people in other countries. And it's not counting attempted murders or domestic violence against men, all of which are a huge problem. The people who survive intimate partner violence often live with trauma and stress after escaping. It's also not unusual for them to have to grapple with friends and loved ones who don't understand or empathize with what they went through. All too often people ask insensitive questions like why didn't you just leave? Or why didn't you just call the police. The truth of the matter is people often have very good reasons not to leave or not to get the authorities involved. And sometimes people do everything they can to get away from their violent partner, and that is still not enough. So I want to start by establishing one idea right from the beginning. Today, in cases of domestic abuse, the only person who deserves blame is the abuser. They're the only person who can stop the violence. At any time. The victim or the survivor is not to blame. But for people who are still trapped in dangerous and unhealthy relationships, it can be hard to see that reality. And that was almost certainly true for Mary Ann mask. So in 1982, Mary married a man named Basil Borutski. She might have thought that she was about to start a happily ever after with her new husband, Basil. But instead, Mary's life became a nightmare. Basil was physically abusive against Marianne. Time and time again, he attacked her. Sometimes he did it in full view of their two daughters. On one occasion, one of the girls watched him assault Mary Ann while they were in the car together. He slapped her and pulled her hair and then tried to open the door and push her out of the vehicle while it was still moving. Now, she survived this attack, but the violence continued. Mary Ann regularly called the police on her husband. But each time she'd ask for help, the same thing would happen. The officials would charge Basil with domestic assault. They'd set a court date and order Basil and Mary Ann to face a judge in Renfrew County, Canada. That's where they lived. And then when it was time to go, Marianne would start having second thoughts. Sometimes Basil would call her or show up at her door. He'd promise, he's going to change. He was going to treat her better. Basil would say all the right things until eventually Marianne would forgive him, the charges would get dropped, and she'd go back to her husband. Now this happened over and over again, over 26 years of marriage. Marianne called the police on Basil countless times, but he only actually made it to court once. And that time around, he was found not guilty. The jury just didn't think there was enough evidence to prove that he really was violent against his wife. After that incident, I can only imagine how hopeless the situation must have felt for Marianne. Maybe she wondered if there was even a point in pressing charges, if Basil was just going to get away with it. But finally, in the year 2011, she left him. Or at least she began the process of leaving him. Marianne and Basil still needed to work out the terms of their divorce. Like how they were going to divide up their assets and custody of their children. And let's just say Basil didn't handle the split well. He regularly threatened Marianne, saying he would never let her leave him. And at one point, he warned her that if she got the house, he would burn it to the ground rather than let her live in it. Sure enough, the judge awarded the house to her. And not long after that decision came down, it caught fire and burnt down. The blaze of the house was mysterious enough to kick off an arson investigation, but nobody could prove anything and the case closed without much follow up. Now, eventually though, Basil did move on. When he was 54 years old, he got together with a woman named Natalie Warmier Dam. She was a 48 year old healthcare worker with two children from a previous marriage. Now, when they started dating again in Canada, Natalie knew all about Basil's recent divorce. And she knew that Marianne, his ex wife, had accused him of domestic violence. But she didn't see those allegations as red flags. See, Basil was a really skilled liar and manipulator. He made his history of abuse sound like it was all a misunderstanding or like Marianne had been exaggerating or making things up. Basically, to hear Basil tell it, he was just an ordinary guy and all of the allegations against him were overblown. Not a big deal, just a messy divorce. Basil was so good at spinning the truth that Natalie believed everything he said. She assumed Basil was just a good guy who had some bad luck in love. She herself had just gone through a messy divorce, so she thought she kind of understood what he was going through. And once they were together, he had to go to court for various hearings. And Natalie always went with him. She stood by his side and supported him. So they dated for about two years, and before long, Basil is divorced and moved in with Natalie. He was handy and helped out around the house. He even built a fence around her property. I mean, it really did seem like he was there to help and support her. But eventually, usually just like always, Basil showed Natalie his darker side. He began drinking more often, and when he was drunk, he got abusive. It was only a matter of time before he was just as violent against her as he had been against his first wife. Well, ex wife. At first, Natalie didn't want to believe that Basil was really like this. She tried to convince herself that he was just going through a tough time. If he could cut back on his drinking, he'd eventually become the kind, sweet man that she had fallen in love with. Natalie kept making excuses for Basil until her friends intervened. They told her the truth. Basil was bad for her. He wasn't going to change, and she didn't need to put up with the way he was treating her. So with their encouragement, Natalie tried standing up to Basil time and time again. She called the police and she noticed that the officers tended to handle her reports poorly. It was like they either didn't know how to protect her or they didn't have the power to stop him. For example, in July of 2012, she told Law enforcement that Basil had threatened to kill her, her son and her dog. He had also told Natalie that he wanted to murder his ex wife, Marianne. She tells the cops all of this, and they responded to her call, took a statement, and then dropped the investigation. Months later, in September, he was finally arrested after another incident. And while he was in jail, he got into a fist fight with his cousin who worked there as a guard. But even though Basil literally assaulted someone while he was behind bars, he. He was released a short while later. Now, eventually, Natalie broke up with him. And then she got involved in a group that focused on police reform and victims rights, particularly rights for victims of abuse. Her warped relationship with Basil had put her life on a new path. But despite having two women successfully get out of a dangerous relationship, Basil didn't change at all. He moved on to yet another girlfriend, a woman named Anastasia Kuzik. She was a 36 year old who worked as a server at a local restaurant. Anastasia was also one of those people who everyone knew she was outgoing. She always greeted her regulars with a smile. Eventually she left the restaurant to do a different kind of customer centered job and she became a real estate agent. Basically, Anastasia was a real people person. And at first her friends and acquaintances were shocked to hear that she was dating Basil. They thought he seemed angry, controlling and off putting. And they didn't understand really what Anastasia saw in him. Several people actually pulled her aside early on to warn her that Basil was bad news. But she brushed off the warnings. Like Natalie, she assumed that Basil was just misunderstood. Now this is very common for abusers to take the victim side, especially with new people. Okay, you guys, I'm jumping into an ad. And we all know summer is amazing. Sunshine, road trips, beach days. But can we just be honest for a second? It also means one thing. Sweat. And if you're not wearing the right underwear, that gets pretty uncomfortable real fast. And that's why I swear by Meundies, their micro modal fabric is legit magic. It's super soft, breathable, and somehow stays cool even when it's 100 degrees and your AC is definitely losing the battle you guys. And they've got everything. 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- [12:35]
Laura Richards
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- [14:16]
Peyton Moreland
Now, sadly, it probably won't surprise you to hear Anastasia's interpretation was off base. And Basil eventually was violent against her. And Anastasia wasn't able to get any help from the police. Take what happened on the night of December 30, 2013. That evening, Basil wanted to have sex, but Anastasia wasn't in the mood. She told him no, and he flew into a rage. Basil hit Anastasia, gave her two black eyes and climbed on top of her. She was afraid at that point that he was going to sexually assault her. But thankfully, he didn't. Still, he was very cruel to her. Almost like he just wanted to hurt her because he could. Now, after that fight, he got his hands on some wooden toys. They were a rocking horse and a tabletop hockey game. Now, Anastasia had had these since she was a little girl. They were her toys and they'd been handmade, so they were irreplaceable. And Anastasia loved these toys. Basil knew that, which is why he lit a fire in the fireplace after this fight and tossed them into the flames again. He didn't have anything to gain from destroying her beloved toys. Just wanted to upset Anastasia. But as terrible as that all was, Anastasia didn't break up with Basil that night. She also didn't go to the hospital. Even though she was badly hurt. Anastasia was afraid that the doctors, nurses or other patients would judge her if they knew what had happened. For the next few weeks, until her bruises healed, she repeatedly lied to family and said she had injured herself in an accident. And that was her life for another month, until January 22, 2014. That's when finally, Basil crossed a line that Anastasia couldn't tolerate. They had a fight. And I don't know what the exact details of what he said or did, but whatever it was, it scared Anastasia to her core. She realized that Basil was capable of murder and he'd kill her if he could get away with it. Before it could get to that point, she kicked him out of the house and locked the door so he couldn't get back in. It was close to midnight, so she went to bed afterward, and while she was asleep, Basil broke down the door of the house. Now, thankfully, he didn't hurt Anastasia during this break in, but he did steal a bunch of her valuables, including her phone and the keys to her mother's car. And then he drove that car away from the scene of the crime. So when Anastasia woke up and realized she'd been robbed. She. There was no question in her mind about who had done it. She knew that Basil had stolen from her during that night, and that meant she had to call the police and make another report about him. Now, her testimony this time was enough for him to be charged with assault and theft, and he was convicted and sentenced to 19 months in prison. Except then he was released early. Basically, Basil got off with a slap on the wrist after breaking into someone's house and stealing a car. But the good news was that finally she and Basil were done. She wasn't going to take him back again. So to be clear, it took Anastasia a while to leave Basil. But she wasn't stupid or gullible. Neither were Natalie or Marianne. None of them were at fault for ending up in this relationship. He was the one who lied to them and manipulated them into staying. And on top of that, Basil was an expert at avoiding the legal consequences for his crimes. And each time he was charged, he would go to court and pretend the abuse was a one off, isolated offense. And this is wild. But there were privacy laws that made it difficult for prosecutors to talk about his previous convictions in court. So this meant that even though Basil had been accused and found guilty in his past, the jury of his new crimes never heard about it. When he said that he wasn't violent by nature, or he didn't tend to get angry or lash out, the prosecutors couldn't prove that he was lying. And on top of that, when he did get convicted, his sentences tended to be short. And when he was out on parole, he was supposed to follow certain rules about where he was allowed to live. He also wasn't technically allowed to have weapons, but Basil just ignored those restrictions. He moved out of town when he wasn't supposed to. He managed to get a gun license, and at one point, he bought a crossbow. Now, the police found it while they were investigating him for a different assault, but again, his punishment was minimal. Another time, he was convicted of domestic abuse, and his sentence was that he had to attend mandatory counseling. No jail time, just counseling. And he didn't even do that. He skipped all of his sessions and honestly never really got in trouble for it. There was even an occasion where he was pulled over for drunk driving, and that led to him losing the right to own or drive a car. So afterward, he began borrowing his neighbor's car to get around. Again, he wasn't supposed to drive, but he just found a workaround to ignore the law. For one reason or another, the police never managed to make consequences stick. To Basil for long, it was like he knew exactly how far over the line he could go without getting into real trouble. And he was constantly pushing that boundary, Seeing just exactly what he could get away with. Now, at this point, all of Basil's exes knew this about him. They knew that he wouldn't leave them alone just because they asked him to. Even if they took out a restraining order or called the police, that wasn't guaranteed to stop him. In fact, it could just make him angrier. So they needed to take extra steps to protect themselves. Again, they shouldn't have needed to do anything special to be safe. It shouldn't even have been their responsibility to stop Basil from hurting them. But the world we live in isn't always fair or right. So Natalie and Anastasia both got in contact with a group called victim services of renfrew county. This was an organization that helped people who were in unsafe relationships and people who had recently left their abusers. They gave their clients resources and shared tips and tactics about how to protect themselves. And they also made plans with both Natalie and Anastasia working out exactly what each woman should do if Basil ever came back to hurt them. In Natalie's case, she wasn't only worried that Basil might try to harm her. She was also concerned about her two adult children from a previous relationship. Her fear was that if he ever broke in, he might target them because she lived with them. So they came up with a plan that if he breaks in, they should all run in separate directions. That way, he'd have to decide who to chase, and the other two could get to safety and call for help. The advisors also recommended that Natalie wear a panic button, if you will. It was a little tracking device that could call the police if she ever activated it. Even if Natalie was somewhere with limited cell phone signals. She had to travel a lot for her job, and she didn't always have coverage when she was on the road. So this panic button was her way of getting help if she was ever in a situation where she couldn't call an emergency number. Now, on top of all of that, Natalie kept tabs on where Basil was living and what he was up to at all times. She was delighted when he was convicted of domestic assault after breaking into Anastasia's house and stealing her mother's car. It felt like finally she could breathe a sigh of relief because he was behind bars. Not necessarily for hurting her, but he couldn't hurt her or anyone. And then when he was released just a year later, Natalie was terrified, Especially because the terms of his release Said that he had to live in a particular neighborhood, and Basil moved right out of it. He was breaking parole again, and the authorities did nothing to find him or make him follow the rules. In fact, when Natalie tried to find information on where he was living, his parole officers treated her like she was in the wrong. They said it was inappropriate for her to violate Basil's privacy, even though she's trying to stay safe from someone who literally might kill her. So in late 2014, early 2015, Natalie's anxiety was overwhelming. But Anastasia wasn't as worried. The employees at the place they had gone to for help kind of gave her similar strategies, except she was reluctant to take their advice. She didn't want to have to change her whole life just because of one man. Anastasia believed that her freedom was worth more to her than that. And that was a decision she had a right to make. But here's where the story gets especially tragic. It didn't matter whether or not Anastasia agreed to wear a panic button or cooperate with victim services. She wasn't the person with the power to change the situation. The only one who could have stopped Basil was Basil. And he wasn't stopping. In fact, he had found a new woman to control and terrify. She was 66 year old Carol Coliton. Now, to be clear, I don't know if Basil and Carol ever actually dated one another. Apparently, there were rumors around town that they might have been together, but many of Carol's friends thought that she wasn't involved with him. So it's hard to say what was true. But. But here's what I do know. Carol didn't want to stay in the area for long. She was going to retire soon, and the plan was to move out of town and spend her golden years living somewhere remote and inexpensive. The problem was that she knew her cabin needed to be renovated and repaired before she could sell it. So she hired Basil to work for her as a handyman. Okay, this is how they're in each other's lives. He came over regularly to fix things up around the house. He was there all day, every day. And a lot of the time, Carol was there, too. They chatted, they got to know one another. Maybe they became friends. Maybe they dated. Maybe Carol only saw Basil as an employee, nothing more. Again, it's hard to say for sure. But it is safe to assume that Basil was interested in Carol, Especially given how he acted about a month or so after she hired him. See, on September 18, 2015, Carol finally retired from her job. She contacted some realtors to begin the process of selling her cabin. But she still had a few final projects for Basil to finish up. So on the 22nd, Basil drove to Carol's house, just like usual. Okay. But he wasn't there for work. Instead, while he was alone with her in her cabin. And this might feel like it's coming out of nowhere. Basil strangled Carol to death. Keep in mind, Carol only got to enjoy four days of her retirement before her life was stolen from her. And once Basil realized that Carol was dead, he took her car keys and hit the road. He drove to Anastasia's house, got there in under an hour, showed up, shot her to death, and then he fled again on his way to kill his next victim. But in the meanwhile, someone found Anastasia's body. And when the police learned that she had been working with victim Services, they got in touch with her caseworker. And as soon as the employee learned that Anastasia had been shot to death, she knew Basil, her ex boyfriend, had murdered her. The police hadn't even told her that it was a homicide yet, but the worker was confident she hadn't had a medical emergency or a car accident. She also knew that if Anastasia was dead, then Natalie, his other ex girlfriend with Victim services, was in danger. And she was right to feel that way.
- [26:11]
Unknown Speaker
Whether I'm searching for my next place to buy or rent or I just want to scroll through some dream homes, we use the Redfin app, and Peyton and I have actually, fun fact, been using Redfin for years.
- [26:25]
Peyton Moreland
We actually. One of our first homes was found.
- [26:29]
Unknown Speaker
On Redfin, and I'm pretty sure we use. Then we use a Redfin realtor as well.
- [26:34]
Peyton Moreland
Yes, almost.
- [26:35]
Unknown Speaker
So. So if that's not an endorsement, I.
- [26:39]
Don'T know what is.
- [26:41]
You can filter for price, beds, bath, square footage, and so much more. And if you find a place you love, Redfin makes it easy to go see in person. Just schedule a tour right from the app.
- [26:52]
Peyton Moreland
And you know, if. If you're not one of the people who has found the pleasure of looking at houses you cannot afford on Redfin at night in places that you do not live and you're not a real person, you need to join the club right now, Kate, because there's something so fun about it. Plus, if you're looking to sell, Redfin agents know how to get you the best price possible for your home. And that's because they close twice as many deals as other agents. And with a listing fee as low as 1%, Redfin's fees are half of what others often charge, which means you'll have more money to put towards your next home.
- [27:26]
Unknown Speaker
Also, my dad actually sold his home through Redfin too. Remember that? And it was because they charged only 1% or whatever. So he's like, I'm going to sell my home through them.
- [27:34]
Peyton Moreland
Yep.
- [27:34]
Unknown Speaker
Anyways, we're a Redfin family over here, so whether you're looking to buy, rent or sell, Redfin has got you covered. Download the Redfin app to get started.
- [27:43]
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- [28:13]
Peyton Moreland
So he kills Carol, he kills Anastasia, and sure enough, he drives to Natalie's house next. She was spending the day in with her son, Adrian. She began the morning on her computer in the dining room, scrolling through Facebook and replying to emails. She seemed very focused on her work. So Adrian, her son, went to another part of the house on his own. A little after noon, he heard noise coming from the dining room. There were crashes, like something was falling over. There was shouting. Adrian didn't know what was going on. He didn't even know who else was in the house. So he got up and walked toward the noise. And that's when he saw his mother, terrified, running down a hallway. Basil, her ex boyfriend, was chasing her with a gun in his hand. Now, of course, Adrian wanted to help Natalie, but he also remembered the plan that they had all made with victim Services. They'd been very clear that if Basil ever managed to get in the house, Natalie and the children were supposed to run in different directions. So he did what he had been trained to do. He ran out the door to leaving his mother and sprinted towards the woods outside. Once he gets there, he heard the distinct sound of a gunshot behind him. He made it to a big leafy bush, which he hid behind while he called the police. Exactly what he was supposed to do. Adrian knew that his mother didn't usually wear her panic button while she was at home. So his fear was that if he didn't report the attack, no one would know to come. So after he placed this call, he hid in the bush until authorities arrived. But sadly, they were too late to Save Natalie. She, too had been shot to death, and Basil had already fled the crime scene. Adrian didn't see him leave or know where he'd gone. But the key detail was that the killer was on the loose. Now, the police at this point took Adrian's statement. They connected his mother's murder to Anastasia's. But nobody had realized yet that Carol was dead, that there were three victims, not just two. It took a few hours, but later that day, a realtor drove to Carol's house. She made an appointment to talk to her about selling the cabin. But as soon as she arrived, she noticed that the glass window in the front door was shattered. She was afraid to go in the house and look around herself, so she went to a neighbor, said, hey, can you come in with me? The two of them went into Carol's cabin together, which is where they found her lying on the floor at the foot of her bed. She was clearly dead, but the realtor and the neighbor didn't see any blood. It almost looked like maybe she could have just collapsed from a heart attack. Except then the realtor was like, but why is the window broken? So they called the police. And that's how the authorities realized that three different women had been murdered that day, and all of them were connected to Basil. Now this is a rampage. Basil is on a rampage. Thankfully, it wasn't hard for the police to uncover Basil's history of disturbing threatening behavior. They had the statements from the victim services representative and from Adrian. So it took no time at all to name him the top suspect in all three murders. The authorities knew if he was already on a rampage killing girls from his past, he could be on his way to kill someone else. After all, his ex wife, Marianne, was still alive. She could have been his next target. So the police issued lockdown orders. Everyone in the area was supposed to stay inside and off the street for their own safety. Then the officials searched this county top to bottom. It took hours, but eventually, at 2:30pm they found Basil and they put him under arrest. He was charged with recounts of first degree murder, which meant he could have spent the rest of his life in prison if he was found guilty. But Basil handled these charges just like every other obstacle in life. Ignored it and hoped it would go away on its own. After all, that had worked for him before, when he had broken parole and abused his partners over and over again, just for authorities to consistently look the other way. So his trial ran for several weeks in the year of 2017. And honestly, Basil didn't want to step foot in the courtroom during this. He stepped in at the beginning and then didn't come back. He didn't testify on his own defense or sit at his lawyer's side to listen to the arguments against him. Let's just say his absences didn't earn him any fans in the jury box. Instead, they heard from people who were close to the victims and Basil's ex wife, Marianne, who testified about how he had hurt her, threatened her, stalked her, Made her life miserable after she left him. Her daughters also took the stand to talk about the violence they had witnessed while growing up. It was undeniable that basil had a long history of obsession and abuse. He was found guilty of all three murders and sentenced to life in prison. Now, basil was eligible for parole after 70 years, or he will be. But by that point, he'd be over 100 years old. In other words, there's probably no way that he was going to get out of prison alive. But for the victims families and friends and the people who'd known and loved and Anastasia, Carol, and Natalie, they still didn't think justice had been served. In part, they hated the way that Basil's name always came up whenever anyone mentioned the victims. It was like their lives had been overshadowed by the way they had all been killed by the same man. And even worse, their loved ones believed that basil was just a symptom of a larger problem. The world was still full of other abusive, violent people who were going to go on and kill their partners, too. So they weren't willing to rest until maybe their county or Canada as a whole passed new laws to make everyone safer from domestic violence. So those friends and family members pushed for a coroner's request in the deaths. They wanted county officials to identify the root issues that had led to the murders and found a way to stop it from happening again. And sure enough, government representatives launched a massive study. By the end of it, they made a list of 86 changes the province could implement. This could help prevent future murders like the ones Basil had committed. One big recommendation was for the local officials to declare domestic violence as an epidemic. This would help raise awareness, you know, just show how widespread the problem was. But more importantly, it would have given the government the authority to pass new laws and create task forces. Basically, the thinking was that by declaring an epidemic, the authorities would be able to get the resources to stop intimate partner violence for good. But canadian officials responded to this by saying they couldn't declare an epidemic because the domestic abuse is not an illness that spreads through viruses or bacteria. Basically, they took issue with the specific words that the coroner's inquest was using, so they refused to cooperate. And with no epidemic declaration, there was no authorization for a task force or to change the laws around intimate partner violence. All to say, even though the survivors fought for change and to raise awareness, nothing got fixed. All of the problems that led to Carol, Anastasia and Natalie's deaths are still around today. And on a more personal note, Basil died in prison on March 28, 2024. He was 66 years old, and the coroner determined he'd passed away due to natural causes. Now, even though Basil is gone, domestic violence is still a serious problem all over the world. There are ways to address it, but they require a lot of work from a lot of people, including government officials and the police. It's not something that one or two individuals will be able to change. But at the end of the day, there are only a small number of people who are to blame for creating this problem in the first place, and that is the abusers themselves. Basil didn't like being told no. That is the root of this problem. It was his way or the highway. And we see time and time again, abusers keep abusing the same person or move on like Basil did to different people. And if he could have just been put in prison from person one, we not only could have prevented a bunch of abuse down the line, but maybe even murder itself. All right, you guys, that is our case for this week. And I will see you next time as we go further into the dark together. Goodbye.
- [37:05]
Unknown Speaker
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