Decision day for Greg Fertuck, charged with 1st-degree murder of wife Sheree in 2015

Accused killer Greg Fertuck is set to learn Friday morning whether a Saskatoon judge believes his claim that he made up a detailed confession he gave undercover police officers about killing his wife.

Sheree Fertuck, a 51-year-old mother of three, vanished on Dec. 7, 2015. She was last seen leaving her mother's farm near Kenaston, south of Saskatoon, just after 1 p.m. CST that day, en route to a gravel pit where she worked.

She has never been seen since and no body was ever found.

Greg Fertuck was charged with first-degree murder in June 2019 after an elaborate police sting operation that climaxed with Fertuck telling the officers he killed Sheree at the gravel pit. He later recanted that story, saying that he made it up because he was enticed by money and perks from the fictitious criminal organization the officers were pretending to be a part of.

Fertuck's trial began in September 2021 at Court of King's Bench (then Court of Queen's Bench). It has gone anything but smoothly.

The trial moved ahead in fits and starts, delayed several times for various reasons, including COVID-19 and the discovery of the alleged murder weapon.

Fertuck's lawyers asked to withdraw mid-trial when they learned he had formally complained about them to the Law Society of Saskatchewan. That application was granted and Fertuck began representing himself.

The twists continued up to this month when, weeks before Danyliuk was scheduled to release his decision, Fertuck applied to call a firearms expert and ask for a mistrial. After deliberating, Danyliuk denied both applications on the grounds they were "ill-conceived and without legal foundation."

Fertuck could be found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter, or acquitted.

Sheree Fertuck's disappearance, the ensuing investigation and Greg Fertuck's trial are the focus of the CBC podcast The Pit. Listen to all the episodes here.