A man who has been charged with killing his estranged wife will know in the new year if his case is headed to trial.
Gregory Mitchell Fertuck was arrested and charged in late June with the first-degree murder of Sheree Fertuck of Kenaston.聽 The accused was also charged with committing an indignity to human remains.
Sheree, a 51-year old mother of three, had last been seen in December 7, 2015.聽 Her truck was found abandoned the next day at a gravel pit near Kenaston, and found inside the truck were Sheree鈥檚 keys, coat and cell phone.
Greg Fertuck had been on the radar of police since as far back as the spring of 2016, when documents revealed that the RCMP believed Fertuck was responsible for his wife鈥檚 death.聽 However, no charges could be laid at the time.
Finally, Fertuck was arrested and taken into custody on June 24 of this year, charged with the murder of his wife Sheree, who at that point had been missing for three and a half years.
On August 15, Fertuck鈥檚 defense lawyer Morris Bodnar agreed to set aside a two-week block of time in January 2020 for a preliminary hearing.聽 This court process, which is somewhat similar to a trial, determines whether there is sufficient evidence for a case to move forward with a full trial.
During Fertuck鈥檚 first court appearance in June, Crown prosecutor Cory Bliss called the case an example of 鈥渁 very complex investigation鈥� by police investigators.
The details that are presented during preliminary hearings are typically banned from publication by the media in order to help ensure a fair trial process for the accused, should they choose to be tried by a jury.聽 If Fertuck鈥檚 case does go to trial, it鈥檚 expected to take place at Saskatoon鈥檚 Court of Queen鈥檚 Bench.
Investigators have not yet revealed exactly what information led them to arrest and charge Greg Fertuck.
To this day, the remains of Sheree Fertuck have yet to be found.
