Douglas Murray feared for his life and didn't want to approach police with information about John Ruffolo's murder, a sa国际传媒 Supreme Court jury heard yesterday.
"I was hoping to be arrested," Murray, a key Crown witness and former tenant who lived in the basement of the Ruffolos' Tulip Avenue house, told the court.
Ruffolo is charged with the first-degree murder of her husband John, a former prison guard and Brink's sa国际传媒 driver who disappeared Oct. 19, 2003. His body was found in a viaduct off Humpback Road six days later.
Murray has testified that he helped Ruffolo and her tenant Vivian Kirkland move John's body from the driveway into the back seat of the car that night.
Yesterday, Murray told the court he was happy he was arrested March 4, 2004, because he was worried he'd be killed by friends of Kirkland. Murray believed Kirkland's boyfriend was associated with the Hells Angels.
"He indicated to you the Hells Angels have ways of dealing with people they believe to be rats, basically squealers?" asked Ruffolo's defence lawyer, David Lyon.
Murray agreed.
"You took seriously what he said?"
"I did," Murray replied. "When you hear an individual talking about the Hells Angels, it made me think If I went to police I could be killed."
Police decided Murray would not be charged in connection with Ruffolo's murder and placed him in a safe house.
Murray agreed with Lyon he was angry at Kirkland for getting him involved.
Lyon asked Murray about Kirkland's state of sobriety on the night of Oct. 19, 2003. Kirkland was very drunk, slurring her words, unsteady on her feet and drowsy-eyed, said Murray. "Was this regular Vivian drunk or Vivian more drunk than usual?" asked Lyon.
"More drunk than usual," said Murray, adding that in the days following John's death, he started to think Vivian was using heroin.
Lyon asked Murray if Ruffolo had told him that tenants at 822 Esquimalt Rd. had approached John and offered to kill her for money. When John turned them down, they approached Ruffolo and offered to kill John for money.
"That's the story Ann told me," said Murray
Murray also told the court he remembered being told by Ruffolo about phone calls and threats made to John.
"I just felt like something was going on," said Murray. "But I didn't know what it was all about."
Ann Ruffolo appeared worried by the threats, he told the court.
On Thursday, Murray described how he would support his $20-a-day heroin habit by stealing books from stores and reselling them to secondhand book stores. Once, Murray was caught stealing books at Mayfair Mall. John, a commissionaire who was head of security for the mall, brought the books back to the store and talked the owner out of charging Murray.
"I felt he was exceptional," said Murray.
The trial continues.
