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The undercover officer tasked with gathering information on suspected child killer Anthony Karl Kurucz said he had to steer the accused away from talking about his dead child, court heard Thursday.
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The officer, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified that he was placed in a cell with Kurucz to gather information that the police could use to identify a so-called Mr. To accomplish Big operation.
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But he told Crown prosecutor Alexandra Russell that Kurucz wanted to talk about his dead infant son within moments of the officer entering the cell.
The former member of the Calgary Police Service, who now works for the RCMP in BC, said he entered Kurucz’s cell late on the night of April 18, 2019, almost a full year after the death of the accused’s three month-old son, Jayden Cyluck. – Kurucz.
The officer immediately went to the washroom and before he could wash his hands, Kurucz got up from a bench he was lying on to introduce himself.
Kurucz indicated he was driving with his wife and was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt. Officers then discovered he had outstanding warrants and was arrested.
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“I wasn’t… to talk about the offense.”
Instead, he said, his job was to gather personal information about Kurucz so the priority crime team could develop a “first hook” to turn him into a Mr. Big operation to withdraw.
Kurucz, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of little Jayden on April 27, 2018, also watched proceedings from the bed in his Calgary home as he was too ill to attend court, an illness that delays proceedings has.
The undercover officer said he was able to gather some personal information about the accused to pass on to the priority crime team.
“He talked about his interest in video games like Pokemon, Call of Duty,” the witness said.
“He (also) liked to watch street racing … illegal street racing,” he said.
“He was interested in vehicles, fast cars and diesel trucks, he talked quite a bit about them.”
Judge Glen Poelman has yet to rule on whether evidence obtained in the undercover operation is admissible. Defense attorney Darren Mahoney challenges the sting.
KMartin@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @KMartinCourts
