The second week of Steven Randy Pirko’s trial continued in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna Friday.
Cpl. Kathleen McKinney was called to testify to the the Nov. 16, 2016 investigation of Pirko, who is charged with second-degree murder in the 2014 death of Christopher Ausman.
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Crown prosecutor David Grabavac questioned McKinney about her interview with Pirko and things which were said during the investigation. She said Pirko seemed disturbed and it was difficult for him to talk about the alleged incidents.
“He also asked to see his mother and girlfriend during a smoke break,” said McKinney.
Another witness called to testify was Sgt. Eric McShay.
Grabavac questioned him about the interview process for a subject accused of serious crimes.
“The interview process usually takes a full day and includes the primary interviewer, in some cases a secondary interviewer, a legals person and an evidence provider, who shows the evidence of the crimes to the subject being interviewed,” said McShay.
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Grabavac continued questioning of McShay about protocol of the interview process, what rights the subject has during the interview and if there is a time the interview could be terminated.
“An interview will be stopped if the subject isn’t engaging, meaning they aren’t responding, hearing what the interviewer is saying or turning their backs for a long period of time or if the subject isn’t capable of participating, meaning they are too tired or mentally incapable of understanding the process,” said McShay.
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Questions were also asked about if the subject was prohibited from being interviewed if they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or in withdrawal from a substance. McShay said there is no prohibition on interviewing someone under the influence.
Pirko’s trial is expected to last eight weeks.
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