Hay River welcomes admission in RCMP murder trial

The attempt last week by an Edmonton man accused of gunning down an RCMP officer in Hay River, N.W.T., to plead guilty to manslaughter surprised some in town who are closely watching the trial.

Emrah Bulatci, 25, tried last Wednesday to plead guilty to manslaughter, a less serious charge than the first-degree murder charge he currently faces. In doing so, he admitted that he shot Const. Christopher Worden, 30, in the early morning hours of Oct. 6, 2007.

"I didn't think that this man had it in him to admit his guilt. I am glad he did," Kelly Schofield, the newly-elected mayor in Hay River, told CBC News on Friday.

Bulatci made the manslaughter plea before an N.W.T. Supreme Court jury on Oct. 21, as his murder trial got underway in Yellowknife. The Crown rejected the plea.

Defence lawyers argue that while Bulatci did shoot at Worden with a handgun, he did not intend to kill him.

Resident expected fight

Many in Hay River, a town of about 3,650 located near the N.W.T.-Alberta border, were deeply shocked and hurt by the death of Worden, a popular Mountie in the community.

Some residents have expressed concern that Bulatci could be acquitted because the Crown have said their case is largely circumstantial.

"I thought he was going to fight it right to the very letter. I was really quite shocked to hear that," Hay River resident Michele Stephens said.

But Stephens said she still has questions about what happened on the night Worden was killed.

"I want to know why he made that choice that night," she said of Bulatci.

"Why did he make that choice to shoot Chris? What did he hope to gain? Did he really think he was going to get away with it?"

No more hearsay, rumours: mayor

In testimony last week, witnesses recalled partying, drug and alcohol use in the late-night hours leading up to the shooting. Some witnesses also said Bulatci had a gun on him that night.

Schofield said many in Hay River want to hear the truth about Worden's death come out during the trial.

"They don't want to go by the hearsay and the rumours any longer. I think people are fed up with that in this town," he said.

"In order to heal, you need both time and the truth to come out so that people can deal with that, and hopefully find closure from the end result."

Bulatci's trial is expected to run for another six weeks.