Witness recalls accused Mountie killer's escape

Jurors in the trial of Emrah Bulatci, an Edmonton man accused of killing an RCMP officer in Hay River, N.W.T., in 2007, have heard from a witness who helped Bulatci flee to the Alberta capital.

Bulatci, 25, faces a count of first-degree murder in the death of Const. Christopher Worden, 30, who was shot four times while responding to a call for assistance early on Oct. 6, 2007, in Hay River.

Police found Bulatci in Edmonton six days later, following a nationwide manhunt.

During his trial, which began Oct. 21 in Yellowknife, witness Kelly Paul said he obtained hotel rooms, food and cigarettes for Bulatci in Edmonton starting one day after Worden was shot.

Paul testified that Bulatci, who had hundreds of dollars in cash on him, chastised himself for not shooting a taxi driver in Hay River.

"His exact words were, 'I feel stupid for not shooting the cab driver, because he was the only witness,'" Paul told the jury on Thursday.

The taxi driver, Soren Neilsen, testified earlier in the trial that he saw Worden chasing Bulatci into a wooded area, then he heard four gunshots.

'Gang attack'

Paul said he met Bulatci the morning after he had booked him a hotel room. Paul got him another hotel room for Bulatci that night, he said.

Paul told the court he was introduced to Bulatci by a friend, Justin Anderson, who, as it turned out, had a score to settle with Bulatci.

Anderson showed up that night with a thick wad of $20 bills, buying Paul and his girlfriend dinner, drinks and a four-day hotel stay.

During cross-examination, Bulatci's lawyer suggested that Paul was being rewarded for helping Anderson set up a "gang attack with baseball bats" on Bulatci.

Paul did not get to enjoy his hotel stay for long: an hour after he checked in, as he was going out to get a newspaper, police swooped in and arrested him on the street, then raided the hotel room.