By his second day in police custody accused killer Joshua Frank started to reveal the role he played, according to audio recordings at a triple murder trial on Friday.
Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench heard that Frank was somehow involved as they listened to conversations he had with a police officer who escorted him for a cigarette break on Aug. 16, 2014 after one of Frank’s final interview sessions with police that weekend.
Frank, 32, and Jason Klaus, 41, are on trial for first-degree murder and arson in connection with the deaths of three members of Klaus’ family — his father Gordon, 61, his mother Sandra, 62, and his sister Monica, 40. Frank is also charged with killing the family dog.
The bodies of Gordon and Monica were found on Dec. 8, 2013 in the torched remains of the family’s farmhouse. Sandra was never found, but police believe she was in the home.
Frank told Staff Sgt. Simon Pillay that he decided to come clean because of the abuse he suffered and the murders.
“No one will ever want to talk to me again,” an emotional Frank said in the recording. In the courtroom Frank wiped at his eyes as he listened from the prisoners box on Friday.
During testimony on Thursday an allegation of sexual abuse of Frank by Klaus was briefly discussed.
“I never told that to anybody before. Not my exes. Not my brothers,” said Frank about the abuse while speaking with Pillay.
In video-audio recordings of Frank’s first interview that weekend, he talked about how Klaus gave him cocaine, and did cocaine with him, when Frank was in Grade 9.
Frank said he was addicted to cocaine after high school and for a short time he travelled to pick up drugs for Klaus. He did it for the drugs Klaus would give him.
Frank said he stopped being a drug mule because Klaus would send him to pick up the drugs from dangerous people without enough money to pay for them.
Frank said he stayed in contact with Klaus whenever Frank returned to Castor, and that Klaus was a very good manipulator.
Following the 2013 deaths, Klaus was didn’t act like someone who just lost his family, he said.
“There wasn’t a tear in his eye. Really spooky. He almost was relieved,” Frank said.
A voir dire is currently in progress at the trial — often described as a trial within a trial — to determine the admissibility and “voluntariness” of statements the accused gave police. It will be up to Justice Eric Macklin to decide if the recordings can be admitted asevidence.
The trial continues Monday.
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