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Murder trial continues: Retracing Malley's footsteps

Three days after the deadly bombing of one of his clients, a financial advisor on trial for murder was interviewed by police.

Three days after the deadly bombing of one of his clients, a financial advisor on trial for murder was interviewed by police.

Brian Malley, 57, is charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 25, 2011, death of Victoria Shachtay, 23.

Shachtay was killed when she opened a Christmas present found on her doorstep that morning in Innisfail. The gift bag disguised a pipe bomb.

Malley told police that on the evening of Nov. 24, he travelled from Red Deer to Innisfail, went to a colleague’s house to get building material and packed for a trip to Edmonton the next day.

Malley then went home to work on his sauna for a few hours, went to the Co-op, got a chicken dinner, watched a little TV and went to bed. His wife was in Edmonton at the ballet. The next morning, he went to Edmonton on business.

In an hour-long audio recording presented to the jury on Tuesday in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench, Malley detailed his financial relationship with Shachtay.

They met other after the car crash that left Shachtay paralyzed.

Shachtay’s family was looking to renovate their house and were put in touch with Malley, who is also a homebuilder. When he offered to build them a new wheelchair-accessible house at cost, the Shachtays sold their residence, moved in to Malley’s grandmother’s house — she had recently died — and waited for their new house to be built. They used the money from the sale of their old house to pay Malley for the work he did.

When Shachtay’s financial settlement came through, she invested with Malley. The two sat down and put together a budget.

Malley told police that Shachtay’s budget was for $8,000 a month and for the first year, 2007, that worked. In that first year, she spent about $90,000.

But in 2008, the financial market was unfavourable and Malley said half of Shachtay’s investment was gone. But he said Shachtay was unable to reduce her spending.

By March 2011, the original investment was gone, he said. A second settlement and some family money got Shachtay along, but by the time she was killed she only had a few thousand dollars to her name, court heard.

The trial continues today in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench.