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Witness says Kelowna man on trial for murder admitted to the killing

Steven Pirko is charged in the killing of Christopher Ausman in 2014
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Steve Pirko (left) is charged with the 2014 murder of Chris Ausman (right) of Cranbrook. (File photo)

Steven Randy Pirko admitted to killing Christopher Ausman back in 2014 on Highway 33 a few days after Ausman’s body was discovered, according to the father of a friend of Pirko’s.

Pirko’s friend Elrich Dyck was involved in the fight leading to Ausman’s death and Dyck’s father was a witness in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna Tuesday.

READ MORE: Accused confessed to police he hit murder victim with hammer

Lesley Dyck was asked by Crown prosecutor David Grabavac, if Pirko spoke to him about the incident in January 2014.

Dyck said yes.

“Pirko was always at the house and never stayed away long. We were in the kitchen and he (Pirko) said he killed the Ausman guy. Pirko said he hit him in the legs and nothing happened and he said he hit him in the back of the head and nothing happened and he hit him again and Ausman went down. It was a quick conversation… if he said anything after that I wasn’t listening,” said Dyck.

READ MORE: Kelowna man charged with murder was going through drug withdrawal during arrest

Grabavac then asked Dyck if he ever questioned Pirko as to how it started.

“He (Pirko) told me he’d seen the guy (Ausman) come barrelling across the street and jump Elrich and Elrich yelled for help and Pirko came back to help,” said Dyck.

“They were going to go their separate ways. Elrich was going to 7-11 and Pirko was going home (before the incident happened).”

Dyck was then asked if Pirko ever told him Elrich said to hit Ausman with a hammer.

“I only heard Pirko say Elrich was yelling for help and he went back to help him,” he replied.

According to Dyck, Pirko asked if Elrich sold him out.

READ MORE: Kelowna man charged with murder was prime suspect for three years

Before the afternoon break in court, Grabavac asked Dyck to point out Pirko in the court room and tell him about his appearance now compared to 2014.

Dyck pointed to Pirko and said “he looked healthy, like he gained 100 or 200 pounds, he used to be a bean pole.”

It’s the fourth week of Pirko’s second degree murder trial, which is expected to last five weeks, but has an eight-week period to be completed.


@LarynGilmour
laryn.gilmour@blackpress.ca

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