Trial hears wiretaps of Alberta man accused of killing prostitutes

NATIONAL NEWS Last updated at 9:45 AM on 11/03/08 Trial hears wiretaps of Alberta man accused of killing prostitutes THE CANADIAN PRESSEDMONTON — Wiretapped phone conversations between a man accused of killing two prostitutes and his family showed that he laughed off any comparison to the character of serial killer Hannibal Lecter from the movie “Silence of the Lambs.”Thomas Svekla also talked about the wrongful conviction of David Milgaard and the malicious prosecution case of Jason Dix.In a Sept. 20, 2006, intercepted call between Svekla and his sister Susan, he talked about an RCMP profiler who came from Ottawa to see him."I said you better leave, man, ’cause this isn’t a movie and I’m not Hannibal Lecter,” said Svekla, laughing.“I just tell him I got nothing to say and I’m not Hannibal Lecter.”In a Sept. 16, 2006, phone conversation with his sister Sharyn, Svekla talked about Edmonton-area man Jason Dix suing the RCMP for malicious prosecution after having two murder charges dismissed and said: “I’m going to get at least a million.”In an Oct. 5, 2006, call to his sister Maryanne, Svekla said he would be like David Milgaard, who was awarded $10 million after spending 23 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit.Svekla was also recorded speaking about family members who had talked to RCMP investigators with Project Kare and complaining about sisters Sharyn and Donna making statements.“Don’t say a word to them, Mom,” Svekla said to his mother, Emily Svekla, during an Oct. 1, 2006, visit at the Edmonton Remand Centre. “They’re making me out to be a really bad guy.”Svekla, a 39-year-old mechanic, is accused of second-degree murder and interfering with human remains in the deaths of Rachel Quinney, 19, and Theresa Innes, 36.Quinney’s mutilated naked body was found in a wooded farmer’s field near Fort Saskatchewan in June 2004.Court has heard Svekla told police he discovered Quinney’s body while smoking crack with another prostitute.Innes’ wrapped and wire-bound body was discovered in May 2006 after Svekla’s sister Donna told police she found it in a hockey bag in her Fort Saskatchewan garage.Police allege Innes was slain in High Level and Svekla transported the body from there to Fort Saskatchewan.Svekla is the first person charged by Project Kare, a task force investigating the deaths and disappearances of people with high-risk lifestyles. 11/03/08