A woman who briefly met the man accused of killing two prostitutes said testified Thursday he threatened to break her neck and hide her body where nobody would find it.
The woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, said she met Thomas Svekla on Aug. 4, 2005 when she spotted him riding a bike in High Level, Alta.
Her testimony was part of a voir dire, a special hearing to determine whether controversial evidence can be taken in to account when the judge makes his final decision.
Svekla is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Rachel Quinney, 19, and Theresa Innes, 36. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Quinney's body was discovered in a wooded area near Sherwood Park in June 2004.
The woman testified she met Svekla as he was carrying a six pack of beer, while she was holding a bottle of liquor.
After a short conversation, the woman testified they went to his basement bachelor pad.
"He took me down in the basement ... he had me there for a while," she said.
She told the court she sat on a love chair drinking a beer when Svekla approached her.
"He sat beside me ... I knew there was something wrong," she said. "I said, 'I got to go,' and he attacked me from behind."
The woman testified he then grabbed her throat and he put his right hand over her mouth.
"He said he was going to twist my neck and break it and hide my body somewhere where nobody will ever find it," she said.
The woman said she escaped by playing dead, later fleeing when Svekla turned his back.
She then allegedly ran out of the house and flagged a cab.
High Level RCMP later photographed her injuries as part of a sexual assault investigation.
The voir dire continues Monday
