Crown presses Joseph Thauberger for true version of story that led to brother's death

WARNING: SOME DETAILS IN THIS STORY MAY BE DISTURBING FOR SOME.

The Joseph Thauberger murder trial resumed Wednesday with the accused on the stand for the second straight day.

Crown attorney Adam Breker, continued to cross-examine Joseph Thauberger, bringing up the transcript and video recording between Thauberger and an undercover police officer in 2020.

The almost 81-year-old maintained that the version he told the undercover officer was, “a fair bit of truth and a whole bunch of fabrications,” for $30,000.

Breker pressed Joseph on why he confessed to murdering his brother to a man he’d only known for a week or so and how he knew where Patrick’s body was buried if he didn’t take part in it.

Joseph said he was convinced that the undercover cop was someone he could trust, not being suspicious of him until their last interaction, a day before Joseph was arrested and charged with the murder of his brother.

He added that he told the unnamed gentleman where to bury Patrick’s body.

The Crown asked why showing the officer where parts of Patrick’s body were buried wasn’t enough of a secret and Joseph maintained he wouldn’t get the $30,000 without more secretive information.

The Crown then questioned the events on the night of Patrick’s death.

Breker asked, “You spent nine hours coming up with a plan to get rid of the body and the plan was to drive to the farm, roll him into the water and go home.”

“Yep,” Joseph replied.

The Crown then asked about the relationship with the unnamed gentleman who buried Patrick’s body.

Joseph testified to not remembering the man’s name, but he had known him for a few weeks having hired him for a few odd jobs.

Court heard that Joseph dropped the body off at the farm on the night of Sept. 3rd 1997, in the slough, then didn’t ask the man to bury it until Saturday. He could not remember how the man came to the property to deal with the brother of his body.

Joseph maintained that he didn’t know the man dismembered his brother, or where he put the remaining body parts, as the head and legs still haven’t been found.

He said he knew where the body was because after the three or so hours the man spent burying the body that Saturday afternoon, he came to collect the $500 from Joseph.

Breker then went through the statement after Joseph was arrested in November 2020 where he told the officer that he was not in fact happy with Patrick on Sept. 3, 1997.

When asked about Patrick coming to see a filing cabinet, Joseph told the officer he didn’t want Patrick to look at it.

The video recording played Joseph saying, “I didn’t think it was any of his business, I wasn’t happy about him wanting to see it,” with another statement recorded of Joseph saying there was "a little bit of a discussion.”

After Joseph testified to not remembering certain details, like if he locked the door for Barbara Hayes to come up and where the rest of the body parts were, the Crown rested.

Joseph did add that the way he saw it, he had two options, to call the police and get falsely accused, or to dispose of the body and keep it a secret.

“That was the choice I was confronted with and that was the choice I chose until [the undercover officer] showed up on the scene, that was the best choice.”

The trial is adjourned until 9 a.m. on June 28 when closing arguments will be heard.