367: Road Trip: The Murder of Reeva Steenkamp
Episode 367: In the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, the world awoke to the shocking news that South African Olympic and Paralympic hero Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his girlfriend, a 29-year-old paralegal and model Reeva Steenkamp, inside his Pretoria home. Pistorius, celebrated for overcoming the loss of his legs to become a global sporting icon, now stood accused of a crime that would grip and divide a nation. The ensuing investigation and trial, marked by intense media scrutiny, conflicting testimonies, and a dramatic courtroom battle, would raise questions about celebrity, violence, and the quality of justice in South Africa.
Sources:
Reeva: A Mother’s Story | Indigo.ca
Remembering Reeva Steenkamp: Her inspiring life and tragic death
Reeva Steenkamp, my friend, shot by Oscar Pistorius
Here is Reeva Steenkamp, not just Oscar’s girlfriend
The Reeva I knew
An untold story: all about Reeva Steenkamp
1983 – The O’Malley Archives
South Africa — Forced Removals | Overcoming Apartheid
Formation and launch of the UDF | South African History Online
MAJOR NEWS IN SUMMARY; Changing South Africa 1983 (Published 1986)
Oscar Pistorius | Biography, Olympics, Conviction, & Facts | Britannica
Oscar Pistorius: The strange and dangerous world of the blade runner | MacLeans
Oscar Pistorius – Athletics | Paralympic Athlete Profile
Oscar PISTORIUS | Olympic Athlete Profile
The Pistorius Case and South Africa’s Gun Problem
Timeline – The trial of ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius
Reeva’s Death ‘Ruined’ Steenkamp Family, Cousin Says
Family of Reeva Steenkamp searching for answers about shooting
Oscar Pistorius trial SABC News on YouTube
Director of Public Prosecutions, Gauteng v Pistorius (950/2016) [2017] ZASCA 158; 2018 (1) SACR 115 (SCA); [2018] 1 All SA 336 (SCA) (24 November 2017)
S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2016] ZAGPPHC 724 (6 July 2016)
Director of Public Prosecutions, Gauteng v Pistorius (96/2015) [2015] ZASCA 204; [2016] 1 All SA 346 (SCA); 2016 (2) SA 317 (SCA); 2016 (1) SACR 431 (SCA) (3 December 2015)
S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2014] ZAGPPHC 924 (21 October 2014)
S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2014] ZAGPPHC 793 (12 September 2014)
Inside the Oscar Pistorius trial
Reeva Steenkamp shooting | The Guardian
Reeva Steenkamp | Wikipedia
Trial of Oscar Pistorius | Wikipedia
Where Is Oscar Pistorius Now? Inside the Olympian’s Life After Murder Conviction
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366: Merciless: The Murder of Constable Michael Sweet
Episode 366: On a cold night, March 14, 1980, the city of Toronto was shaken by an act of violence that would leave a deep scar on its police force and forever change the lives of one family. It was the kind of crime that, decades later, still echoes in the halls of justice and the memories of those who lived through it. This is the story of Constable Michael Sweet, a dedicated police officer, loving husband, and devoted father of three young girls, all under ten years old, who lost his life in the line of duty at the hands of two brothers whose names would become synonymous with brutality: Craig Alfred Munro, 28, and his 21-year-old brother, James Scott Munro.
Sources:
1983 CanLII 3542 (ON CA) | R. v. Munro | CanLII1984 CanLII 3608 (QC CA) | R. v. Vaillancourt | CanLIIOct 20, 1983, page 19 – The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comOct 28, 1980, page 3 – The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 21, 1980, page 9 – The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 19, 1980, page 3 – The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 17, 1980, page 14 – The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 15, 1980, page 1 – The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 15, 1980, page 9 – The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com
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365: Beneath the Roots: The Murder of Mary Ann Frauzel Mailman
Episode 365: On a humid August morning in 1873, the quiet, tight-knit community of Baker’s Settlement outside of Bridgewater in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, was shattered by a crime so shocking that it would echo for generations. This is the story of Mary Ann Frauzel Mailman—a woman described by her contemporaries as strikingly beautiful, and by all accounts, a devoted mother—whose life ended violently at the hands of her husband, Peter Mailman. The murder and its aftermath would become one of the most infamous cases in the province’s history, both for its brutality and for the chilling window it offered into the darkness that can lurk behind closed doors.
Sources:
cihm_09620The trial of Peter Mailman for the murder of hi…Mary Ann Frauzel Mailman (1826-1873) – Find a…Bloodshed among the berries – 1873 Lunenburg, Nova ScotiaLarge Fierce Mammal: The Trial of Peter MailmanCapital case, Peter Mailman tried before [Minister of] Justice DesBarnes at LunenburgHamilton Spectator — Deaths, 1873Dec 30, 1873, page 1 – The New York Times at Newspapers.comDec 10, 1873, page 3 – The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.comDec 05, 1873, page 2 – The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.comNov 27, 1873, page 2 – The Montreal Star at Newspapers.comOct 24, 1873, page 3 – The Gazette at Newspapers.comOct 21, 1873, page 3 – The Gazette at Newspapers.comAug 26, 1873, page 1 – The Rutland Daily Globe at Newspapers.comAug 25, 1873, page 2 – The Spirit of Democracy at Newspapers.comAug 22, 1873, page 1 – Democrat and Chronicle at Newspapers.comAug 22, 1873, page 3 – Hartford Courant at Newspapers.comAug 19, 1873, page 3 – The San Francisco Examiner at Newspapers.com
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364: The Collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge: A Tragedy in Steel
Episode 364: On June 17, 1958, a warm summer afternoon in Vancouver, British Columbia, the bustling construction site of the Second Narrows Bridge was alive with activity. Seventy-nine workers, including ironworkers, engineers, and painters, were perched high above the waters of Burrard Inlet, labouring to connect Vancouver to the North Shore. Little did they know that in mere moments, their world would come crashing down in what would become the worst industrial disaster in Vancouver’s history. Several bridge spans suddenly collapsed as they attempted to join two chords of the unfinished arch. The disaster sent all the bridge builders on shift plummeting 30 meters into the waters below. Tragically, 18 workers lost their lives instantly or shortly after, possibly due to drowning from their heavy tool belts. The death toll rose to 19 when a diver searching for bodies also drowned in the days following the collapse.
Sources:
Collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge during Construction | Proceedings | Vol , No
1958 – BC Infrastructure Disaster – Ironworkers Memorial Bridge – Vancouver 1958
Time Traveller: 19 die in 1958 Second Narrows Bridge collapse and ensuing rescue
Second Narrows Bridge Collapse
Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing
The Lions Gate Bridge – And The Lions Who Guard It
Building a Vancouver Icon: The Lions Gate Bridge – Introduction – MONOVA
Jun 18, 1958, page 35 – The Province at Newspapers.com
Tragedy at Second Narrows: The Story of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge
Time Traveller: 19 die in 1958 Second Narrows Bridge collapse and ensuing rescue
This Week in History: 1896: The Point Ellice Bridge collapses in Victoria, killing 55
Looking Back: 126 years since 55 killed in catastrophic Victoria bridge collapse
The Point Ellice Bridge Failure
The Point Ellice Bridge Disaster
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Shattered Innocence: The Murders Leanne McFarlane and Jeffrey Taylor
Episode 362: On the morning of May 29, 2010, gunshots shattered the quiet of a rural property just outside Cranbrook, British Columbia. By the time police arrived at the scene, two lives had been tragically cut short in an apparent case of mistaken identity.
The victims were Jeffrey Todd Taylor, 42, and Leanne Laura MacFarlane, 43, a couple who had been renting half of a duplex on a large piece of land for about three months. They had no connection to the criminal underworld and appeared to have been innocent victims caught in the crossfire of a drug gang dispute.
Over the last 15 years, authorities and the couple’s family and friends have fought to bring their killers to justice.
Source:
Obituary of Leanne MacFarlane | McPherson Funeral Service – Cranbrook
Remembering the life of Jeffrey Taylor.
Cranbrook BC | The Canadian Encyclopedia
4 charged in alleged B.C. murder conspiracy | CBC News
B.C. Court of Appeal orders new trial in Cranbrook double homicide | CBC News
Charges laid 8 years after innocent B.C. pair were killed in targeted shooting | CBC News
Four charged in murder plot that saw innocent Cranbrook couple executed
Masked man held gun to head of slain woman’s sister-in-law, court hears
Daughter of Cranbrook woman slain in mistaken identity murders shocked at not guilty verdict
2013 BCSC 828 (CanLII) | R. v. Adams | CanLII
2016 BCCA 330 (CanLII) | R. v. Correia | CanLII
2020 BCSC 608 (CanLII) | R. v Correia | CanLII
2022 BCSC 647 (CanLII) | R. v Correia | CanLII
2024 BCCA 361 (CanLII) | R. v. Correia | CanLII
2025 BCSC 372 (CanLII) | R. v Correia | CanLII
Man who killed 2 in case of mistaken identity sentenced to life in prison | CBC News
Man pleads guilty to Cranbrook mistaken identity murders
Man who killed 2 in case of mistaken identity sentenced to life in prison
Life sentence for man who killed B.C. couple in 2010 mistaken-identity murders
Second person charged in Brampton shooting that killed unintended target
Kingston man killed in Ottawa in what his family believes was a case of mistaken identity
Shooting Of Sikh Family In Canada Case Of Mistaken Identity: Police
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POWs in Canada and the Murders at Camp 132
Episode 362: We explore chilling events that unfolded at POW Camp 132 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, during World War II. This prisoner-of-war camp, one of many scattered across Canada, became the site of two brutal murders that shocked even hardened veterans and led to Canada’s last mass execution.
In the summer of 1943, August Plaszek, a former French Foreign Legion soldier forcibly integrated into the German army, met a gruesome end at the hands of Nazi hardliners within the camp. Just over a year later, in September 1944, Karl Lehmann, a university professor turned Luftwaffe interpreter, suffered a similar fate for daring to share news of Germany’s failing war effort with his fellow prisoners. These murders, born from the complex dynamics of a “little piece of Germany” transplanted to the Canadian prairies, would set in motion a series of dramatic trials that tested the limits of Canadian justice and international law.
Sources:
Protected persons: Prisoners of war and detainees | Red Cross
Prisoners of war: What you need to know | Red Cross
The Geneva Conventions: 160 years of history | Genève internationale
Geneva Conventions | International Humanitarian Law, Protections & History | Britannica
Prisoners of War – Historical Sheet – Second World War – History – Veterans Affairs Canada
Normandy Massacres | Nazi War Crimes, Allied Retaliation & Impact | Britannica
Abbaye d’Ardenne – Veterans Affairs Canada
Three survivors on how they endured oppression, cruelty and abuse as prisoners in Japan during WW II
Illegitimate trials. PoW hangings. A miniature Nazi state on the Prairie. | The Star
When was it unjust to kill seven Nazi soldiers? When it happened in Canada | Globe & Mail
Hanged in Medicine Hat – Sutherland House Publishing
Gestapo PoWs | Legion Magazine
Ideological Battles in Medicine Hat By Danial Duda
Murders in a Nazi Prisoner-of-War Camp – And Canada’s Last Mass Execution | History is Now
POW Camp 132 in Medicine Hat, Alberta
Camp 132 by Robin Warren Stotz
POW and Internment Camps in Alberta: WWII | Alberta Historic Places
World War II Prisoner of War Camp in Medicine Hat | Shaw TV Medicine Hat
Prisoner of War Camps in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Geneva, 27 July 1929
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361: Avro Arrow: The Rise and Fall of Canada’s Dream Fighter
Episode 361: On October 4, 1957, as the world’s eyes turned skyward to witness the launch of Sputnik 1, another technological marvel was about to be unveiled in a hangar in Malton, Ontario. The Avro Arrow, Canada’s ambitious supersonic interceptor, was poised to revolutionize aviation. But within two years, it would vanish without a trace, leaving behind a legacy of controversy and conspiracy.
Sources:
Avro Arrow | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Avro Arrow | canadahistory.com
Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow | Wikipedia
Avro CF-100 Canuck | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Broken Arrow | Legion Magazine
A legend in aviation still hard at work | Canadian Military History
Janusz Zurakowski – Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame
Avro Arrow – List of Firsts – Canadians At Arms
Avro Arrow: Canada’s Lost Dream of Aviation Supremacy
Canadian Aviation And The Avro Arrow Book By Fred Smye
Avro Arrow Pictures | avro-arrow.org
The Avro Arrow: Exploding The Myths And Misconceptions
The Avro Arrow: For The Record Book By Palmiro Campagna
Storms Of Controversy: The Secret Avro Arrow Files Revealed Book By Palmiro Campagna
Who Killed The Avro Arrow? Book By Chris Gainor
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360: Madness on the Hill: The 1966 Parliamentary Bombing
Episode 360: On May 18, 1966, Paul Joseph Chartier, among other things, a disillusioned and unemployed security guard and former truck driver, attempted a deadly act of terrorism on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Chartier planned to throw a homemade dynamite bomb into the House of Commons chamber, targeting politicians he blamed for societal injustices and his personal failures. However, the bomb detonated prematurely in a washroom, killing only Chartier himself. This tragic incident drew significant attention at the time, leading to investigations by the RCMP and led to a federal inquiry.
Sources:
Robert N. Wilkins: Remembering the man who tried blowing up Parliament, 50 years ago
The Mad Bomber of Parliament Hill by Fontana, James A
The Parliament bombing of 1966
Citizen@175: ‘I might as well give you a blast to wake you up’
IMV_-_Terrorism-Research-Key-findings-eng
Learn the lesson of the bad bomb
Hewitt_2021_HistoryofLoneActorsinCanadaFinal
Inquest Paul Joseph Chartier bombing of Parliament
201604_clat_final_report — Lone-Actor Terrorism
TSAS-Working-Paper-Hofmann-Lone-Actors-Final
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359: Margate Horror: The Murder of Mary Pickering Tuplin
Episode 359: On a warm summer evening in June 1887, 17-year-old Mary Pickering Tuplin vanished from her family’s farm in Margate, PEI. A search and a grim discovery followed that would rock the quiet farming community to its core. Mary’s body was found in the Southwest River, weighed down by a heavy stone, with two gunshot wounds to her head. The subsequent investigation would uncover a web of secrets, including the fact that Mary was six months pregnant. Circumstantial evidence led to 19-year-old William Millman‘s arrest, allegedly Mary’s lover. The shocking facts of the crime and its investigation led to a sensational trial that captivated the entire country. Millman was convicted and sent to the gallows in April 1888. Was justice indeed served, or, as some speculate, was an innocent man sent to the gallows?
Sources:
History Of The Blackhorse Corner Tavern
Kensington Locomotive | PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation
The history of Margate, Prince Edward Island
Apr 11, 1888, page 2 – Telegraph-Journal at Newspapers.com
Verbatim report of the Millman-Tuplin Murder Trial | Canadiana.ca
Mary Tuplin – Search – Newspapers.com™
’They hung the wrong boy’: New questions in 1887 murder of pregnant P.E.I. girl
Ceremony reunites head with murdered owner 129 years later
‘We finally got it right’: 1887 murder victim’s skull re-united with rest of remains | CBC News
Mary Pickering Tuplin, 1887 murder victim, properly laid to rest
Skull of murdered P.E.I. teen finally reunited with her body after 129 years
English Folk Dance and Song Society: The National Organisation for the Development of the Folk Arts
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358: Made in Canada: The Unsolved Murder of Reet Jurvetson
Episode 358: In Los Angeles, California, in the autumn of 1969, along winding Mulholland Drive, a young woman’s body was discovered, brutally stabbed more than 150 times, her identity shrouded in mystery for nearly half a century. This Jane Doe, known only as case number 59, would lie nameless for the next 46 years, her story untold and her family unaware of her tragic fate. In a chilling twist, the proximity of her death to the infamous Tate-LaBianca murder scenes led investigators down a twisted path of speculation. The brutal nature of the crime sparked whispers of a possible connection to one of America’s most notorious cults — the Manson Family.
It wasn’t until 2016 that modern forensic techniques finally gave her a name: Reet Silvia Jurvetson, a 19-year-old from Montreal who had ventured to L.A. with dreams as big as the Hollywood sign. Despite her identity now being known, Reet Jurvetson’s murder remains unsolved. Her family is still hoping for answers more than 55 years later.
Sources:
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
About Reet Jurvetson | Reet Jurvetson’s Family Memorial
Man Who Found Possible Manson Victim as Teen Speaks Out
Forensic DNA analysis: technology and application (BP-443E)
‘Jane Doe #59’ was a 19-year-old from Montreal — was she also a Manson victim?
Woman found near Manson murders ID’d after 47 years
ID of woman found near Manson murders site stirs mystery
Who Killed Jane Doe #59 | CBC News
Jane Doe found in L.A. in 1969 ID’d as Montreal teen | CBC News
Could Canadian’s brutal 1969 stabbing death be connected to another L.A. cold case? | CBC News
Who Killed Jane Doe #59 : The Case of Reet Jurvetson – The Fifth Estate
LAPD Seeks to Identify Two Men in Connection with Murder of Reet Jurvetson
Reet Jurvetson: Was Jane Doe No. 59 a Victim of the Manson Family?
Did Charles Manson Have 4 More Victims? ‘There’s an Answer There Somewhere,’ Says LAPD Detective
Murder of Reet Jurvetson | Wikipedia
Reet Silvia Jurvetson (1950-1969)
LAPD releases sketches of two men linked to 1969 killing of Canadian Reet Jurvetson
Who Killed Jane Doe #59 : The Case of Reet Jurvetson – the fifth estate
Reet Silvia Jürvetson (1950-1969)
LAPD Seeks to Identify Two Men in Connection with Murder of Reet Jurvetson
ID of woman found near Manson murders site stirs mystery
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