Month: May 2023

Episode 269: On April 12, 1991, a group of teens attended a woodland party near Oromocto, New Brunswick, involving alcohol and drugs, including LSD. Pamela Gail Bischoff, 14, and William Wayne Dale (Billy) Stillman, 17, left the gathering together, marking the last sighting of Pamela Bischoff alive. Stillman returned home later, wet from the thighs down, cold, shaking, and sporting a cut above his eye with mud and grass on his pants.

Six days later, Pamela’s body was discovered in the Oromocto River, a short distance from the party site. The time of death correlated to the evening she had left with Billy Stillman. Eyewitnesses confirmed seeing a male accompanying Pamela near the discovery site, and Stillman was seen departing the area, his pants muddied. An autopsy showed that Pamela’s death resulted from head wounds, and there was evidence of sexual assault, which included semen inside her body.

Billy Stillman was arrested, released, arrested again and eventually charged and convicted in Pamela’s murder. Stillman’s appeals were based on alleged inappropriate conduct by the RCMP officers collecting important DNA evidence. This resulted in the case being heard and decided in Canada’s highest court in 1997, and a new trial was ordered.

Sources:

1995 CanLII 5579 (NB CA) | R. v. Stillman | CanLII

R. v. Stillman (W.W.D.) (1997), 192 N.B.R.(2d) 298 (TD | vLex Justis

1997 CanLII 384 (SCC) | R. v. Stillman | CanLII

Pamela Gail Bischoff – Life Through My Eyes

Pamela Gail Bischoff 1976-1991 – Ancestry®

The Constitution Act, 1982, Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11 | Federal Statutes

Oromocto — Deer Park

The Vancouver Sun 21 Mar 1997, page 7 – Newspapers.com

The New Brunswick Telegraph Journal 22 Sep 1992, page 3 – Newspapers.com

YouTube — What Happened To 14-Year-Old Pamela Bischoff? | Dark Waters Of Crime | Real Crime

ARCHIVED – Kingsclear Investigation Report | Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP

ROBERT FREDERICK BISCHOFF: obituary and death notice on InMemoriam

Criminal AND Civil LAW Assignment – Regina vs. Stillman Criminal and Civil Law – Case Law Assignment – StuDocu

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Episode 268: On November 18, 1987, Jay Cook, 20, and Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, a young couple from Vancouver Island, went on a road trip to Seattle, Washington. Unfortunately, they were never seen alive again.

Their bodies were discovered weeks later in separate locations. Tanya had been raped, shot, and left in a ditch in Skagit County. Jay was found strangled in the woods near Monroe, about 60 miles away.

The case went unsolved for over three decades until 2018, when authorities were able to use genetic genealogy to identify a suspect. He was arrested and charged with the murders. The man pleaded not guilty. In 2021, after his trial, the man was the first to be convicted using genetic genealogy. The couple’s killer was subsequently sentenced to life behind bars.

Sources:

The Murder of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg – Unsolved Mysteries

The disappearance of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook: Following a decades-old cold case – CBS News

Sheriff’s Office Seeks Information for Unsolved 1987 Murders | Snohomish County, WA

Sheriff’s Office Detectives Seek the Public’s Help to Identify Suspect in 1987 Double Homicide Cold Case | Snohomish County, WA

Arrest Made in 1987 Double Homicide Cold Case | Snohomish County, WA

2018 Annual Report | Skagit County Sheriff’s Office

Suspect arrested in 1987 deaths of a young couple from BC | HeraldNet.com

My cousin, the killer: Her DNA cracked a 1987 double murder – Victoria News

Parabon NanoLabs: Engineering DNA for Next-Generation Nanotech, Analytics, and Forensics

GENSCO | Home

Chelsea Rustad | AMA : IAmA

How DNA Expert CeCe Moore Solved 109 Cold Cases

Is murder in your DNA? – The Fifth Estate season premiere – YouTube

Killer of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook Sentenced | CBC News

Life in prison for 1987 killer of young Canadian couple | Seattle Weekly

Man convicted in the murder of Saanich couple left DNA on zip tie in 1987 – Victoria News

Man appealing genetic genealogy murder conviction was a violent child, his family told police | CBC News

State Of Washington, Respondent V. William Earl Talbott II

Conviction for 1987 murders of Tanya van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook overturned | CBC News)

Guilty verdict in 1987 killings of Saanich couple restored | CTV News

The Forever Witness by Edward Humes

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Episode 267: On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants attacked the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 diplomats and staff members hostage. Remarkably, six diplomats managed to slip away unnoticed. These individuals were Robert Anders, Cora Lijek, Mark Lijek, Joseph Stafford, Kathleen Stafford, and Lee Schatz. Schatz sought refuge at the Swedish embassy, while the others went to the British embassy. However, upon nearing the embassy, they encountered a large crowd of protestors obstructing their path. Consequently, they decided to take shelter at Anders’ residence and devise their next steps. After six harrowing days, the six American diplomats sought refuge at the Canadian embassy. 

The Canadian Ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor, and his team provided shelter to the American diplomats and false Canadian passports. The Canadian government played a critical role in the mission to rescue them. The then-Canadian Prime Minister, Joe Clark, approved the operation and fully supported Ambassador Taylor and his team. 

The rescue mission, known as the “Canadian Caper,” involved the creation of a fake movie production company called “Studio Six” and the production of a fake science fiction film called “Argo.” The Canadian embassy staff, along with the American diplomats, managed to escape from Iran using a combination of air travel and ground transportation. They were safely evacuated from Iran on January 28, 1980. The role played by Canada in the hostage crisis was highly appreciated by the US government and earned Canada international recognition for helping resolve the crisis.

Sources:

How the Shah’s Cancer May Have Changed History

The Iranian Revolution — A timeline of events

Ken Taylor and the Canadian Caper

Our Man In Tehran by Robert Wright — Ebook | Scribd

The Canadian Caper — Pelletier, Jean | Internet Archive

Ken Taylor and the “Canadian Caper” | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Canada history: Jan 27, 1980 — The famous “Canadian Caper” rescue – RCI | English

What you won’t see in Argo — Macleans.ca

Argo, F**k Yourself: Iran and the Oscars – The Diplomat

‘We lost a true hero’: Ken Taylor, 1934-2015 – Macleans.ca

Tony Mendez, former CIA officer and inspiration for ‘Argo,’ dies at 78 – National | Globalnews.ca

Ken Taylor satisfied with Affleck’s shoutout to Canada during Oscar speech | Globalnews.ca

Canada and Iran

U.S. Relations With Iran – United States Department of State

Iran – The CIA World Factbook

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In October 2008, the friends and family of 38-year-old Johnny Altinger were worried. Although emails and social media messages had indicated Johnny had run away on the spur of the moment with an unknown woman he’d just met, things didn’t add up. The messages did not have the same feel as Johnny’s typical fare, and he wasn’t known for his spontaneity. Police had already spoken with the tenant at the Edmonton garage that Johnny was directed to on the night he disappeared. They’d seen some things that concerned them, but there was no sign of Johnny. Something seemed off with the 29-year-old filmmaker Mark Andrew Twitchell, the man they’d spoken to. Little did the police know that only a week before Johnny vanished, another man, Gilles Tetreault, had suffered a bizarre attack at Twitchell’s hands after being lured to the same garage.

NOTE: This is part two of an updated, two-part expanded REDO of an earlier episode with which we thought we could have done better. We plan to update several more historical episodes to provide a better listener experience, more in line with the tone of our show.

Sources:

2010 ABQB 693 (CanLII) | R. v. Twitchell | CanLII

Edmonton Journal | Mark Twitchell’s First Statement To Police | Scribd

Edmonton Sun | Twitchell Agreed Statement 1 | Scribd

Edmonton Sun | Second Agreed Statement of Facts in Twitchell Case | Scribd

Edmonton Sun | Garage and Evidence Photos

Edmonton Sun | Video Evidence of Garage | YouTube

A Transcript of Police Interview with Mark Twitchell From Oct. 20, 2008 | Scribd

Alleged Diary from Mark Twitchell’s Computer | Scribd

Twitchell DNA Report | Scribd

Live Blog of Twitchell Trial | Scribd 

Edmonton Journal | E-Mail Exchange Between Mark Twitchell & a Facebook Friend | Scribd

Edmonton Journal | Mark Twitchell’s Notice of Appeal | Scribd

Mark Twitchell case: Inside the mind of “The Dexter Killer” – CBS News

Gilles Tetreault | Author | The One Who Got Away

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Episode 265: In October 2008, 38-year-old Johnny Altinger was looking for love online and, thinking he’d found it, was lured to his death in a dingy south Edmonton, Alberta garage. Johnny believed he would meet the girl of his dreams, but a Star Wars and Dexter-Morgan-obsessed serial killer wannabe and 29-year-old amateur filmmaker named Mark Andrew Twitchell awaited him in the garage’s darkness.

NOTE: This is part one of an updated, two-part expanded REDO of an earlier episode with which we thought we could have done better. We plan to update several more historical episodes to provide a better listener experience, more in line with the tone of our show.

Sources:

2010 ABQB 693 (CanLII) | R. v. Twitchell | CanLII

Edmonton Journal | Mark Twitchell’s First Statement To Police | Scribd

Edmonton Sun | Twitchell Agreed Statement 1 | Scribd

Edmonton Sun | Second Agreed Statement of Facts in Twitchell Case | Scribd

Edmonton Sun | Garage and Evidence Photos

Edmonton Sun | Video Evidence of Garage | YouTube

A Transcript of Police Interview with Mark Twitchell From Oct. 20, 2008 | Scribd

Alleged Diary from Mark Twitchell’s Computer | Scribd

Twitchell DNA Report | Scribd

Live Blog of Twitchell Trial | Scribd 

Edmonton Journal | E-Mail Exchange Between Mark Twitchell & a Facebook Friend | Scribd

Edmonton Journal | Mark Twitchell’s Notice of Appeal | Scribd

Mark Twitchell case: Inside the mind of “The Dexter Killer” – CBS News

Gilles Tetreault | Author | The One Who Got Away

That Taxi Podcast | a podcast by Thomas & Taxi David

Edmonton Journal | Johnny Altinger BIO

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