Latest Episodes

On the night of Saturday, October 25th, 1857, in Beaver Lake, a part of Simond’s Parish in St John County, a heinous crime was committed unlike anything ever seen in New Brunswick up to that point. Sure, there had been murders and arsons, but those were often the result of heated arguments or drunken brawls. But this crime was different. It’s hard to believe that anyone in New Brunswick would coldly and calculatedly murder a man named Robert McKenzie, his wife, and his four helpless children, all for the sake of money, and then burn down their property to destroy the evidence. The perpetrators, three Irish Catholics, Hugh Breen and Patrick Slavin Sr. and Slavin’s teenage son, Patrick Jr., targeted the protestant Mackenzie family, robbing and murdering them. This crime, committed on that fateful Saturday night, was, to that point, unprecedented in New Brunswick. Some still feel the crime rivals the worst in the province’s history.

In the early morning hours of July 8, 2019, Vancouver Island RCMP launched a manhunt for two inmates who had escaped from William Head, a minimum security federal institution in Metchosin, south of Victoria. The two men, James Lee Busch and Zachary Armitage had walked away from William Head the day before. The fugitives were arrested on July 9 after an off-duty RCMP officer spotted them in Esquimalt. On July 12, RCMP found the body of 60-year-old Martin Keith Payne, who had not shown up for work, at his home on Brookview Drive, in the community of Metchosin. Payne's suspicious death initiated an 11-month investigation led by the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, involving several police agencies. On June 12, 2020, an RCMP news release reported that the escapees, Busch and Armitage, had been charged with first-degree murder concerning Martin Payne’s death. This event sparked serious debate about the decision-making process that led to these two individuals, both with histories of violent crime, being housed in a minimum-security facility. How had they simply walked away from their incarceration to murder Martin Payne?

In Quebec City, on October 21, 2004, Dario Gallese got an alarming phone call from his younger brother, Eustachio Gallese. In the call, Eustachio admitted to killing his girlfriend, Chantale Deschesnes, 32, and, following his brother's advice, contacted the police to report the crime. Eustachio was arrested, charged, and convicted of the second-degree murder of Chantale. In late 2006, Eustachio was sentenced to life in prison without parole eligibility for 15 years. In 2019, Eustachio was placed into a halfway house on day parole. In September, in what would be a controversial decision, his case management team allowed Eustachio Gallese to visit sex workers to have his sexual needs met, as long as he was ‘transparent’ with his case management team about these visits. On the night of January 22, 2020, Eustachio Gallese walked into a Quebec City police station and admitted to having murdered another woman, a 22-year-old masseuse named Marylène Levesque, whom he’d become obsessed with. Marylène’s body was found in the Sainte-Foy (Sant-Fwa) hotel room where Gallese said she would be. She’d been stabbed 30 times. A month later, Eustachio Gallese, then 51, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. After a public outcry inciting parliamentary debate, the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada announced a joint investigation into Gallese’s release.

In this episode, we plunge into the perplexing saga of Grace Marks and James McDermott. Their story, a blend of mystery and controversy, revolves around the savage murders of wealthy Richmond Hill farmer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery, in 1843. This tale continues to ignite debates about guilt, innocence, and the essence of criminality. We'll lay out a tangled web of facts and speculations surrounding these infamous figures and their crimes. We journey through Grace's life, from her hazardous upbringing in Ireland to her immigration to Canada and her involvement in one of the 19th century's most notorious crimes. We also delve into James McDermott's role and his complex relationship with Grace Marks, a subject of relentless speculation.

On January 26, 2012, Jo Anne Alexander called 911 from her residence in Richmond, B.C., pleading for help and mentioning that she had ingested sleeping pills. Upon arrival, police found Jo Anne and her husband, John Alexander, in their bed along with their deceased family dog. John was deceased and had suffered blunt-force injuries. His death was ruled a homicide. Jo Anne was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was arrested after a conversation with police and subsequently charged with second-degree murder. A B.C. Supreme Court jury found Jo Anne Alexander guilty of the second-degree murder of her husband in March. She was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 11 years. The court heard that the couple had been in severe financial distress, living off the proceeds from the sale of their home and borrowing from friends and family. In a letter to her family, Jo Anne, apparently suicidal, said the couple was facing “financial ruin” and that her husband didn’t understand. John and Jo Anne's son, David, will share his experiences over the past 11 and a half years since his father's death in the next part of this episode.

On March 27, 2020, Jacob Sansom, 39, and his uncle, Maurice Cardinal, 57, both Métis, went hunting in Glendon, Alberta. They later began driving along Range Road 484, where they were mistakenly suspected of planning a burglary by Roger Bilodeau, a white property owner. Bilodeau, 58, and his 16-year-old son, Joseph, gave chase, reaching speeds up to 150 km/h. Another son, Anthony Bilodeau, 33, was called to join during the chase. He did and brought a gun. After a confrontation at an intersection near Glendon, Alberta, Anthony shot and killed both Sansom and Cardinal. The Bilodeaus fled the scene, offering no aid, nor did they contact authorities. The victims’ bodies were discovered by a passerby hours later.

This historical, true crime podcast hosted by Kru Williams from History Television’s hit original series Deadman’s Curse: The Legend of the Lost Gold investigates the curse and legend surrounding the…

On May 8, 1984, a man with a beard, dressed in Canadian Forces camouflage attire and wearing a beret, entered the studios of CJRP, a radio station in Quebec City. Employees at the station noticed the man had a knife secured to his leg. The man approached the assistant to radio host André Arthur’s assistant, presented her with an envelope while introducing himself as “Mr. D.” and promptly left. The man was later identified as Denis Lortie, a 25-year-old disgruntled Canadian Forces corporal who then entered the Citadelle de Quebec to commit a mass shooting of members of the National Assembly of Quebec. He opened fire, killing three unelected legislature employees, Georges Boyer, 61, Camille Lepage, 54, and Roger Lefrançois, 57. He injured thirteen others before being apprehended, thanks to the heroism of René Marc Jalbert, a retired Canadian Forces officer and the sergeant-at-arms of the National Assembly of Quebec. Lortie’s actions shocked the nation and prompted discussions on security measures and political extremism. Jalbert’s earned him the Cross of Valour, Canada’s highest civilian bravery award.

Trina Hunt, a 48-year-old woman from Port Moody, B.C., was reported missing on the evening of January 18, 2021. Her husband, Iain Hunt, claimed to have seen her at her home that morning. Her whereabouts remained unknown for weeks despite extensive search efforts by authorities and volunteers. Tragically, Trina’s body was discovered near Hope, B.C., South of Silver Creek on March 29, 2021. Her death was determined a homicide. The investigation into her murder is ongoing, and her killer has yet to be apprehended.

On August 15, 2009, the mutilated body of Jasmine Fiore, a 28-year-old Playboy model and aspiring actress, was found stuffed into a suitcase and discarded in a dumpster in Buena Park, California. The investigation quickly led to her husband, Ryan Jenkins, a Canadian real estate investor and former contestant on the reality TV show “Megan Wants a Millionaire.” As the investigation progressed, a disturbing picture of domestic violence and jealousy emerged. It was revealed that Jenkins had a history of abusive behaviour towards Jasmine, and the couple had a tumultuous relationship. The motive for the murder appeared to be jealousy and control. Ryan Jenkins fled to Canada, and an international manhunt was launched to apprehend him. However, on August 23, 2009, Jenkins was found dead in a Hope, British Columbia motel room. He had completed suicide by hanging himself. This case generated widespread media coverage and sparked discussions about domestic violence, the dark side of reality TV, and the importance of raising awareness about toxic relationships. The tragic death of Jasmine Fiore served as a grim reminder of the dangers of domestic violence and the need for intervention and support for victims.