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In this episode, we explore a dark chapter of Winnipeg's criminal history, centred on the "Yuletide Bandit," notorious for his holiday-season robberies in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Michael David Syrnyk, known for targeting banks and armoured vehicles, executed his crimes with a reckless disregard for human life, often using firearms and viewing his victims merely as obstacles. His choice of the festive season for these heists added a cruel irony to his crimes, starkly contrasting with the spirit of joy and family. One notable incident was a shootout at Winnipeg’s Polo Park Mall, causing terror among Christmas shoppers. The dramatic end to his criminal spree came with a 12-hour standoff involving a former girlfriend, leading to his capture. This episode not only recounts Syrnyk's heinous acts but also underscores the lasting impact of his crimes on the victims and the broader community in Winnipeg.

In this episode, we venture into a controversial and tragic chapter of Canada's legal history. It intertwines public health, personal relationships, and the weight of the law. We're talking about the history of HIV non-disclosure cases in Canada. Part of our journey takes us to the early 2000s, zeroing in on Johnson Aziga, a Ugandan-born Canadian resident. His name would soon become synonymous with a landmark legal battle challenging the boundaries of consent, deception, and responsibility. Aziga was diagnosed with HIV in 1996, but his numerous subsequent relationships would cast him into the national spotlight. Two women, specifically, would become central to his story: both entered into relationships with Aziga, and HIV-related complications tragically took both. The women’s names are protected under publication bans, so we cannot speak to their biographies. Regardless, their untimely deaths would raise a storm of questions about trust, disclosure, and the duty one owes to their intimate partners. Aziga was convicted of murder and deemed a dangerous offender, but argued that his race and status as an immigrant weighed against him. In 2023, the murder convictions were overturned and replaced with manslaughter charges substituted in their place.

Episode 200: The story we are about to tell is a harrowing tale of child neglect that leaves a young boy badly scarred for life. In December of 1990, after being overlooked by his family who were on their way to Paris for a Christmas visit, Kevin McCallister is left on his own in the family’s large Winnetka, Illinois home. There the 7-year-old not only has to care for himself, but has to do his best fend off two serial burglars, a team known as the Wet Bandits, attempting to break into the McCallister residence. Leaving Kevin McCallister with lifelong issues due to the effects of post traumatic stress, and later problems with addiction.Sources:An inaccurate Film Dramatization of Actual Events671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093 - realtor.com®Bill Breakdown: How Much Kevin McCallister’s Dad Spent In Home Alone | Sideshow CollectiblesAll Injuries Sustained In Home Alone - Assessed By A Real Doctor - ThrillistHome Alone | Home Alone Wiki | FandomKevin McCallister | Home Alone Wiki | FandomSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/darkpoutine

Episode 107 - In June of 1993, 9-year-old Cindy Young found her mother, Brenda, deceased on the floor of their St. John’s, Newfoundland apartment. Brenda Marie Young, 26, and a mother of two was brutally murdered while her children slept. Almost immediately, police had focused on a suspect, Brenda’s boyfriend, 28-year-old Randy Druken. But, in this case, things are not always as simple as they first appear. Come see us at CrimeCon in Orlando from May 1-3, 2020. Use POUTINE2020 when buying your tickets. End of episode promo for Deadly Misadventures hosted by Justin from Generation Why and Tyler from The Minds of Madness. Sources and Further Reading: [Police interviewing children tend to ask ‘largely inappropriate’ questions which could lead to wrongful convictions: study | National Post] [Randy Druken says he's innocent - CBC]  R. v. Druken (R.J.), 1995 CanLII 10478 (NL SC), R. v. Druken (R.J.), 1994 CanLII 10500 (NL SC), R. v. Druken (R.J.), 1995 CanLII 10537 (NL SC), [The Lamer Report]  [#wrongfullyconvictedwednesday Randy Drunken - Toronto Defence Lawyers] [Randy Druken - Innocents Database of Exonerations] [3 Nov 1994, 4 - The Gazette at Newspapers.com] [Randy Druken back in St. John’s court today | Provincial | News | SaltWire] [Fisherman’s Road: ‘What kind of sick bastard would kill and rape their mother’] [PressReader.com - Drug Addict Wins 2M in Wrongful Conviction Case] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/crown-drops-3-charges-against-randy-druken-1.727346 Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/darkpoutine