Nova Scotia – Dark Poutine – True Crime & Dark History

095 – NCR: The Death of Brian Smith & Life of Jeffrey Arenburg (ON/NS)

December 9, 2019October 14, 2019 by Mike Browne

Episode 095 – On a summer evening in 1995 sportscaster and former NHL hockey player Brian Smith, 54, was shot by a stranger as he exited the CJOH studios in Ottawa, Ontario after a day’s work. The two me had never met, but the gunman, a man named Jeffrey Arenburg from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia was convinced that the murder of the beloved sportscaster would bring attention to his plight, and perhaps, put a stop to his thoughts being stolen and broadcast by Smith’s TV station. Arenburg, who’d suffered from paranoid delusions for years, and had been in and out of court and hospitals, was found NCR, not criminally responsible, for the murder.

090 – Miscarried Justice – The Murder of Sandy Seale & Conviction of Donald Marshall Jr. (NS)

December 9, 2019September 9, 2019 by Mike Browne

Episode 090 – On evening in late May of 1971 police responded to reports of a young black male, Sandy Seale, having been stabbed in Sydney, Nova Scotia‘s Wentworth Park. A 17-year-old indigenous man, named Donald Marshall Jr., son of the Mi’kmaq Grand Chief who’d been at the scene, and injured himself, was later charged with the crime. After spending almost 12 years in prison Marshall was exonerated by a fresh RCMP investigation after new evidence was presented to Marshall by a friend. Donald Marshall Jr. was freed and the real killer, Roy Ebsary, was eventually convicted, and one of the largest inquiries into a wrongful conviction in Canadian history was launched.

Photo: provided by Marshall Family to the Canadian Encyclopedia

087 – The Murder of Amber Kirwan (NS)

December 9, 2019August 19, 2019 by Mike Browne

Episode 087 – On the morning of October 9, 2011, 19-year-old Amber Kirwan failed to show up for an arranged ride home after leaving a local billiards hall in New Glasgow, N.S. After a massive search for almost a month Amber’s body was found in a shallow grave in the nearby village of Heathbell. The man eventually charged and convicted of the crime had a surprising background. Should he have been in the community at all?

066 – The Great Amherst Mystery [with Morgan Knudsen] (NS)

December 9, 2019March 25, 2019 by Mike Browne

Episode 66 – This week we go back in time to 1878 in Amherst Nova Scotia. We learn about one of Canada’s most documented and as yet unexplained paranormal events. Esther Cox, an ordinary 18-year-old in the town was at the center of these horrific psychic attacks, some people believe to have been poltergeists. It began with the feeling of something under the bed, odd noises and Esther suffering a weird illness. The events went on for months, eventually led to items flying around the home and mysterious fires being set seemingly out of nowhere.

In the second half of the show we speak to paranormal investigator, author, teacher and media personality, Morgan Knudsen of entityseeker.ca. She gives us some insight into the case of Esther Cox as well as some others including those included in Blue Ant Media’s Paranormal 911 which can be seen here in Canada on Sunday nights at 8:00 pm Eastern.

061 – The Crimes of Michael Wayne McGray (BC, ON, NS & NB)

December 9, 2019February 18, 2019 by Mike Browne

Episode 061 – In the spring of 1985, 17-year-old Elizabeth Gail Tucker went missing when hitchhiking from Dartmouth to Southwestern, Nova Scotia. Tucker was the first of many murder victims, from a very diverse pool, of one of Canada’s coldest and most outspoken serial killers, Michael Wayne McGray. McGray was convicted of 7 murders, one of which happened after years in custody. McGray remorselessly admits to as many as 10 more murders and claims, given the chance, he would do it again and again.

046 – Halloween 2018: Campfire Stories

December 9, 2019October 29, 2018 by Mike Browne

Epsiode 046: To celebrate our Halloween 2018 and Dark Poutine’s first anniversary we dive into the paranormal. Mike and Scott share some of their own supernatural stories. Celebrating with us around the campfire telling their own spooky tales are a few of our friends from the podcasting community from all over the world.

016 – Jane Hurshman – Life with Billy

December 9, 2019March 2, 2018 by Mike Browne

Episode 016: In March of 1982 the small community called Bangs Falls, just outside of Liverpool, Nova Scotia made national news after the local bully, Billy Stafford, was found minus his head in his pick up truck along the side of the road. Someone had ended his reign of terror with a single blast of a 12 gauge shotgun. Billy’s death was news in itself, but who did the deed was even more newsworthy – his long suffering, regularly brutalized common-law wife Jane Hurshman. BONUS: Mike’s personal connections to the area, one of the officers involved with Billy Stafford and Jane Hurshman’s lawyer.

007 – The Karissa Boudreau Murder

December 9, 2019December 29, 2017 by Mike Browne

In Episode 007, we head off to Mike’s hometown, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, and in particular the nieghbourhood where he grew up. The disappearance and murder of 12-year-old Karissa Boudreau still gets talked about around the small town, especially due to the horrific nature of the crime.

004 – The Halifax Explosion

December 9, 2019December 6, 2017 by Mike Browne

This is Episode 004 of Dark Poutine. Here we present The Halifax Explosion, in honour of the 100th annversary of the disaster. Prior to the detonation of the first atomic bomb was the largest manmade explosion humanity had seen. It devastated Halifax and many residents died, or were severly injured. As well as the loss of life and limb, many were left without adequate shelter from the druel Nova Scotia winter.

Thanks to Erics and D’Arcy for sharing music in this episode, for sharing Joshua Smith’s song, The Day The City Died. You can find it here: https://joshuasmith.bandcamp.com/