Episode 249: As this is our special Christmas episode. It is our tradition to tell a Yuletide-themed yarn. This one is about a duo of bandits who burglarized various shopping malls across the United States and Canada year after year during the holidays. Their insidious M.O. was to work from the inside. The group’s leader, a safe cracker named Willie Thomas Soke and his sidekick, a little person of colour called Marcus Skidmore, would acquire jobs inside the department store. Soke, a foul-mouthed, chronic alcoholic and sex addict, would play the store’s Santa Claus, and Skidmore, his evil sidekick, would be one of Santa’s elves. Finally, after the murder of the head of a mall security manager named Johnny ‘Gin’ Calhoun at a Phoenix, Arizona, shopping complex, the pair were brought to justice in 2003. This was thanks partly to the unwitting help of a Canadian-born 10-year-old boy, Thurman Merman, who was living in Phoenix with his grandmother.
Sources:
Achondroplasia | Johns Hopkins Medicine
City of Phoenix, Arizona, Police Department
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - song and lyrics by Charley Pride | Spotify
Simon Fraser University
The University of British Columbia
‘Documentary’: Bad Santa
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Christmas 2022: Safe Cracking Santa & his Murderous Elf

True crime, legends, folklore, dark history and other creepy topics from the perspective of real live Canadians.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Documentary

True crime

Episode 314: Ezra Allen Miner, more commonly known as Bill Miner, was an infamous American stagecoach and train robber born in Michigan in 1846. Bill Miner's criminal career included an early arrest on April 3, 1866, for robbery, leading to a three-year sentence at San Quentin. Over thirty-five years, Miner was incarcerated for a cumulative total of nearly 30 years, experiencing two official releases and making five escapes from custody. He became infamous in Canada for robbing the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and securing his status as a legendary figure in Canadian outlaw lore, which included an escape from the B.C. Penitentiary in New Westminster.
Known by nicknames such as “The Grey Fox” and the “Gentleman Bandit,” Miner was celebrated for his courteous demeanour during his heists. Furthermore, he is often credited with popularizing the now-iconic command during robberies, “Hands up!”; however, this may be hyperbole. Miner’s blend of politeness and notoriety helped cement his legacy in the annals of Canadian criminal folklore.
Sources:
This Week in History: 1906 - The legendary outlaw Bill Miner robs a train near Kamloops
Bill Miner | Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine
Bill Miner | The Canadian Encyclopedia
The Grey Fox (1982 film) | The Canadian Encyclopedia
"The Grey Fox" (1982) - Movie on Bill Miner - Western Stagecoach Robber | YouTube
The Grey Fox: The True Story of Bill Miner - Last of the Old-Time Bandits
Billy Miner Pie Recipe
Billy Miner | Mission Museum
Bill Miner | Historica Canada Education Portal
Bill Miner | BC Penitentiary Collection
Bill Miner – The Gentleman Outlaw – Golden BC Museum
Bill Miner | NFB Vignette
Old Bill Miner: Last of the Famous Western Bandits
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The Life of the Grey Fox: Bill Miner, Train Robber

Episode 313: Douglas Donald Moore, known in Meadowvale, Ontario,  as a drug supplier for young teens, gained notoriety in Mississauga for killing three young men before taking his own life in his jail cell while awaiting trial on 11 charges for sexual assaults on three boys. Peel Regional Police assert that Robert Grewal, 22, of Meadowvale, and Giuseppe (Joseph) Manchisi, 20, of Milton, who were close friends, were killed in 2003 by Moore. After Moore’s death, he was named the prime suspect in the murders of Grewal and Manchisi. Additionally, police believe Moore was responsible for killing Rene Charlebois, 15, also of Meadowvale.
All three victims disappeared in late 2003, and their bodies were discovered in spring 2004. Charlebois’ remains were found in an Orangeville landfill, while Grewal and Manchisi’s remains were located in wooded areas near Montreal. In 2005, Moore’s former common-law wife and an unidentified 16-year-old were convicted of accessory to murder after the fact. The teen assisted in disposing of evidence, including driving with Moore to Quebec to bury the bodies of Grewal and Manchisi. Moore believed the two men had stolen drugs and cash from him, but it was later revealed that the 16-year-old was responsible for the robbery. The police have never disclosed the motive behind the killing of Rene Charlebois.
Sources:
Mississauga | Canadian Encyclopedia
History of Mississauga | MIssissauga.ca
Canada's most notorious murder case happened in Mississauga in the 1970s
Improbable Cause: The Harrison Family Murders
Search: Douglas Donald Moore | Newspapers.com
Youth appealing in Manchisi case
Murder victim’s grieving mother still has questions
Dad seeks slain son’s body parts | Toronto Star
Douglas Donald Moore (1968-2004)
Cold North Killers by Lee Mellor | Everand
Douglas Donald Moore | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
Opinion: The horrifying path of Douglas Moore
Ontario Newsroom | Coroner’s Inquest
50TH ANNIVERSARY: Notorious Meadowvale serial killer left suicide note
Didn't know killer's background, doctor testifies | The Star
Spree killer feared dangerous-offender status | The Star
`I'm sorry ... I'm finally free': Killer | The Star
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Murders in Meadowvale: Robert Grewal, Joseph Manchisi and Rene Charlebois

Episode 312: In a home in Shediac, New Brunswick, on February 13, 1805, Amos Babcock, driven by delusions of divine mission, subjected his family to a horrifying ordeal. He gathered his wife, children and sister, Mercy, instilling fear with his erratic behaviour and unsettling declarations. Spurred by imagined threats and seeing himself as an instrument of God, Amos prepared for a sacrificial act, treating his family with cruelty dressed up as a religious ritual. His deep descent into madness was evident as he inflicted violence upon his loved ones, sparing none from his erratic wrath. Babcock's final act of brutality saw him murder his sister, Mercy Babcock Hall, whom he saw as demonic, in a brutal frenzy of madness, bringing a tragic end to a night of unspeakable horror.
Sources:
Amos Babcock (1764-1805) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
Squash, Pumpkin Pie and Mercy… | Part 1
Squash, Pumpkin Pie and Mercy… | Part 2
New Brunswick — History and Culture
The Babcock Tragedy, a Story of Madness and Murder
Hellfire in Shediac
Amos Babcock... Crazed Murderer, or...?
Full text of "The New Brunswick magazine"
Mar 08, 1939, page 14 - The Montreal Star at Newspapers.com
Apr 13, 1939, page 15 - The Kingston Whig-Standard at Newspapers.com
Jan 18, 1993, page 25 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com
Apr 20, 2013, page 79 - National Post at Newspapers.com
The Ballad of Jacob Peck by Debra Komar (Ebook)
Great Awakening - First, Second & Definition
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Moved by the Spirit: The Murder of Mercy Babcock Hall

Episode 311: On October 21, 2021, a tragic accident occurred on the set of the low-budget old-west movie Rust, filmed on a New Mexico ranch. Wife, mother and Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was fatally shot, and writer/director Joel Souza, 48, was injured. It was the lead actor and producer, Alec Baldwin, who was holding the prop gun that killed Hutchins and wounded Souza. Somehow, it contained a live round. Investigations also revealed other live rounds on set, which is never supposed to happen.
Baldwin and the film’s inexperienced armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Dave Halls, 63, serving as the first assistant director on the film, entered a no-contest plea per a deal made with prosecutors, accepting responsibility for the misdemeanour offence of negligent use of a deadly weapon linked to the death of Halyna Hutchins. Numerous civil suits have also been filed, with accusations of negligence being levelled against several parties, including the production company, Hannah Gutierrez and actor Alec Baldwin.
Sources:
Halyna Hutchins | IMDb
Joel Souza | IMDb
Rust | Western | IMDb
Alec Baldwin | IMDb
Hannah Gutierrez Reed Probable Cause Statement | DocumentCloud
Halyna Hutchins Post Mortem — 62fc0b327d166.pdf
Alec Baldwin - Halyna Hutchins - FBI and Medical Examiner Reports (Aug 2022)
American Cinematographer January 2022 Ac0122 | PDF | Pixel | Signal Processing
The moment Alec Baldwin is told of the death of his colleague Halyna Hutchins
The New Mexico Film Office Announces Rust is Currently Filming in New Mexico
The day Alec Baldwin shot Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza
Search warrant reveals grim details of 'Rust' shooting and Halyna Hutchins' final minutes
A Timeline of the ‘Rust’ Shooting and Investigation
'Rust' timeline: Key events in the Alec Baldwin on-set shooting
Rust trial: How events unfolded after fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set
Raise Funds In Memory of Halyna Hutchins, organized by ICG Local 600
‘Rust’ Camera Assistant on Safety Issues, Pay Irregularities and Producer Behavior on “Brutal” Set
Bonanza Creek Ranch | About
Gun in Fatal Rust Shooting Used in Target Practice that Morning
FULL Alec Baldwin Police Interview About Rust Shooting Incident
Bodycam Released in Alec Baldwin Set Shooting
Alec Baldwin, ‘Rust’ producers reach settlement with slain cinematographer’s estate - National
Video shows 'Rust' rehearsal, Baldwin speak to officers after shooting | NewsNation
Halyna Hutchins’s Death on the Set of Rust Was “Not a Freak Accident”
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Road Trip: Reckless Rust — The Death of Halyna Hutchins (Part 2)

In the summer of 2006, a young Calgary woman was on top of the world. She had a supportive family, amazing friends and a great job. But life as she knew it came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the night on August 6, 2006. In this episode, Global News senior crime reporter Nancy Hixt shares details of a violent attack- a story that’s every woman’s worst fear.
www.calgarycrimestoppers.org - reference case # 06274598
https://newsroom.calgary.ca/sexual-assault-case-from-2006-has-new-lead/
Contact:
Instagram: @nancy.hixt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyHixtCrimeBeat/
Email: nancy.hixt@globalnews.ca
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Christmas 2022: Safe Cracking Santa & his Murderous Elf

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