Episode 396: In this episode, we learn about an enigmatic narcissistic psychopath who led the Californian cult called The Children of Thunder. Glenn Taylor Helzer, and the other leadership was comprised of his brother Justin Helzer and their follower Dawn Godman. Raised in a strict Mormon home, Taylor’s life spiralled after years of mental health trouble. By 2000, the trio had formed a cult under Taylor’s delusional leadership. That summer, they murdered Ivan and Annette Stineman, Selina Bishop (daughter of guitarist Elvin Bishop), Jennifer Villarin, and James Gamble. The crime spree and investigation shocked authorities and families, exposing how Taylor twisted faith and loyalty into violence.

Episode Sources:

Shackles, Ski Masks and a Power Saw — Murderous Glenn Helzer and Justin Helzer called their cult The Children of Thunder — Crime Library
How Not To Get Away With Murder: Glenn Helzer And The Children Of Thunder
Glen Helzer | Wikipedia
Body Parts Identified / Disparate Tragedies' Common Ground Is Death, Suspects
Grisly clues unfolding in Delta case
Blues Guitarist's Daughter Killed
Murder, Madness and Mayhem by MIke Browne
20240418175434277_Cert Pet GlenTaylorHelzer
People v. Helzer
People v. Helzer, 317 Cal. Rptr. 3d 246 | Cal., Judgment, Law, casemine.com
Justin Helzer hangs himself in prison

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Episode 395: On a cold December day in 1983, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, was shaken by a deeply unsettling crime. Dr. Edith Wightman, a respected scholar, was discovered dead in her office: bound with tape, handcuffed, and suffocated with a cloth. The investigation took an even stranger turn when police arrested Michael Allen Crowley, a chemist from Welland, who had been seen on campus in disguise, dressed in women’s clothing and a wig. With no personal connection to the victim, and the bizarre methods used, the murder left students and faculty reeling, and raised questions still unanswered to this day.

Sources:
A Brief History Of McMaster University
History of McMaster
WIGHTMAN, Edith Mary | Rutgers
Dec 19, 1983, page 1 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com
Dec 24, 1983, page 16 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com
Edith Wightman - Search - Newspapers.com™
Michael Alan Crowley - Search - Newspapers.com™
"72 Hours: True Crime" Murder on Campus (TV Episode 2005)
Canadian News Briefs - UPI Archives
Edith Wightman | Wikipedia
1984_3Winter
https://www.reddit.com/r/McMaster/comments/jl1ew5/trying_to_find_details_of_on_campus_death/
Review: [Untitled] on JSTOR
Wightman: Gallia Belgica (Book Review)
Detectives say Robert Garrow now 'best suspect' in 1973 Komorowski murder | CBC News
Adele Komorowski Homicide

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Episode 394: On an August night in 1991, the quiet fields near Carp, Ontario, were interrupted by strange lights arcing across the sky—a sight so odd it left locals searching for answers. Soon, anonymous packages began to arrive, sent to UFO researchers all over Canada and the United States, packed with photos, documents, and a tape showing what appeared to be a UFO blazing above the marsh. The sender called himself “Guardian” and claimed this was not the first time such events occurred near Carp. Suddenly, what started as small-town talk exploded into one of Canada’s most perplexing UFO stories, a bizarre mystery that remains debated to this day.

Sources:

The Carp-Guardian Case - The Most Controversial UFO Case in Canadian History
Guardian UFO Tape
Guardian UFO | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki - Fandom
The Mysterious Canadian UFO Sighting - Unsolved Mysteries
“Guardian”: The 30th Anniversary Of A Bizarre UFO Incident near Carp, Ontario
A mysterious VHS tape, a military bunker, and UFO sightings near Ottawa | UFO Town
We investigated an alleged UFO sighting near Ottawa | CBC Documentaries
Searching for Guardian: Filmmaker re-examines mystery of Carp UFO sighting
Living in Carp Ottawa Canada
Village of Carp
I was a teenage UFO investigator who explored an infamous alien sighting near Ottawa | CBC Documentaries
abduction – lindaseccaspina
U.S. Lawmaker: Underwater UFO Bases Hide Aliens
Aliens may have underwater bases on Earth: Burchett | NewsNation Prime
House committee holds UFO hearing | full video
Why Do UFO Sightings Keep Happening Near Nuclear Sites?
The Diefenbunker and the Legends of Carp

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Episode 393: On a cold February day in 2022, tragedy struck the small communities of Creston and Kimberley, British Columbia. Julia Howe, a familiar face to her neighbours, was found lifeless in the bathroom of her partner's home. Just hours later and nearly a hundred kilometres away, David Creamer, a father and trusted friend, was discovered dead in his own house. Both initially believed accidental or natural, no one suspected that these two deaths would soon be linked.

The true story was finally revealed, albeit in a peculiar manner. The connection between the deaths was finally revealed when Mitchell Earl McIntyre, a man known to both victims, confessed to hospital staff that he was responsible for both deaths. The problem was that, at first, no one believed him. It was the killer’s insistence and admissions of guilt that finally cracked the case.

Sources:

2024 BCSC 774 (CanLII) | R. v McIntyre | CanLII
2024 BCSC 2026 (CanLII) | R. v McIntyre | CanLII
Obituary information for Julia Ann Howe
Online Tribute for David Creamer
'You need to detain me' | Kamloops News
B.C. man who confessed to 2 killings not arrested until a month later
McInytre murder trial underway | My East Kootenay Now
BC man allegedly confessed to two killings originally ruled as accidents
B.C. man charged with woman’s death reportedly also admitted killing someone else
BC homicide suspect confessed to 2 killings weeks before arrest, court documents show
Second-degree murder trial moved | Kamloops News
Accidental Deaths That Were Really Homicides | Tyee

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Episode 392: On the morning of June 28, 2022, as staff and customers began their day at the Bank of Montreal in Saanich, British Columbia, twin brothers Matthew and Isaac Auchterlonie entered the branch clad in body armour and carrying semi-automatic rifles. Within moments, they herded twenty-two people into the bank’s vault and set the stage for one of the most violent confrontations in recent Canadian history. More than a hundred shots were fired in the chaos that followed, leaving six police officers injured and both brothers dead, with the community left reeling and seeking answers.

Sources:

2022 Saanich shootout
VIIMCU RELEASES CONCLUDING REPORT ON JUNE 28TH SHOOTING – Saanich Police Department
IIOBC Report on the Shootout
Saanich bank shooting: Suspects identified, motive unclear | CityNews Vancouver
Prominent Vancouver Island family collateral victims of Victoria bank robbery
Brothers in botched B.C. bank robbery had become angry and radical, obsessed with guns and ‘government tyranny’
Portal:Current events/2022 June 28
Western Canada: Portrait emerges of brothers killed in Saanich bank robbery
Brothers, motivated by 'anti-authority beliefs,' staged Saanich bank robbery in effort to kill police: RCMP | CBC News
Prominent Vancouver Island family collateral victims of Victoria bank robbery
Brothers killed in Canada bank shootout aimed to kill as many police as possible
https://www.mycowichanvalleynow.com/71546/news/ways-to-help-when-social-media-friends-post-disturbing-images/
Facing 'unbridled violence' from B.C. bank robbers, police justified in shooting to kill, report says | CBC News
Police to release findings on Saanich bank shootout where 2 Cowichan men died
One of two suspects killed in bank robbery was rejected from Canadian Armed Forces
Motive for Saanich bank shooting by Duncan brothers may never be known: criminologist
UPDATE: Saanich bank shootout suspects confirmed as 22-year-old twins from Duncan
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/saanich-shootout-what-we-learned-1.6721683
From the VictoriaBC community on Reddit: Twin brothers from Duncan revealed as suspects in Saanich bank robbery

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Episode 391: At dawn on December 26, 2004, a massive undersea earthquake off Sumatra’s west coast — one of the strongest ever recorded — triggered a devastating tsunami across the Indian Ocean. Waves up to 30 metres high struck Aceh Province within minutes, then swept across Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, and as far as East Africa. Entire communities vanished, and more than 227,000 people in fourteen countries were killed, making it the deadliest tsunami in recorded history.

At least fifteen Canadians lost their lives, and six more were reported missing, most while vacationing in Thailand and Sri Lanka. Survivors described the frantic searches for loved ones and the painful process of identifying and bringing home those who perished.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - Wikipedia
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami: Facts and FAQs
Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 | Britannica
South Asia: Earthquake and Tsunami - Dec 2004 | ReliefWeb
The Night the Earth Shook
Tsunami - Indian Ocean Boxing Day Tsunami, 2004 | Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub
The Indian Ocean Boxing Day Tsunami, 20 years on
Twenty years on: the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - British Geological Survey
NOAA Center for Tsunami Research - Tsunami Event - December 26, 2004 The Indian Ocean Tsunami
Recovery Collection: 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami
What are the biggest tsunamis ever? How July 29 earthquake, tsunami compares.
How a 1,000‑year‑old tsunami in the Indian Ocean points to greater risk than originally thought
Tsunami Eyewitness & Survivors Project
List of tsunamis
ZORIAH - A PHOTOJOURNALIST AND WAR PHOTOGRAPHER’S BLOG: Asian Tsunami Anniversary - Thailand Tsunami Then and Now Comparison Series
Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake - IRIS Special Report
Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake - Wikipedia
List of natural disasters by death toll - Wikipedia
Tsunami Generation from the 2004 M=9.1 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake
Lisa Borg
The Devastating 2004 Tsunami: Timeline
11 Facts About the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami | DoSomething.org
CNN.com - Tsunami tragedy: Your e-mails - Jan 3, 2005
John Knill and Jackie Knill
Camera holds instant of tsunami impact
Tsunami photos show couple's final moments | CBC News
Discovery of tsunami camera brings closure
Camera shows 'last words' of tsunami victims
School built in memory of B.C. tsunami victims | CBC News

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Episode 390: When most Canadians think of occult-related witch trials, their minds drift south to Salem, Massachusetts, or across the ocean to medieval Europe. The popular narrative suggests that Canada, with its reputation for tolerance and peace, remained untouched by the supernatural hysteria that gripped other nations. This perception, deeply embedded in the Canadian consciousness, paints our country as somehow above the dark chapters of witch-hunting that stained other societies. Even Dark Poutine listeners, well-versed in the country’s hidden crimes and forgotten tragedies, might be surprised to learn the truth.

The reality is far different from this comfortable myth. Canada has a complex and largely forgotten history of witchcraft accusations, trials, and legal persecution spanning over 350 years—from the earliest days of New France to as recently as 2018. From demonic possessions in Quebec City to fraudulent psychics in modern Ontario, the Canadian witch trial story is one of fear, prejudice, and the persistent human tendency to blame the margins of society for inexplicable troubles.

Sources:
CBC Radio: “Quebec Demon Possession & Witchcraft in 1660”
JSTOR / McGill-Queen’s University Press: The Possession of Barbe Hallay
Canada’s History: “Sorcery in New France”
Kenton de Jong Travel: The Possession of Barbe Hallay
Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Daniel Vuil
Academia.edu "Sixteen and Possessed" PDF
Canada’s History: Book feature, The Possession of Barbe Hallay
The Medium: On Demonic Infestations in 17th century Québec
Mysteries of Canada: Poltergeists in Canada, Part III
Jean Campagna, The Sorcerer
74 – JEAN CAMPAGNA, THE SORCERER
Procès de Jean Campagna, prisonnier, 45 ans
Jean Campagna (abt.1640-aft.1685) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
Quebec 1685: Part 8- The Charge is Sorcery
The Kimble Witch Trial
View of Backward Seasons and Remarkable Cold: the Weather over Long Reach, New Brunswick, 1812-1821 | Acadiensis
“Native Witchcraft Beliefs in Acadian, Maritime and Newfoundland Folklore” – Erudit
Concerns move Indigenous ceremony meant to contact 'spirit realm' outside Quebec community | CBC News
Folklore of Nova Scotia
Mi'kmaw Shamans and Acadian Sorcerers: A Study in Cultural Transmissions, Transferences and Transformations
Witchcraft Act 1735
Bill C-365 (Historical)
Woman Charged With Fake Witchcraft, Days Before Canada Scraps Old Law
‘Psychic’ charged with being a fake fights case after Canada decriminalises witchcraft

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Episode 389: On a rain-soaked evening on June 13th, 1833, two young law students faced each other across a muddy field near Perth, Ontario, pistols in hand. John Wilson, a 20-year-old from humble farming stock, gripped his weapon with trembling fingers as rain dripped from his dark hair. Sixty feet away, 22-year-old Robert Lyon, handsome, aristocratic, and the son of a British officer, stood with the practiced composure of a gentleman born to privilege. Between them lay more than just distance: a bitter rivalry over the affections of Elizabeth Hughes, an English governess whose reputation had sparked this deadly confrontation. What had begun as whispered gossip in a lawyer's office in Bytown would end with one man dead, another's life forever changed, and a woman left to marry her lover's killer. This was Ontario's last fatal duel, a collision between Old World codes of honour and New World ambitions that would echo through Perth's streets for generations.

Sources:

A History of Perth | Perth Remembered
Perth Military Settlement
Robert Lyon 1812 - 1833 | Clark and Hogg Family History
WILSON, JOHN – Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Wlison and Lyon Duel | Richmond Heritage
Duel in Early Upper Canada by William Renwick Riddell
ARCHIVED - Criminal Code
Dueling for Honour or (Il)legal Murder?: Two Case Studies | The Loyalist Collection
Sword or Pistol: A Brief History of Duels | Believe it or Not | Éducaloi
En Guard! A History of Canadian Duels - Academie Duello - Learn Swordplay
Dueling: the Violence of Gentlemen
Le matin du 22 mai 1838, le dernier duel du Canada
pistol-provenance.pdf
Last Fatal Duel Historical Plaque
How a pair of men in St. John's survived the last duel fought on Canadian soil | CBC News
Updates to Canada’s criminal law will legalize duels and permit pretending to practise witchcraft

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Episode 388: On the morning of August 5, 2013, Campbellton, New Brunswick, faced an unthinkable tragedy. Police and first responders were called to an apartment above Reptile Ocean, the town’s reptile and fish shop, where they found Connor and Noah Barthe, brothers aged six and four, dead after a sleepover with their friend Jayce Savoie. Sometime in the night, a 12-foot, 53-pound African rock python owned by shopkeeper Jean-Claude Savoie escaped its enclosure, slithered through a vent, and fatally attacked the sleeping boys. The official cause of death was “traumatic asphyxia by constriction,” a finding that shocked the small community and quickly attracted national and international attention. As investigators began their work, residents struggled to comprehend how a night of friendship ended in such horror. Savoie was charged with criminal negligence causing death, setting the stage for a legal and ethical debate that would raise tough questions and stir deep emotions far beyond Campbellton.

Episode Sources:
Connor & Noah Barthe Obituary - Campbellton, NB
2016 NBQB 205 (CanLII) | R. v. Savoie | CanLII
2016 NBQB 135 (CanLII) | R. v. Jean-Claude Savoie | CanLII
Snake kills two boys during sleepover, Canadian police say
Boys in python case lived life 'to a maximum' | CBC News
Mother of boys killed by python: 'I thought they would be safe'
Mother of N.B. boys killed by python: ‘I thought they would be safe’
Reptile Ocean | Facts, Fiction, & the Media
Why Are People Afraid of Snakes? | Phobia, Evolution, & Facts | Britannica
Python deaths: 'This could have been prevented by a simple action' | CBC News
Python made ‘growling noises’ after killing young brothers, trial of pet store owner hears
Juror dismissed in python deaths trial as Crown prepares to call final witness | Globalnews.ca
‘Smell of food would really excite’ python, reptile expert tells N.B. trial | Globalnews.ca
Juror dismissed in python deaths trial as Crown prepares to call final witness | Globalnews.ca
Jean-Claude Savoie | News, Videos & Articles
CBC Player | Dramatic 911 calls over python
Enfants tués par un python: Jean-Claude Savoie non coupable
2013 New Brunswick python attack
Tragic photos emerge of brothers cleaning snake pen months before python killed them in their sleep

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Episode 387: On December 26, 2005, around 5:15 p.m., there was a gunfight outside the Foot Locker store on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. Unfortunately, a fifteen-year-old girl named Jane Creba was shot and killed. She was an innocent bystander among hundreds of Boxing Day shoppers who were in the area at the time of the shooting. Sadly, she was caught in the middle of the gunfire and died from a single bullet that hit her in the back and pierced her aorta. In addition to Jane, six other people were injured in the shooting.

Sources:

Candlelight vigil set for tonight to remember Jane Creba | CBC News
Robbery, fight led to Boxing Day shooting: affidavit | CBC News
2008 CanLII 54975 (ON SC) | R. v. Smith | CanLII
2008 ONCJ 123 (CanLII) | R. v. Woodcock et al. | CanLII
Jeremiah Valentine interrogation - Police provided video | National Post
Jeremiah Valentine interrogation - Police provided video | YouTube
Guilty plea in Creba shooting
Creba's parents describe 'tsunami of grief' after 2005 shooting | CBC News
2012 ONCA 568 (CanLII) | R. v. J.S.R. | CanLII
2015 ONCA 535 (CanLII) | R. v. Woodcock | CanLII
Canadian Legal Information Institute | CanLII
Boxing Day shooting
Man convicted in 2005 Toronto murder of Jane Creba faces first-degree murder charge in Montreal
Toronto Boxing Day killer granted full parole 7 months before fatal Montreal shooting
Gunman involved in Jane Creba Boxing Day killing arrested again, faces murder charge in Montreal

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