Episode 376: On June 6, 2021, Nathaniel Veltman, 20, deliberately drove his truck into the Afzaal family, Pakistani immigrants, as they walked along the road in London, Ontario. The attack killed four members of the Afzaal family: Talat Afzaal (74), Salman Afzaal (46), Madiha Salman (44), and Yumnah Afzaal (15), and severely injured 9-year-old Fayez Afzaal. Veltman admitted that he had targeted the family solely because they were Muslim, making this Canada’s first fatal vehicle attack prosecuted as terrorism.

Sources:

Canadian Anti-Hate Network
What we know about the Muslim family in the fatal London, Ont., truck attack | CBC News
Court releases dramatic video of scene moments before London, Ont. Muslim family is killed
2021 London, Ontario truck attack
Terrorism in Veltman Murder Case - News Release - PPSC
AUDIO: Nathaniel Veltman and the 911 call
RAW VIDEO: Nathaniel Veltman's first interview with London police
RAW VIDEO: Nathaniel Veltman's June 6, 2021, arrest
Veltman says he's remorseful for killing Muslim family
An Act of Evil | MacLeans
Muslim family in Canada killed in 'premeditated' truck attack
Disorders took Nathaniel Veltman to 'very, very dark place': Defence expert
The Terrorist: How a devout Christian kid became a radicalized mass murderer
2024 ONSC 2276 (CanLII) | R. v. Veltman | CanLII
2024 ONSC 1054 (CanLII) | R. v. Veltman | CanLII
2023 ONSC 5063 (CanLII) | R. v. Veltman | CanLII
Killer of London, Ont., Muslim family appeals convictions, challenging use of manifesto at trial
Nathaniel Veltman | News, Videos & Articles | Global News
In manifesto, Nathaniel Veltman called for 'violent revolution'
Veltman sentencing: Killer’s actions ‘constitute terrorist activity’, judge says
'I did it on purpose': What the Nathaniel Veltman jury didn't hear
'He was smiling': Officer who arrested Veltman testifies at his trial
Timeline: London, Ont. attack kills four members of Muslim family
2025 Vancouver car attack
Islamophobia
Christian terrorism
Muslim family's kin grieves 'theft of precious life' as convicted killer's sentencing in London, Ont., begins | CBC News
Nathaniel Veltman's 'deep regret' dismissed by Afzaal family supporters
Introduction: The Enduring Relationship of Religion and Violence
Rapoport-Four-Waves-of-Modern-Terrorism
A Multidimensional Analysis of Religious Extremism
Christian Identity Reborn | The George Washington University
It’s Time to Talk About Violent Christian Extremism
God, Religious Extremism and Violence
Preventing Violent Extremism and Mass Atrocities - Handbook For Parliamentarians | PDF | Violence | Islamic State Of Iraq And The Levant

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 375: On a bleak November afternoon in 2003, Toronto’s east end became the unlikely stage for a crime so brutal and bizarre that, even years later, it defies belief. The victim was 12-year-old Johnathon Robert Madden, a boy remembered by teachers and friends as “kind and thoughtful,” the kind of child who would go out of his way to walk a younger classmate home just to ensure he was safe. His murder was not the work of a stranger or a notorious criminal, but of his brother, 16-year-old Kevin Madden—a troubled youth whose anger and alienation had been festering for years. Kevin was not alone that day. With him were two friends: 15-year-old Timothy Ferriman, a self-styled “vampire” desperate for attention and belonging, and another teenage boy whose identity remains protected by law. Together, the teens would go on an afternoon rampage of violence and destruction that would shatter a family and horrify a city.

Sources:

2006 CanLII 33472 (ON SC) | R. v. Ferriman | CanLII
Murder of Johnathon Robert Madden
Rage by Jerry Langton (Ebook) - Scribd
THIS WAS JOHNATHON
Johnathon Madden (1991 - 2003) — In Memory Of
Why Monitor Violent Websites? A Justification
Goth culture social network Vampirefreaks closes
Farewell To VampireFreaks: The Website That Changed More Than Alt…
Neighbours React To Johnathon Verdict
Mother chronicles Johnathon's life in memorial website | CBC News
Teen Sentenced As An Adult For Murdering His Brother In Johnathon Trial
'Johnathan' named as teen killers receive adult sentences | CBC News
Johnathon’s killer loses bid for new trial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 374: On a frigid February night in 2020, the quiet streets of Calgary’s Bowness neighbourhood became the scene of a tragedy that would send shockwaves through the city and beyond. Melissa Rae Blommaert, a loving mother and devoted friend, was found fatally injured—her life stolen in a brutal act of violence. The investigation quickly turned toward someone heartbreakingly close to her: her husband, Ronald John Candaele. As the harrowing details of Melissa’s final hours came to light, so too did the story of a woman who had fought for hope and safety amid years of hardship. In this episode, we explore Melissa’s life, her struggles, and the devastating betrayal that led to her death.

Sources:

The History of Bowness
Melissa Rae Blommaert Obituary 2020 - Pierson's Funeral Service, LTD
2021 ABQB 332 (CanLII) | R v Candaele | CanLII
2024 ABCA 117 (CanLII) | R v Candaele | CanLII
2024 ABKB 521 (CanLII) | R v Candaele | CanLII
callitfemicide2020
Melissa Rae Blommaert - Search - Newspapers.com™
Ronald John Candaele - Search - Newspapers.com™
Melissa Rae Blommaert homicide | News, Videos & Articles | GlobalNews
Family remembers victim of Bowness domestic homicide as loving mother of 2 who enjoyed the outdoors - Calgary
Calgary man who drove over wife with U-Haul guilty of manslaughter, not murder: court of appeal | CBC News
Calgary husband who drove over wife with U-Haul should spend 15-18 years in prison for manslaughter: Crown | CBC News
‘Benefit of the doubt’: Appeal Court downgrades conviction in moving van death

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 373: In the shadowy annals of North American crime, few names evoke as much dread as H.H. Holmes, a master manipulator, a conman, and a predator who thrived in the chaos of a rapidly changing world and the man often called America’s first serial killer. Born Herman Webster Mudgett, Holmes’s reign of terror began in Chicago, where he constructed his infamous “Murder Castle”—a labyrinth of hidden rooms, trapdoors, and secret passageways designed to lure and dispatch his victims during the bustling days of the 1893 World’s Fair. But Holmes’s evil did not respect borders; his murderous path would ultimately stretch into Canada.

During his murderous career, in 1894, Holmes claimed the lives of his accomplice, Benjamin Pitezel, 38, and three of his youngest victims, Benjamin’s children: Howard Pitezel, 8, in Indianapolis, and, later in Toronto, Pitezel’s daughters, Alice Pitezel, 15, and Nellie Pitezel, 11. Their tragic deaths in a quiet Toronto neighbourhood forever linked Holmes’s legacy to both sides of the border.

Sources:

The Holmes-Pitezel case by Frank P Geyer | Internet Archive
H. H. Holmes: Master of Illusion — Swindler — Crime Library
Holmes' Autobiogrpahy | Library of Congress
Holmes' Own Story by Herman W. Mudgett | Project Gutenberg
Depraved: Schechter, Harold | Internet Archive
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson | goodreads
H.H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil | goodreads
Forensic-Scholars-Today-1.2-H.H.-Holmes-One-of-Americas-First-Recorded-Serial-Murderers
Benjamin Freelon Pitezel (1856-1893) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
The Toronto link to America's bloodiest serial killer - Spacing Toronto
HOLMES - PITEZEL CASE: A History of the Greatest Crime of the Century and of the Search for the Missing Pitezel Children.
H. H. Holmes | by Rebecca Frost
A Book of Remarkable Criminals, by H.B. Irving

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 372: In the spring of 2007, Glen Douglas Race’s violent odyssey escalated from a regional nightmare in Nova Scotia to an international manhunt that spanned two countries and left a trail of devastation in its wake. After the murders of Michael Knott and Trevor Brewster, Race fled Canada, later claiming that he was driven by delusions of a supernatural war against “demons” and “vampires” that only he could see. His flight would lead him to yet another murder at a hunting lodge in upstate New York, that of Darcy Manor, 35.

He was eventually arrested in Texas after a violent confrontation with U.S. Border Patrol, and ultimately faced justice in two nations. Psychiatric experts grappled with the question of whether he was a cold-blooded killer or a man so consumed by mental illness that he could no longer distinguish reality from fantasy. Ultimately, justice on either side of the border looked very different.

Sources:
2014 NSSC 6 (CanLII) | R. v. Race | CanLII
Glen Race Hearing's Agreed Statement of Facts | PDF | Psychosis | Psychiatry
Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia: 2007-05 Murders
Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia: Michael Paul Knott
Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia: Trevor Charles Brewster
Halifax LGBTQ2S+ history: Cruising Citadel Hill - Nova Scotia Advocate
Before the parade
Michael Paul Knott | Obituary
Man charged with murder of Halifax-area gay men
Nov 2013: Details of Halifax stabbing deaths told
‘I will always need you, Daddy’
Nov 2013: Details of Halifax stabbing deaths told

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 371: In early May 2007, Nova Scotia was shaken by a series of brutal murders that would eventually be linked to a single man: Glen Douglas Race. Over the course of just over a week, two well-liked men — Paul Michael Knott and Trevor Charles Brewster — were killed in separate, violent attacks. The case would expose not only the horror of the crimes but also the tragic intersection of untreated mental illness, the vulnerability of marginalized communities, and the failures of the system meant to protect both the public and those suffering from severe psychiatric disorders.

This episode will delve into the lives of the Nova Scotia victims, the chilling details of their deaths, and the complex psychological landscape that shaped Glen Race’s descent into violence and his subsequent flight across the border into the United States, where he killed again before being caught.

Sources:
2014 NSSC 6 (CanLII) | R. v. Race | CanLII
Glen Race Hearing's Agreed Statement of Facts | PDF | Psychosis | Psychiatry
Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia: 2007-05 Murders
Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia: Michael Paul Knott
Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia: Trevor Charles Brewster
Halifax LGBTQ2S+ history: Cruising Citadel Hill - Nova Scotia Advocate
Before the parade
Michael Paul Knott | Obituary
Man charged with murder of Halifax-area gay men
Nov 2013: Details of Halifax stabbing deaths told
‘I will always need you, Daddy’
Nov 2013: Details of Halifax stabbing deaths told

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 370: In this episode, we journey into the chilling case of Jesse Imeson—a man whose troubled past and violent crimes left a deep scar on Southwestern Ontario. In the summer of 2007, Imeson's name became synonymous with fear as he embarked on a deadly spree, taking three innocent lives. The victims were Carlos Rivera, 25, of Windsor and Helene Regier, 72, and her husband, Bill Regier, 73, near the community of Grand Bend. The discovery of the murders sparked a 12-day nationwide manhunt and led to the capture of the killer in Portage-du-Forte, Quebec, near the Ontario border.

However, behind the headlines lies a story of trauma, addiction, and claims of childhood abuse that may have shaped the path to his horrific acts.

Sources:

⁠Man who killed elderly couple and bartender has appeal rejected by Supreme Court | CBC News⁠⁠

Carlos Rivera - Search - Newspapers.com™

⁠⁠Family of victims lash out as smirking killer gets life sentence⁠⁠

Supreme Court of Canada | 38467⁠⁠

Windsor murderer's claim of sexual abuse hits legal setback⁠⁠

2021 ONSC 5289 (CanLII) | Imeson v. Maryvale | CanLII⁠⁠

2018 ONCA 888 (CanLII) | Imeson v. Maryvale (Maryvale Adolescent and Family Services) | CanLII⁠⁠

2017 ONSC 1906 (CanLII) | Imeson v. Maryvale | CanLII⁠⁠2016 ONSC 6020 (CanLII) | Imeson v Maryvale | CanLII⁠⁠

Murder suspect Jesse Imeson captured in Quebec⁠⁠Suspect in 3 Ontario slayings appears in Windsor court | CBC News⁠⁠

Ont. man pleads guilty in 3 'savage' slayings, sentenced to life | CBC News⁠⁠

LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson⁠⁠

Inadmissible evidence could lead to new trial⁠⁠

Obituary of Helene Marie Regier | T. Harry Hoffman & Sons Funeral Home⁠⁠

So, why did he do it? - Grand Bend Strip community newspaper⁠⁠

America's Most Wanted joins hunt for Ontario fugitive | CBC News⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 369: In the quiet city of Jonquière, Quebec, the brutal 2000 murder of 19-year-old Guylaine Potvin sent shockwaves through her community and left investigators baffled for over two decades. For years, the case grew cold, with few leads and little hope for justice. But in 2022, a remarkable breakthrough in forensic science and persistent detective work finally led to the arrest of Marc-André Grenon, a man whose name had lingered on the periphery of the investigation for years. This episode takes you inside the investigation, the science that cracked the case, and the long-awaited trial that brought answers to a grieving family.

Sources:⁠2024 QCCS 551 (CanLII) | R. c. Grenon | CanLII⁠⁠2023 QCCS 5152 (CanLII) | Grenon c. R. | CanLII⁠⁠Indigenous Tourism Quebec - Region - Saguenay, Lac-Saint-Jean⁠⁠Jonquière | Saguenay River, Fjord, Pulp & Paper | Britannica⁠⁠Jonquière, Québec, Canada genealogy project⁠⁠Jonquière | Wikipedia⁠⁠Crown, defence agree accused killed teen in cold case from 2000 but disagree on intent | CBC News⁠⁠WyndhamForensic_Presentation_DNAAnalysis⁠⁠The scientific reinvention of forensic science⁠⁠The False Promise of DNA Testing⁠⁠Procès de Marc-André Grenon : l’accusé ciblé en raison de son nom de famille⁠⁠Quebec cold case murder trial: Crime scene photos show 19-year-old victim's life⁠⁠Quebec police officer sat beside cold case suspect in movie theatre to get his DNA, trial hears | CBC News⁠⁠Crown says suspect in Quebec cold case murder tracked down by Y chromosome project⁠⁠Après 22 ans, un homme sera accusé du meurtre de Guylaine Potvin à Jonquière⁠⁠Project Surname | The Canadian Encyclopedia⁠⁠35 ans après Polytechnique : la sœur de Guylaine Potvin veut qu’on se souvienne⁠⁠Marc-André Grenon admet avoir causé la mort de Guylaine Potvin⁠⁠Meurtre de Guylaine Potvin | Marc-André Grenon a sévi une seconde fois en 2000⁠⁠Condamné pour le meurtre de Guylaine Potvin: Marc-André Grenon reconnaît avoir frappé une deuxième fois en 2000⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 368: Here, we delve into the life and crimes of Brigitte Denise Cleroux, examining how she repeatedly evaded regulatory scrutiny, the suffering she caused, and the systemic failures that enabled her persistence for so long. This story is a chilling tale of deception, exploitation, and the profound breach of trust within Canada’s health-care system. Cleroux masqueraded as a nurse for years in multiple provinces — British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec. She treated hundreds of patients, administering drugs and even performing medical procedures, all without a single legitimate credential. Her actions left a trail of traumatized patients, betrayed colleagues, and a health system forced to reckon with the vulnerabilities she so ruthlessly exploited.

Source:

⁠She worked as a nurse for decades. She wasn't who she said she was.⁠⁠2024 BCSC 2435 (CanLII) | R. v Cleroux | CanLII⁠⁠2023 BCSC 1275 (CanLII) | Massie v Provincial Health Services Authority | CanLII⁠⁠2022 ONCJ 188 (CanLII) | R. v. Cleroux | CanLII⁠⁠2022 QCCQ 8569 (CanLII) | R. c. Vallée Baillargeon | CanLII⁠⁠2011 ABPC 182 (CanLII) | R. v. Marier | CanLII⁠⁠Unlicensed BC Nurse Class Action⁠⁠Cleroux (PHSA) BC | Class Action | Murphy Battista LLP⁠⁠Bogus nurse lawsuits continue to mount against B.C. health authorities⁠⁠Assault with a weapon: Fake nurse pleads guilty to assaulting B.C. patients by IV injection | CBC News⁠⁠West Shore RCMP - Nurse impersonator sentenced to 7 years in prison⁠⁠Fake nurse sentenced 7 years for impersonation, using needles on patients in Ottawa | CBC News⁠⁠B.C. ‘fake nurse’ Brigitte Cleroux sentenced to 7 years in prison⁠⁠Fake nurse Brigitte Cleroux apologizes in court | CBC News⁠⁠Woman who worked as a fake nurse in B.C. makes tearful statement in court⁠⁠Dozens of B.C. civil lawsuits filed in alleged bogus nurse case⁠⁠Public advisory: Melanie Smith is not a registrant of BCCNM⁠⁠Fake nurse’s ’deep seated dishonesty’ adds four more years to prison term: B.C. judge⁠⁠Serial Imposter Works as a FAKE Nurse For Two Decades | The Case of Brigitte Cleroux⁠⁠Alleged B.C. nurse impersonator needs yet another lawyer⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 367: In the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, the world awoke to the shocking news that South African Olympic and Paralympic hero Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his girlfriend, a 29-year-old paralegal and model Reeva Steenkamp, inside his Pretoria home. Pistorius, celebrated for overcoming the loss of his legs to become a global sporting icon, now stood accused of a crime that would grip and divide a nation. The ensuing investigation and trial, marked by intense media scrutiny, conflicting testimonies, and a dramatic courtroom battle, would raise questions about celebrity, violence, and the quality of justice in South Africa.

Sources:

Reeva: A Mother's Story | Indigo.ca
Remembering Reeva Steenkamp: Her inspiring life and tragic death
Reeva Steenkamp, my friend, shot by Oscar Pistorius
Here is Reeva Steenkamp, not just Oscar's girlfriend
The Reeva I knew
An untold story: all about Reeva Steenkamp
1983 - The O'Malley Archives
South Africa — Forced Removals | Overcoming Apartheid
Formation and launch of the UDF | South African History Online
MAJOR NEWS IN SUMMARY; Changing South Africa 1983 (Published 1986)
Oscar Pistorius | Biography, Olympics, Conviction, & Facts | Britannica
Oscar Pistorius: The strange and dangerous world of the blade runner | MacLeans
Oscar Pistorius - Athletics | Paralympic Athlete Profile
Oscar PISTORIUS | Olympic Athlete Profile
The Pistorius Case and South Africa’s Gun Problem
Timeline - The trial of 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius
Reeva's Death 'Ruined' Steenkamp Family, Cousin Says
Family of Reeva Steenkamp searching for answers about shooting
Oscar Pistorius trial SABC News on YouTube
Director of Public Prosecutions, Gauteng v Pistorius (950/2016) [2017] ZASCA 158; 2018 (1) SACR 115 (SCA); [2018] 1 All SA 336 (SCA) (24 November 2017)
S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2016] ZAGPPHC 724 (6 July 2016)
Director of Public Prosecutions, Gauteng v Pistorius (96/2015) [2015] ZASCA 204; [2016] 1 All SA 346 (SCA); 2016 (2) SA 317 (SCA); 2016 (1) SACR 431 (SCA) (3 December 2015)
S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2014] ZAGPPHC 924 (21 October 2014)
S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2014] ZAGPPHC 793 (12 September 2014)
Inside the Oscar Pistorius trial
Reeva Steenkamp shooting | The Guardian
Reeva Steenkamp | Wikipedia
Trial of Oscar Pistorius | Wikipedia
Where Is Oscar Pistorius Now? Inside the Olympian’s Life After Murder Conviction

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices