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ANNOUNCER: This program is
rated 14+, and contains
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scenes of violence and
mature subject matter.
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Viewer discretion is advised.
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seemed to like her,
e
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and everyone seemed
to know her.
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Her father, I think,
had a lot to do with that,
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because they were
very close.
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[Pastor Kevin Rogers]
The body had been found.
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We knew that there was
an active search for her.
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We pretty much knew in--
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at a gut level,
that's got to be her.
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[Frederick] One piece of
evidence that they did collect
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was a cigarette butt
very close to her body.
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[Trevor Wilhelm]
So the undercover officer
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picked up the cigarette butt
that he had discarded.
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Not long after we received it,
there was a hit.
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So in a strange twist, the DNA
they collected in Windsor
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actually tied him to
an unsolved murder in Toronto.
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[Det. Sgt. Mike Davis]
I go to the cells.
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He's lying down.
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I told him
that he was going to be charged
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with first degree murder.
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He just looked at me
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and said, "Yeah, yeah,"
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and lay back down
and went back to sleep.
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Welcome to Crime Beat.
I'm Antony Robart.
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In the summer of 2000,
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a woman vanishes
in Windsor, Ontario.
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But as investigators dig deeper
into her disappearance,
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they uncover
a string of other crimes,
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all leading back
to one man.
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Here now is
"She's Still Gone."
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[somber music playing]
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[Frederick] It was a day
not unlike any other.
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Extremely hot,
and it was humid.
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It was raining
on and off.
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[Trevor] It's sweltering,
typical Windsor summer,
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a heat wave,
it's over 30 degrees.
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It's hot, it's sticky.
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A guy is walking his dog
near the Ford factory
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on Drouillard Road
in Ford City.
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It's a patch
of roughly an acre,
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overgrown, waist-high weeds,
you know, trees.
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But there is a path
that goes through there,
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and this guy walking his dog
finds the body.
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So he reports it
to Ford security guards.
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The police are called.
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[Frederick]
When we arrived at the scene,
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there was a--
a lot of activity already.
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Patrol officers were there
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containing
and managing the scene.
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Forensic identification
officers were there.
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Command post
and other detectives
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were already there
prior to our arrival.
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There was, in our minds,
a female of slight build
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who has been in the elements
for a lengthy period of time.
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The scene itself was one
quadrant of an intersection
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between Trenton
and Drouillard Road.
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And that quadrant
is a vacant or abandoned field.
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I think there was a little bit
of homelessness going there,
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but mostly it was a path,
a walkway from one corner
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to the opposite corner,
which was a bus stop.
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The body was found
not far off the path.
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So in my eyes,
it would have been difficult
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to imagine somebody
walking by it on the path
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and not seeing it.
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It was just odd to me
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that it had never been reported
until it was.
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But when I saw the body, it
could have been easily missed
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because it was
badly decomposed.
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Basically, skin over bone
and some hair...
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and naked
except for a bra.
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The position of the body
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definitely caused suspicion
in our view.
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The female
was on her back.
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Her legs were bent,
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and her bra was unclasped.
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So we felt that there was
foul play almost immediately.
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[Trevor]
Windsor back in 2000 was,
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you know,
not much unlike what it is now.
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There was crime, typical,
you know, break-ins, robberies,
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odd shooting
or violent crime.
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We didn't, we--
you know,
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we averaged a couple of murders
a year maybe.
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So it was front page news
when it happened.
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When they found the body,
it was badly decomposed,
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had very little
evidence to offer.
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So Windsor Police, you know,
they started basically
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a shoulder-to-shoulder search
through this abandoned lot.
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And they find
some evidence,
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and they don't really say much
about it at the time.
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[Frederick] We're looking
for any type of evidence
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or something
that may seem unusual.
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And we found some peculiar
items next to the body.
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One was a pile of her clothes,
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or what we surmised
to be her clothes,
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fairly neatly folded,
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and a stick
on the other side of her
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close to her body.
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So we didn't know
the significance
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of those items
at the time.
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Police, you know,
later said it was staged
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to look like
a sexual assault.
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We would take those types
of details and hold them back.
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We wouldn't report on them
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because those things
only the suspect would know.
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One piece of evidence
that they did collect
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was a cigarette butt
very close to her body.
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The clothes, the stick,
the cigarette butt
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are seized and bagged
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and put into evidence
for further analysis
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through the Centre
of Forensic Sciences.
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[tense music playing]
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So the first steps
of any investigation like that
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is to confirm
the identity of the person.
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That was not so easily done
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because there was no forms of
identification with the person
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and the decomposition.
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Immediately, we follow
our data bank and we find out,
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is there missing persons
in this neighbourhood?
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The uniformed officers
are already talking
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with neighbours
that show up asking,
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is there someone
that they know is missing?
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It would have been a few days
before the time of autopsy,
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but the rumors on the street
and the information
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that people were sharing
on the street among neighbours
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was that it was
Michelle Charette.
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[Trevor] Michelle Charette
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was this diminutive
40-year-old woman
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who lived in Windsor's
Ford City on Drouillard Road.
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And on July 25th, 2000,
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her sister saw her
near St. Clair College
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and then she disappeared.
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That was the last time
anyone saw her.
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Michelle was reported missing
on July 31rd
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by her father, George.
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When he first learned
from his other daughter
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that Michelle was missing,
he attended her residence,
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which was on the second story
of a couple of businesses.
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And what did he find
was a mailbox
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stuffed full of envelopes
and paper and mail.
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And it was overflowing.
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So he knew that she had
not picked up the mail
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in a long time.
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So George
called the police
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and the police used force
and opened up the door.
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And there was nothing inside
that would suggest
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that there had been
violence perpetrated there
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or that she had been living
there for the last few days.
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[Trevor] So weeks pass
and it starts to get publicity.
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The Windsor Star
starts writing about it,
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but no one can find her.
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It's a mystery.
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Her dad starts to wonder
if she got abducted.
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She used to go outside
of her apartment
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and smoke a lot
on Drouillard Road,
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which at the time was
kind of a rough neighbourhood.
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So he immediately
started to wonder,
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did she go for a smoke
and someone kidnap her?
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She also spent
a lot of time
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trying to help people who were,
you know, less fortunate
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or had problems
with the law or whatever.
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So another concern he had
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was that maybe someone
she was trying to help
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did something to her.
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Back in 2000,
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Drouillard Road was
a pretty rough neighbourhood.
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A lot of transient people.
There was some drug use.
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There was prostitution.
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It had been down on hard times
after the Ford plant closed.
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Houses that were abandoned,
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abandoned businesses
here and there.
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And this is where Michelle
was living at the time.
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Because of
the total circumstances
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surrounding her death,
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plus the neighbourhood
in which she was in,
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it wouldn't be
unusual to think
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that someone
in the neighbourhood
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was responsible
for Michelle's demise.
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And sure enough,
it was within a few hours
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of the canvas beginning
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that we got
the name of a suspect.
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♪
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Welcome back.
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Three weeks after
Michelle Charette went missing,
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Windsor police
discover her remains
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in a field
just a block from her home.
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Staged to look like
a sexual assault,
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the scene contains
almost no evidence.
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So officers begin
canvassing the neighbourhood.
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And within hours,
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they've got the name
of a potential suspect.
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We now return
to "She's Still Gone."
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[somber music playing]
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[Trevor]
So Michelle was 40 years old,
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one of six siblings
from a Windsor family.
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[Frederick] It was evident
to us very early on
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that Michelle
was the type of person
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that befriended everyone,
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didn't care
what your stripes were in life.
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Everyone seemed
to like her.
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And everyone seemed
to know her.
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Her father, I think,
had a lot to do with that,
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because they were
very close.
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[Trevor] Michelle was a--
a member of several churches
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and spent a lot of time
doing [indistinct],
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trying to help people
who'd been down on their luck
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or in trouble
with the law.
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[Rogers] Yeah,
I don't remember the exact time
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that I first met her,
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but there was
a genuine warmth about her.
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[indistinct] we should
move over one spot.
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She had a warm smile,
warm eyes,
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a compassionate heart.
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She really did care
about people in the margins.
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She wanted to see
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00:10:04,333 --> 00:10:07,066
people discover
a relationship with God.
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But during church services
and community meals,
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she'd be here
and she'd participate.
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If we were tidying up
or something, she'd pitch in.
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00:10:18,934 --> 00:10:21,100
When we were serving
community meals...
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00:10:22,900 --> 00:10:25,367
if she could help clean up,
she'd do that.
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She would come
to our worship services.
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And I have
memories of her
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just with her eyes closed
and singing quietly.
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And-- and she was--
she was connected there.
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She didn't talk a lot about
her background or her family.
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We knew her as a loner,
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discovered that she had
a deep-rooted faith in God.
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But in a bit
of a troubled package,
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she had some boundary issues
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around-- around men.
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At that time,
we had a big old hotel bar
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00:11:00,767 --> 00:11:03,633
that we were meeting in
while we were renovating it.
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And she would often come here
through the day.
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And there'd be different
work projects going on.
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You know,
sometimes we had to say,
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"No, you can't come freely
and go everywhere you want.
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This is a work site."
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And we have residential
apartments upstairs.
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And she'd wander upstairs
and knock on people's doors.
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And we'd say,
"No, you can't do that."
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The other thing,
she moved onto the street.
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And she had a second-floor
apartment above a building.
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And two o'clock
in the morning,
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she'd be sitting out
on the sidewalk
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in this rough neighbourhood
in a lawn chair...
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00:11:40,133 --> 00:11:42,667
by herself, you know,
going out to have her smoke.
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00:11:42,834 --> 00:11:46,233
And didn't seem
to have a good regard for,
250
00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,567
I should probably be careful.
251
00:11:49,767 --> 00:11:50,667
Too open.
252
00:11:50,834 --> 00:11:52,767
She was-- she was vulnerable.
253
00:11:54,100 --> 00:11:58,233
Once it was reported
that a body had been found
254
00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,900
you know, at least
a couple of weeks had gone by.
255
00:12:01,066 --> 00:12:04,533
And we knew that there was
an active search for her.
256
00:12:04,700 --> 00:12:07,166
We pretty much knew in--
257
00:12:07,333 --> 00:12:09,867
at a gut level,
that's-- that's got to be her.
258
00:12:10,867 --> 00:12:13,300
As a community,
we were in shock.
259
00:12:13,467 --> 00:12:15,734
This was, you know,
on our doorstep.
260
00:12:17,233 --> 00:12:20,200
She lived
literally across the street.
261
00:12:21,900 --> 00:12:25,133
Where her body was found
is one block away.
262
00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:28,000
The police came around.
263
00:12:28,166 --> 00:12:31,266
And there were several people
connected to the church
264
00:12:31,433 --> 00:12:32,867
that they interviewed
265
00:12:33,033 --> 00:12:35,867
to try and piece together
what happened.
266
00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:39,266
[Frederick]
As a result of the autopsy,
267
00:12:39,433 --> 00:12:41,467
we were able
to determine
268
00:12:41,633 --> 00:12:44,033
the cause of death
being strangulation.
269
00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,166
And that it was Michelle
through the dental records.
270
00:12:48,066 --> 00:12:49,633
People, when they learn
something like that,
271
00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:51,200
they want to talk
about the person.
272
00:12:51,367 --> 00:12:54,834
She was a super friendly,
likable person.
273
00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,734
And that's why
so many people came forward.
274
00:12:57,900 --> 00:13:00,166
You have to understand,
this is not a neighbourhood
275
00:13:00,333 --> 00:13:03,533
where people readily assisted
police in investigations.
276
00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,266
They would kind of be tight
lipped and that sort of thing.
277
00:13:07,433 --> 00:13:08,934
But not so with Michelle.
278
00:13:10,166 --> 00:13:11,834
[Trevor] So very early
in the investigation,
279
00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,133
the name of Peter
Dale MacDonald comes up.
280
00:13:15,166 --> 00:13:16,200
Peter Dale MacDonald
281
00:13:16,367 --> 00:13:17,967
was originally
from Prince Edward Island.
282
00:13:18,133 --> 00:13:19,166
But he was a drifter.
283
00:13:20,066 --> 00:13:24,533
[Frederick] He was suspect
at the time of the canvas
284
00:13:24,700 --> 00:13:27,033
because of the fact
that we determined
285
00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,100
he knew her,
he was with her
286
00:13:29,266 --> 00:13:32,266
perhaps on the last day
she was seen alive,
287
00:13:32,433 --> 00:13:34,400
and he had
a propensity for violence.
288
00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,567
The canvas,
the interviews with neighbours,
289
00:13:38,734 --> 00:13:41,100
all pointing fingers
in one direction.
290
00:13:42,633 --> 00:13:44,000
[Trevor] At the time
of Michelle's death,
291
00:13:44,166 --> 00:13:45,500
he was living in Windsor,
292
00:13:45,667 --> 00:13:46,767
but had been coming
back and forth
293
00:13:46,934 --> 00:13:48,300
between Windsor and Toronto.
294
00:13:48,467 --> 00:13:50,300
He was a man
with a long criminal history,
295
00:13:50,467 --> 00:13:51,567
a violent history.
296
00:13:51,734 --> 00:13:53,200
Some people
in the neighbourhood knew this.
297
00:13:53,367 --> 00:13:56,100
And very quickly after
Michelle's body was found,
298
00:13:56,266 --> 00:13:58,367
a couple of people that knew
him suggested to police
299
00:13:58,533 --> 00:14:00,500
that they look
in his direction.
300
00:14:02,100 --> 00:14:04,600
[Frederick] The couple
owned a small diner.
301
00:14:04,767 --> 00:14:08,033
And Peter lived
and used their facilities
302
00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:09,834
while he had been
in Windsor.
303
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,266
So he would dine
at their restaurant.
304
00:14:12,433 --> 00:14:17,133
He lived in one of their rooms
that they had above the diner.
305
00:14:17,300 --> 00:14:20,333
And they were not hesitant
to say that Peter,
306
00:14:20,500 --> 00:14:22,767
to them,
was intimidating.
307
00:14:22,934 --> 00:14:24,567
He was violent.
308
00:14:24,734 --> 00:14:26,200
He was new
to the neighbourhood.
309
00:14:26,367 --> 00:14:27,934
All of these things
came forward
310
00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:31,100
from others as well
on the street.
311
00:14:31,266 --> 00:14:33,467
Day three or four
of the investigation,
312
00:14:33,633 --> 00:14:36,400
I had occasion
to stop in at the diner
313
00:14:36,567 --> 00:14:38,333
where the elderly couple was.
314
00:14:38,500 --> 00:14:39,834
As I was speaking
with them,
315
00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,333
they're very friendly,
very cautious now
316
00:14:42,500 --> 00:14:46,100
because of the fact that
Peter was named as a suspect
317
00:14:46,266 --> 00:14:47,667
and he hadn't been arrested.
318
00:14:47,834 --> 00:14:49,333
There was no one else
in the restaurant,
319
00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:51,233
and I was talking to them
over the bar.
320
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,567
I looked down
the-- to my left,
321
00:14:53,734 --> 00:14:56,500
and Peter was walking
into the restaurant.
322
00:14:56,667 --> 00:14:59,033
And he sat down on a stool
right beside me,
323
00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:00,667
and he could have reached out
and touched me.
324
00:15:00,834 --> 00:15:01,900
He didn't say a word.
325
00:15:02,066 --> 00:15:04,266
I said to him, "Peter,
get up and walk out,
326
00:15:04,433 --> 00:15:05,600
or you're going
to go to jail."
327
00:15:05,767 --> 00:15:08,166
You know, he stared at me
for a few seconds,
328
00:15:08,333 --> 00:15:10,934
and then he just got up
and-- and walked out.
329
00:15:11,100 --> 00:15:13,467
You know,
never knowing who I was,
330
00:15:13,633 --> 00:15:15,567
but knowing
I was a police officer,
331
00:15:15,734 --> 00:15:18,700
to have the nerve to do that,
like, incredible.
332
00:15:19,700 --> 00:15:22,834
Peter's motive there
was to impress upon those two
333
00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,100
that he's still out of custody
334
00:15:25,266 --> 00:15:27,300
and that he's--
can intimidate them
335
00:15:27,467 --> 00:15:30,266
or-- and bully them
whenever he wants.
336
00:15:30,433 --> 00:15:32,100
Don't be cooperating
with the police
337
00:15:32,266 --> 00:15:34,100
because I'm still here.
338
00:15:34,266 --> 00:15:35,734
That's the way I read it.
339
00:15:35,900 --> 00:15:38,066
We had limited alternatives,
340
00:15:38,233 --> 00:15:40,233
and Peter was
a-- a big guy
341
00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,100
with a propensity for violence,
serious violence.
342
00:15:43,266 --> 00:15:44,967
Murder is one thing,
but it's murder
343
00:15:45,133 --> 00:15:48,500
by brute strength
and physicality.
344
00:15:48,667 --> 00:15:50,600
There's not a lot of people
that will do that.
345
00:15:50,767 --> 00:15:52,834
He seemed to be on the run,
showing up here
346
00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,600
with no other family members
or connections to the city.
347
00:15:56,767 --> 00:15:59,333
We kind of felt
that he was-- he was the guy.
348
00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:02,133
We wanted to develop quickly
349
00:16:02,300 --> 00:16:04,467
a solid evidence
350
00:16:04,633 --> 00:16:07,767
that either eliminated him
as a suspect
351
00:16:07,934 --> 00:16:09,934
or gave us the grounds
to arrest.
352
00:16:10,100 --> 00:16:12,133
[intriguing music playing]
353
00:16:13,900 --> 00:16:15,667
[Deputy Chief Frank Providenti]
The detectives at that time
354
00:16:15,834 --> 00:16:17,767
requested that
the Mobile Surveillance Unit
355
00:16:17,934 --> 00:16:19,533
follow Mr. MacDonald
356
00:16:19,700 --> 00:16:21,734
to see what his behaviour
and his activity was,
357
00:16:21,900 --> 00:16:25,400
as well as obtaining a DNA
sample if we could get one,
358
00:16:25,567 --> 00:16:27,567
in case there is something
to compare it to
359
00:16:27,734 --> 00:16:28,734
from the crime scene.
360
00:16:29,667 --> 00:16:31,100
MacDonald was very erratic.
361
00:16:31,266 --> 00:16:34,133
He'd go from place to place.
He didn't go to work.
362
00:16:34,300 --> 00:16:36,300
I never followed him
to his house.
363
00:16:36,467 --> 00:16:38,934
He would just walk around
in the downtown area.
364
00:16:39,100 --> 00:16:42,166
There were times where we would
just leave him at Jackson Park.
365
00:16:42,333 --> 00:16:43,467
He would just
stay there at night,
366
00:16:43,633 --> 00:16:46,033
and we would just
pick him up the next day.
367
00:16:48,734 --> 00:16:49,900
So on the day
that I was assigned
368
00:16:50,066 --> 00:16:51,500
to follow Mr. MacDonald,
369
00:16:51,667 --> 00:16:54,667
I relieved
the day shift surveillance unit
370
00:16:54,834 --> 00:16:56,400
at this location right here,
371
00:16:56,567 --> 00:16:59,767
which is 880 Victory
in the town of LaSalle.
372
00:16:59,934 --> 00:17:03,200
Mr. MacDonald exits
the LaSalle address
373
00:17:03,367 --> 00:17:06,433
and gets
into a late model pickup truck,
374
00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:08,667
which turns out
to be stolen,
375
00:17:08,834 --> 00:17:12,333
and we follow him
into the Windsor area.
376
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:18,233
We followed Mr. MacDonald
to the liquor store.
377
00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,367
He grabbed a bottle of liquor
and then made his way
378
00:17:20,533 --> 00:17:23,667
to a bar on the West End
called Hurricanes.
379
00:17:23,834 --> 00:17:25,300
We pulled
into the parking lot...
380
00:17:26,467 --> 00:17:28,033
watched him
park his truck,
381
00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:32,467
and ultimately we went inside
and had a seat next to him.
382
00:17:34,467 --> 00:17:35,934
He was talking
to another person,
383
00:17:36,100 --> 00:17:38,767
and I just started
to get into the conversation.
384
00:17:38,934 --> 00:17:41,166
I had probably
a couple beers with him.
385
00:17:41,333 --> 00:17:42,066
He didn't talk much.
386
00:17:42,233 --> 00:17:43,567
It was small talk,
387
00:17:43,734 --> 00:17:47,767
but we became,
you know, friendly.
388
00:17:48,700 --> 00:17:50,000
During our conversation,
389
00:17:50,166 --> 00:17:52,200
Mr. MacDonald got up
to go to the washroom.
390
00:17:52,367 --> 00:17:53,667
I had to make a decision.
391
00:17:53,834 --> 00:17:56,200
Do I stick around
and continue the conversation?
392
00:17:56,367 --> 00:17:58,734
It wasn't going anywhere.
It was just small talk.
393
00:17:58,900 --> 00:18:01,867
Or do I take the opportunity
to seize the DNA
394
00:18:02,033 --> 00:18:03,767
that I knew
that I could get?
395
00:18:03,934 --> 00:18:04,800
[Trevor]
So Windsor Police,
396
00:18:04,967 --> 00:18:06,100
they didn't find
a lot of evidence,
397
00:18:06,266 --> 00:18:08,600
but one thing
they eventually did reveal,
398
00:18:08,767 --> 00:18:10,166
about six feet
from Michelle's body,
399
00:18:10,333 --> 00:18:11,533
they found
a cigarette butt.
400
00:18:11,700 --> 00:18:13,934
So the undercover officer
picked up the cigarette butt
401
00:18:14,100 --> 00:18:15,533
that MacDonald had discarded,
402
00:18:15,700 --> 00:18:17,700
and they send it to
the Centre of Forensic Science,
403
00:18:17,867 --> 00:18:19,266
hoping to get a DNA match.
404
00:18:20,367 --> 00:18:22,567
[Frederick] In the meantime,
to cast off DNA,
405
00:18:22,734 --> 00:18:25,500
he is submitted
to the data bank in Toronto.
406
00:18:26,767 --> 00:18:29,567
Not long after we received it,
there was a hit.
407
00:18:29,734 --> 00:18:32,934
So in a strange twist, the DNA
they collected in Windsor
408
00:18:33,100 --> 00:18:35,700
actually tied MacDonald
to an unsolved murder
409
00:18:35,867 --> 00:18:37,667
four months earlier
in Toronto.
410
00:18:37,834 --> 00:18:41,667
♪
411
00:18:51,734 --> 00:18:52,734
Welcome back.
412
00:18:52,900 --> 00:18:55,300
Windsor Police
suspect Peter MacDonald
413
00:18:55,467 --> 00:18:57,200
of killing Michelle Charette,
414
00:18:57,367 --> 00:18:59,867
but can't connect him
to her murder.
415
00:19:00,100 --> 00:19:02,967
The surveillance team manages
to get a piece of his DNA,
416
00:19:03,133 --> 00:19:05,600
hoping for a match
to their crime scene.
417
00:19:05,767 --> 00:19:08,233
Instead, a hit comes back
to a homicide
418
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,600
almost 400 kilometers away
in Toronto.
419
00:19:13,633 --> 00:19:17,533
We now return
to "She's Still Gone."
420
00:19:19,567 --> 00:19:21,000
[Davis]
It was April the 29th, 2000.
421
00:19:21,166 --> 00:19:22,367
We arrived here.
422
00:19:22,533 --> 00:19:25,200
The officers' uniformed car
was already on the scene.
423
00:19:25,367 --> 00:19:27,600
It was parked outside
the building here.
424
00:19:27,767 --> 00:19:28,900
The information that we had
425
00:19:29,066 --> 00:19:30,700
was that there was
a deceased person
426
00:19:30,867 --> 00:19:34,100
in apartment 608 here
at 99 Tyndall Avenue.
427
00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:37,233
He was lying
on the opposite side of the bed
428
00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:39,900
in the bedroom,
on the floor, naked.
429
00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:43,100
And there was
some white powder substance
430
00:19:43,266 --> 00:19:44,800
that was spread on him,
431
00:19:44,967 --> 00:19:47,700
a slice of cheese
that was found near the body,
432
00:19:47,867 --> 00:19:50,467
some sheets that were rolled up
on the end of the bed,
433
00:19:50,633 --> 00:19:54,300
this Brian Mulroney doll
was sitting on the pillow
434
00:19:54,467 --> 00:19:56,700
along with
an Ontario hospital card
435
00:19:56,867 --> 00:19:58,033
in the name
of James Campbell.
436
00:19:58,200 --> 00:19:59,967
There was
a living room area there.
437
00:20:00,133 --> 00:20:02,300
On the couch, there were
a couple of beer bottles.
438
00:20:02,467 --> 00:20:03,734
There was a tumbler.
439
00:20:03,900 --> 00:20:06,467
There were signs that something
had happened that night,
440
00:20:06,633 --> 00:20:08,066
that there was
some drinking going on,
441
00:20:08,233 --> 00:20:10,200
whether it was just
the deceased by himself
442
00:20:10,367 --> 00:20:12,166
or was he with somebody.
443
00:20:12,333 --> 00:20:13,333
These are all questions
444
00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:14,800
that you have
in the back of your head.
445
00:20:14,967 --> 00:20:16,734
And standing
at the bedroom door,
446
00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:18,500
I could see
the white powder
447
00:20:18,667 --> 00:20:20,900
that the officers first saw
when they arrived.
448
00:20:21,066 --> 00:20:22,066
We didn't know what it was.
449
00:20:22,233 --> 00:20:23,467
Didn't appear
to be any scent to it.
450
00:20:23,633 --> 00:20:26,600
But later on, they found
that it was talcum powder.
451
00:20:26,767 --> 00:20:30,066
Why that talcum powder was
spread over him, I don't know.
452
00:20:30,233 --> 00:20:32,233
To this day,
I don't know why.
453
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:33,700
And when I saw
the cheese,
454
00:20:33,867 --> 00:20:36,433
I started to think whoever
may be responsible for this,
455
00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,133
maybe they were leaving
some sort of signs behind.
456
00:20:39,300 --> 00:20:42,467
I don't know.
It-- it was just bizarre to me.
457
00:20:42,633 --> 00:20:46,200
There was no signs
of any blunt force injury
458
00:20:46,367 --> 00:20:48,266
to Campbell at the time
459
00:20:48,433 --> 00:20:51,300
We could see that there were
no cut marks to him
460
00:20:51,467 --> 00:20:53,000
from a sharp edge object.
461
00:20:53,166 --> 00:20:55,600
There were no
bullet wounds to him.
462
00:20:55,767 --> 00:20:58,967
There didn't appear to be
any bruising of any sorts.
463
00:20:59,133 --> 00:21:02,333
We really didn't know what
James Campbell had died from.
464
00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:04,767
The forensic identification
services officers
465
00:21:04,934 --> 00:21:07,033
began to collect
the evidence.
466
00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,600
And what we were hoping for
was to locate
467
00:21:09,767 --> 00:21:13,367
some sort of blood or bodily
substance of some sort,
468
00:21:13,533 --> 00:21:15,000
looking for DNA.
469
00:21:15,166 --> 00:21:18,767
The autopsy indicated that
James Campbell's cause of death
470
00:21:18,934 --> 00:21:21,066
was manual strangulation.
471
00:21:21,233 --> 00:21:23,467
One other thing that was
collected during the autopsy
472
00:21:23,633 --> 00:21:24,800
were fingernail clippings,
473
00:21:24,967 --> 00:21:28,166
looking for possible DNA
from anybody else
474
00:21:28,333 --> 00:21:30,100
that he may have come
into contact with.
475
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,467
The canvassing, I don't believe
there was any video cameras
476
00:21:33,633 --> 00:21:35,667
set up at that time
at 99 Tyndall.
477
00:21:35,834 --> 00:21:39,266
So we didn't have the video at
all, people coming and going.
478
00:21:39,433 --> 00:21:41,633
There were some people
that did come forward
479
00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,333
that indicated that he would
frequent the Gladstone Tavern,
480
00:21:45,500 --> 00:21:47,400
a bar called
the Dufferin Tavern.
481
00:21:47,567 --> 00:21:49,367
He would frequent that as well.
482
00:21:49,533 --> 00:21:51,333
He would meet with friends,
have a beer.
483
00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:53,033
He seemed to be
a pleasant fellow.
484
00:21:54,133 --> 00:21:56,033
And of course, we would speak
to the family as well.
485
00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,867
And I believe the last time
they had heard from James
486
00:21:59,033 --> 00:22:00,433
was on April the 25th,
487
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:03,800
so a few days before
he was found deceased.
488
00:22:04,767 --> 00:22:08,767
There was no real leads.
It was a real whodunit murder.
489
00:22:10,734 --> 00:22:13,800
We started to get
some DNA results back.
490
00:22:13,967 --> 00:22:16,700
The beer bottles
were an unknown source.
491
00:22:16,867 --> 00:22:19,266
The tumbler,
Campbell was identified
492
00:22:19,433 --> 00:22:21,100
along with
an unknown source.
493
00:22:21,266 --> 00:22:24,033
They were able to find
bodily fluids on the sheets,
494
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:25,233
including blood.
495
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:26,834
Some of it was
from Campbell.
496
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,100
Some of it was
from an unknown source.
497
00:22:29,266 --> 00:22:31,667
The same person
on all these items.
498
00:22:31,834 --> 00:22:35,400
So we were ahead a little bit,
but not by much.
499
00:22:35,567 --> 00:22:38,200
Once the DNA
is extracted by the CFS,
500
00:22:38,367 --> 00:22:40,967
then they would submit
it to the National Data Bank,
501
00:22:41,133 --> 00:22:44,667
where all DNA samples
from all crime scenes would sit
502
00:22:44,834 --> 00:22:46,433
until there were some matches.
503
00:22:47,633 --> 00:22:51,300
On April 5th, 2001,
I received a call advising me
504
00:22:51,467 --> 00:22:53,900
that they had
a match from our crime scene
505
00:22:54,066 --> 00:22:56,200
to an investigation
that was being conducted
506
00:22:56,367 --> 00:22:57,900
by the Windsor Police Service.
507
00:23:00,233 --> 00:23:02,834
While they were surveilling
Peter Dale MacDonald,
508
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:04,834
he threw away a cigarette butt.
509
00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,300
That was the DNA
that matched our crime scene.
510
00:23:08,934 --> 00:23:11,867
That name never came up
in our investigation,
511
00:23:12,033 --> 00:23:12,967
Peter Dale MacDonald.
512
00:23:13,133 --> 00:23:14,734
So we had no idea
who this person was,
513
00:23:14,900 --> 00:23:17,734
but we found out that he had
a lengthy criminal record.
514
00:23:17,900 --> 00:23:20,066
He had been
incarcerated many times
515
00:23:20,233 --> 00:23:23,033
and that he was
in custody here in Toronto
516
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,500
at the East Detention Centre
on other charges
517
00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:31,300
unrelated to Windsor,
unrelated to our homicide.
518
00:23:32,333 --> 00:23:34,433
So on June 1st
of that same year,
519
00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,867
we go and visit him.
520
00:23:37,033 --> 00:23:38,233
We asked the jail staff
521
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,734
if they could have
MacDonald removed from his cell
522
00:23:41,900 --> 00:23:42,900
so that we could speak to him.
523
00:23:43,066 --> 00:23:45,166
The guards later
come back to us and said,
524
00:23:45,333 --> 00:23:47,266
he refuses to
come out of his cell,
525
00:23:47,433 --> 00:23:48,400
doesn't want to talk to you.
526
00:23:48,567 --> 00:23:50,367
[church bell tolls]
527
00:23:50,533 --> 00:23:53,533
On June the 25th,
we find out
528
00:23:53,700 --> 00:23:56,266
that he's making
an appearance in court
529
00:23:56,433 --> 00:23:57,433
down at the Old City Hall.
530
00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:58,533
I go to the cells,
531
00:23:58,700 --> 00:24:00,700
MacDonald's there lying down.
532
00:24:02,734 --> 00:24:05,734
I asked him to get up,
asked him what his name was,
533
00:24:05,900 --> 00:24:07,467
told me it was Peter MacDonald.
534
00:24:07,633 --> 00:24:09,266
I then told him
that he was going to be charged
535
00:24:09,433 --> 00:24:11,834
with the first degree murder
of James Campbell.
536
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,633
He just looked at me and said,
"Yeah, yeah,"
537
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:18,266
and laid back down
and went back to sleep.
538
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,166
[Frederick]
In Toronto, there was a hit,
539
00:24:25,333 --> 00:24:27,133
but we still
didn't have a piece of DNA
540
00:24:27,300 --> 00:24:29,233
that connected him
to our crime.
541
00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,400
We received a bit of
a break about a year later.
542
00:24:33,367 --> 00:24:35,633
A man who had been
living across the hall
543
00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,633
from MacDonald came to police
544
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:39,700
and said that
he had admitted to killing her.
545
00:24:40,734 --> 00:24:42,500
He'd gone through
his treatment program
546
00:24:42,667 --> 00:24:45,333
with MacDonald and they were
drinking one night
547
00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:47,734
and basically said,
"I beat this woman to death
548
00:24:47,900 --> 00:24:49,300
and dumped her body
in a field."
549
00:24:52,533 --> 00:24:54,533
He had some level of detail,
550
00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:56,967
the informant did,
of what happened.
551
00:24:57,133 --> 00:24:59,600
In addition to the
circumstantial evidence we had,
552
00:24:59,767 --> 00:25:01,934
we felt that
we could lay the charge.
553
00:25:02,100 --> 00:25:04,967
So there was a charge
of second degree murder
554
00:25:05,133 --> 00:25:06,233
laid on Peter.
555
00:25:08,567 --> 00:25:10,667
About a year later,
after a preliminary hearing,
556
00:25:10,834 --> 00:25:12,934
the Crown Attorney,
[indistinct name],
557
00:25:13,100 --> 00:25:14,266
withdrew the charge.
558
00:25:15,300 --> 00:25:18,100
[Trevor] The case against
MacDonald was actually dropped
559
00:25:18,266 --> 00:25:22,200
because the DNA evidence
ended up being inconclusive.
560
00:25:22,367 --> 00:25:25,333
[Frederick] Unfortunately,
there was no DNA
561
00:25:25,500 --> 00:25:27,633
able to be reproduced
from the cigarette butt
562
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:29,200
that was seized at the scene.
563
00:25:29,367 --> 00:25:31,967
There was
some biological matter,
564
00:25:32,133 --> 00:25:35,800
but it wasn't suitable enough
for DNA analysis.
565
00:25:35,967 --> 00:25:38,500
You don't want to prosecute,
lose the case,
566
00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:41,066
and then you've lost
the ability to retry them
567
00:25:41,233 --> 00:25:43,166
if new evidence
becomes available.
568
00:25:43,333 --> 00:25:44,800
While disappointing
at the time,
569
00:25:44,967 --> 00:25:46,734
it was probably
a good tactical move.
570
00:25:46,900 --> 00:25:49,300
But the DNA
that couldn't convict him
571
00:25:49,467 --> 00:25:51,934
for Michelle's murder
ended up convicting him
572
00:25:52,100 --> 00:25:53,433
in the Toronto murder.
573
00:25:54,367 --> 00:25:58,967
[Davis] MacDonald and Campbell
had met each other
574
00:25:59,133 --> 00:26:02,000
in a park near where
Campbell lived on Tyndall.
575
00:26:02,166 --> 00:26:05,433
And from there, they went
back to Campbell's apartment.
576
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:08,300
They had some sort of
sexual interaction.
577
00:26:08,467 --> 00:26:10,734
Things got out of control,
578
00:26:10,900 --> 00:26:14,000
and MacDonald ended up
strangling Campbell to death.
579
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:18,567
At trial, the evidence
is called,
580
00:26:18,734 --> 00:26:21,767
witnesses are called,
forensic officers are called.
581
00:26:21,934 --> 00:26:25,100
The nail clippings, we found
DNA from not just Campbell,
582
00:26:25,266 --> 00:26:26,900
but we also
found it from MacDonald.
583
00:26:27,066 --> 00:26:28,734
Obviously, there was
some sort of contact
584
00:26:28,900 --> 00:26:29,834
between the two of them.
585
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:31,033
At the end of all this,
586
00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:32,500
after the jury deliberated,
587
00:26:32,667 --> 00:26:34,333
they came back with a verdict
588
00:26:34,500 --> 00:26:36,400
of guilty
of second-degree murder.
589
00:26:36,567 --> 00:26:39,567
Justice Epstein
set his parole eligible
590
00:26:39,734 --> 00:26:41,166
after serving 13 years.
591
00:26:44,533 --> 00:26:46,967
[Trevor] It's a rough several
years for Michelle's family.
592
00:26:47,133 --> 00:26:48,767
They don't have answers.
She's been murdered.
593
00:26:48,934 --> 00:26:51,800
No one's responsible for it.
There's no closure.
594
00:26:51,967 --> 00:26:53,400
And her father,
George, is getting old.
595
00:26:53,567 --> 00:26:55,800
He starts to worry,
"Am I gonna live long enough
596
00:26:55,967 --> 00:26:58,433
to see my daughter's killer
brought to justice?"
597
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:04,033
And so years pass.
598
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:08,400
And in 2009, new investigators
are assigned to the case.
599
00:27:09,433 --> 00:27:11,300
[Frank Providenti] I went about
my career and wound up landing
600
00:27:11,467 --> 00:27:14,100
in our major crime unit
as a homicide detective.
601
00:27:14,266 --> 00:27:16,700
And Michelle Charette's
homicide was
602
00:27:16,867 --> 00:27:18,133
one of my cases assigned.
603
00:27:18,300 --> 00:27:19,667
I knew that there
was a cigarette butt
604
00:27:19,834 --> 00:27:22,100
located six feet
from Michelle Charette,
605
00:27:22,266 --> 00:27:23,667
which was unusual.
606
00:27:24,734 --> 00:27:26,066
It's not someone
that's just gonna pass by
607
00:27:26,233 --> 00:27:27,367
and discard
their cigarette butt.
608
00:27:27,533 --> 00:27:29,133
It's gonna be
the killer's cigarette butt.
609
00:27:31,300 --> 00:27:33,867
There were other people that
had dealings with Michelle,
610
00:27:34,033 --> 00:27:36,867
but nothing
that would arouse our suspicion
611
00:27:37,033 --> 00:27:39,333
into committing
such a heinous crime.
612
00:27:41,867 --> 00:27:42,867
Everybody knew her.
613
00:27:43,033 --> 00:27:44,400
So it wasn't hard to find out
614
00:27:44,567 --> 00:27:47,266
who was hanging around
with Michelle at certain times
615
00:27:47,433 --> 00:27:48,633
prior to the murder.
616
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,500
And it all led
to Mr. MacDonald.
617
00:27:51,367 --> 00:27:54,166
We knew we could resubmit
the forensics.
618
00:27:54,333 --> 00:27:56,166
That was going to be done.
619
00:27:56,333 --> 00:28:00,467
But the decision was made
to pay Mr. MacDonald a visit
620
00:28:00,633 --> 00:28:02,233
in Kingston Penitentiary.
621
00:28:05,233 --> 00:28:07,033
When you walk by
Paul Bernardo's cell
622
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:08,800
to get to
Peter MacDonald's cell,
623
00:28:08,967 --> 00:28:10,433
you know you're in a bad place.
624
00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:11,900
In 36 years of policing,
625
00:28:12,066 --> 00:28:14,266
that's probably
the most uncomfortable position
626
00:28:14,433 --> 00:28:16,033
that I've ever been in.
627
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:17,133
He doesn't know
what's going on,
628
00:28:17,300 --> 00:28:18,867
and we introduce ourselves,
629
00:28:19,033 --> 00:28:21,000
and we want to
talk about Michelle Charette.
630
00:28:21,166 --> 00:28:22,600
Well, he doesn't want
to talk to us about it.
631
00:28:22,767 --> 00:28:25,567
Shuts us down right away
and asks to leave the room.
632
00:28:26,567 --> 00:28:28,033
So we left him a business card.
633
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:29,834
Say, "Listen,
if you change your mind,
634
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:30,867
just give us a shout
635
00:28:31,033 --> 00:28:32,266
and we can have
a conversation."
636
00:28:32,433 --> 00:28:33,500
We got up and left.
637
00:28:34,567 --> 00:28:36,367
[Trevor] A few weeks later,
he calls them.
638
00:28:36,533 --> 00:28:40,066
So the officers go to Kingston
to meet him for a second time.
639
00:28:41,133 --> 00:28:42,467
[Providenti] The conversation
didn't go very well
640
00:28:42,633 --> 00:28:43,533
from the beginning.
641
00:28:43,700 --> 00:28:45,600
It became apparent to me
642
00:28:45,767 --> 00:28:49,133
that the only reason
that he wanted to talk to us
643
00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:51,900
was for him to get something
out of this interview.
644
00:28:52,066 --> 00:28:53,567
It was self-serving.
645
00:28:53,734 --> 00:28:55,166
He wasn't there
to talk about Michelle.
646
00:28:55,333 --> 00:28:57,967
He made allegations that
the guards were picking on him.
647
00:28:58,133 --> 00:28:59,900
He wanted out of Kingston.
648
00:29:00,133 --> 00:29:04,433
He wanted to be transferred
to a nicer institution.
649
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,467
That went on
for about an hour and a half.
650
00:29:06,633 --> 00:29:08,600
Him denying it,
him wanting to be moved,
651
00:29:08,767 --> 00:29:10,934
and us saying,
"We're not moving you.
652
00:29:11,100 --> 00:29:12,934
We want to talk
about the homicide."
653
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:17,233
After an hour and a half
to two hours of interviewing,
654
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,233
and he started
to break a little bit
655
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:21,100
and started
to talk about Michelle.
656
00:29:21,266 --> 00:29:23,734
"She'd always hang around me.
She was always bothering me.
657
00:29:23,900 --> 00:29:27,700
She was always, you know,
talking church with me.
658
00:29:27,867 --> 00:29:29,800
And she was just
getting on my nerves."
659
00:29:29,967 --> 00:29:33,567
And ultimately, he told me that
she had bothered him so much
660
00:29:33,734 --> 00:29:34,900
that he couldn't
stand it anymore
661
00:29:35,066 --> 00:29:36,333
and that he put
her in a chokehold
662
00:29:36,500 --> 00:29:37,934
and choked her out
and killed her.
663
00:29:38,900 --> 00:29:40,266
So he confesses, you know,
664
00:29:40,433 --> 00:29:42,767
he's charged with a murder,
crime is solved.
665
00:29:44,500 --> 00:29:46,166
Then he recants it.
666
00:29:46,333 --> 00:29:47,500
Now they're back
to the square one.
667
00:29:47,667 --> 00:29:49,266
You know, they have to build
a case against him again
668
00:29:49,433 --> 00:29:50,834
without a confession.
669
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,900
Not long after he's charged
with Michelle's murder,
670
00:29:54,066 --> 00:29:55,400
there's another
Toronto connection.
671
00:29:55,567 --> 00:29:57,467
Police in Toronto
now suspect him
672
00:29:57,633 --> 00:30:00,734
of the murder of three
sex workers in the mid '90s.
673
00:30:00,900 --> 00:30:06,000
♪
674
00:30:12,667 --> 00:30:13,533
[Rolf Prisor] '94.
675
00:30:13,700 --> 00:30:15,266
On July 7th, we received
676
00:30:15,433 --> 00:30:17,233
a call with regards to a female
677
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,367
that was found
down by Sunnyside Beach.
678
00:30:20,533 --> 00:30:23,500
This is the area here
where Julianne was found.
679
00:30:23,667 --> 00:30:24,400
This is the dock.
680
00:30:24,567 --> 00:30:25,467
It's not quite the same
681
00:30:25,633 --> 00:30:27,066
as it was back then,
682
00:30:27,233 --> 00:30:29,667
but her body was found
on the right-hand side.
683
00:30:29,834 --> 00:30:32,266
But her torso
was just under the dock
684
00:30:32,433 --> 00:30:35,834
and her clothing
was found by a galvanized fence
685
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:37,734
just on the east side
of the building.
686
00:30:37,900 --> 00:30:39,934
[reporter] Patrick Middleton
was 30 years old
687
00:30:40,100 --> 00:30:41,567
when his sister
Julianne was strangled,
688
00:30:41,734 --> 00:30:44,200
partially disrobed
and thrown into Lake Ontario.
689
00:30:44,367 --> 00:30:46,133
No, she didn't deserve
what happened to her.
690
00:30:46,300 --> 00:30:48,166
[reporter] It was July
1994 when Middleton,
691
00:30:48,333 --> 00:30:50,467
a sex trade worker
from Parkdale, was killed.
692
00:30:51,767 --> 00:30:54,367
It appeared initially
that it was possible
693
00:30:54,533 --> 00:30:57,033
it could be
a drowning or a suicide,
694
00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,600
but there were
some red marks on her body
695
00:31:00,767 --> 00:31:03,533
around her neck
and other parts of her torso.
696
00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:05,934
But that was
consistent with her body
697
00:31:06,100 --> 00:31:08,700
sort of moving
up against the dock
698
00:31:08,867 --> 00:31:11,767
from the flow of the water,
the breakwater there.
699
00:31:11,934 --> 00:31:13,967
The following day on July 8th,
700
00:31:14,133 --> 00:31:16,700
a post-mortem examination
was conducted.
701
00:31:16,867 --> 00:31:21,033
What initially looked as though
it was reddish bruising
702
00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:23,200
was starting to
become a little darker.
703
00:31:23,367 --> 00:31:26,900
The cause of death was
officially listed as drowning,
704
00:31:27,066 --> 00:31:29,734
but the factor
of the strangulation
705
00:31:29,900 --> 00:31:30,934
became part of that.
706
00:31:31,834 --> 00:31:35,200
The investigation lasted
a number of months initially,
707
00:31:35,367 --> 00:31:38,767
but eventually
the leads went cold.
708
00:31:38,934 --> 00:31:41,233
When Middleton's father
learned that another prostitute
709
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,333
had been strangled
and dumped in the lake
710
00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:45,734
just three months
after his daughter's killing,
711
00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:48,033
he feared there was
a serial killer on the loose.
712
00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:50,734
That woman was
33-year-old Virginia Coote.
713
00:31:50,900 --> 00:31:53,233
Three years later,
35-year-old Darlene McNeill,
714
00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:54,667
another prostitute,
was murdered
715
00:31:54,834 --> 00:31:56,500
in the exact same way.
716
00:31:56,667 --> 00:31:59,266
The other homicides
were directly east of here.
717
00:31:59,433 --> 00:32:02,200
They were within
the range of about a kilometer.
718
00:32:02,367 --> 00:32:05,233
The second scene is at the...
719
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:07,400
east side of the Palais Royale,
720
00:32:07,567 --> 00:32:09,700
between that
and the Boulevard Club.
721
00:32:09,867 --> 00:32:11,166
And then
you go further east,
722
00:32:11,333 --> 00:32:14,033
and it's at the rear
of the Legion by the water
723
00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:15,633
where Darlene was found.
724
00:32:17,233 --> 00:32:20,233
So at that point,
it's pretty obvious.
725
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,567
We have someone in our minds
726
00:32:22,734 --> 00:32:24,834
that's responsible
for all three.
727
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,834
We needed to set up
some kind of a task force.
728
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:32,467
So Doug Grady was put in
charge of Project Breakwater.
729
00:32:33,700 --> 00:32:34,600
[Doug Grady] Around 2000,
730
00:32:34,767 --> 00:32:36,367
we started
to review these cases.
731
00:32:36,533 --> 00:32:38,700
These victims,
they were last seen
732
00:32:38,867 --> 00:32:41,266
eleven o'clock in the evening
733
00:32:41,433 --> 00:32:43,500
to about two o'clock
in the morning
734
00:32:43,667 --> 00:32:45,533
by peoples in that area.
735
00:32:45,700 --> 00:32:47,033
We didn't have much to go on
736
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:49,533
because nobody
saw them walk away
737
00:32:49,700 --> 00:32:51,266
with anybody in particular.
738
00:32:51,433 --> 00:32:52,834
Back in that time,
police services
739
00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:54,700
across the country
were stopping people
740
00:32:54,867 --> 00:32:56,200
on a regular basis
741
00:32:56,367 --> 00:33:00,433
and recording that information
in whatever form they used.
742
00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:01,800
In Toronto, we used
743
00:33:01,967 --> 00:33:04,400
a particular contact card,
I'll call it.
744
00:33:04,567 --> 00:33:07,333
And in it, police would write
time, date, location,
745
00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:09,934
the name of the person,
date of birth, home address,
746
00:33:10,100 --> 00:33:12,834
reason they're being stopped,
perhaps what they're wearing.
747
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:17,633
We got all the contact cards
for those areas in 2000
748
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,233
and it gave us an idea
of who was out and about
749
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:21,633
in the hours
we were looking at.
750
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:23,033
So we went through everybody
751
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:24,834
that came
in contact with the police
752
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,433
and went and interviewed them.
753
00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:28,000
And our reason
was not to say
754
00:33:28,166 --> 00:33:30,567
all these people
were suspects in the murder.
755
00:33:30,734 --> 00:33:34,500
We were looking for anybody
who may have had contact
756
00:33:34,667 --> 00:33:38,000
with either the victims
or a potential suspect.
757
00:33:39,467 --> 00:33:42,100
[Prisor]
With respect to Middleton,
758
00:33:42,266 --> 00:33:45,734
there was
DNA evidence obtained.
759
00:33:47,133 --> 00:33:48,633
Further leads
are followed up.
760
00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:50,900
Persons of interest
come to light.
761
00:33:51,066 --> 00:33:53,600
DNA samples
are taken to eliminate them.
762
00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:57,333
[Grady]
And from our investigation,
763
00:33:57,500 --> 00:33:59,433
a name that came out was Newf.
764
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:02,133
Somebody was going by
Newfie or Newfoundlander.
765
00:34:02,300 --> 00:34:03,834
And from those contact cards,
766
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,467
we started to get
a particular person
767
00:34:06,633 --> 00:34:09,367
who was using
that name in that area.
768
00:34:09,533 --> 00:34:12,934
That was a man I now know
as Peter Dale MacDonald.
769
00:34:13,900 --> 00:34:16,934
There was a worker at a hotel
that said,
770
00:34:17,100 --> 00:34:19,300
"Newf used to be
around here all the time
771
00:34:19,467 --> 00:34:20,500
and he wasn't for a while.
772
00:34:20,667 --> 00:34:21,667
And then he came back."
773
00:34:21,834 --> 00:34:25,734
Our murders were
in 1994 and 1997.
774
00:34:25,900 --> 00:34:28,867
So being around in '94,
not around for a while,
775
00:34:29,033 --> 00:34:31,166
and then back,
that was unusual
776
00:34:31,333 --> 00:34:32,934
and perked our interest a lot.
777
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:35,734
There was one incident
778
00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:38,867
where somebody yelled out
the name Newf
779
00:34:39,033 --> 00:34:41,533
when one of
the young ladies was seen
780
00:34:41,700 --> 00:34:44,000
walking near
the time of her murder,
781
00:34:44,166 --> 00:34:46,133
but nobody saw anybody.
782
00:34:46,300 --> 00:34:49,700
In the end, we found a location
in the East End of Toronto
783
00:34:49,867 --> 00:34:51,166
where he had been staying.
784
00:34:51,333 --> 00:34:53,734
And at the address,
I spoke to a gentleman
785
00:34:53,900 --> 00:34:56,533
who had known
Peter Dale MacDonald
786
00:34:56,700 --> 00:34:58,166
for a while.
787
00:34:58,333 --> 00:35:01,066
At least the last few months
he had lived with him,
788
00:35:01,233 --> 00:35:02,467
but he wasn't there.
789
00:35:02,633 --> 00:35:04,467
He gave us a lot of information
790
00:35:04,633 --> 00:35:06,500
and he said he would
probably see him in a while,
791
00:35:06,667 --> 00:35:07,667
but he didn't know where he was
792
00:35:07,834 --> 00:35:09,433
at the time
that I was talking to him.
793
00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:12,400
What I learned about
Peter Dale MacDonald's
794
00:35:12,567 --> 00:35:14,633
criminal history
is he had 20 convictions.
795
00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:17,400
He had been sentenced
to at least 14 years in jail,
796
00:35:17,567 --> 00:35:19,100
armed robberies,
break-and-enters.
797
00:35:19,266 --> 00:35:20,300
I would say petty crimes,
798
00:35:20,467 --> 00:35:22,567
but they were
more robbery with violence
799
00:35:22,734 --> 00:35:25,033
and break-and-enters
to commit indictable offenses.
800
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,767
He was an active criminal
who'd been in jail
801
00:35:28,934 --> 00:35:32,066
in Prince Edward Island,
New Brunswick, Ontario.
802
00:35:32,233 --> 00:35:33,867
He was a parole violator,
803
00:35:34,033 --> 00:35:36,433
routinely,
or a probation violator.
804
00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,767
Whatever he was on, he never
complied with anything.
805
00:35:39,934 --> 00:35:41,500
During our investigation,
we had to talk
806
00:35:41,667 --> 00:35:44,166
to parole officers
and coordinators
807
00:35:44,333 --> 00:35:47,533
and various custody locations
where Peter was.
808
00:35:49,033 --> 00:35:51,667
Turns out that even
though he is registered
809
00:35:51,834 --> 00:35:54,033
as being in Dorchester,
New Brunswick prison,
810
00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:56,533
he was actually
paroled to a halfway house
811
00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:59,133
in downtown Toronto
for about a two-year period
812
00:35:59,300 --> 00:36:02,667
where on our file,
it looks like he's in prison,
813
00:36:02,834 --> 00:36:04,934
but he's being
stopped in the street
814
00:36:05,100 --> 00:36:06,900
using various aliases.
815
00:36:08,266 --> 00:36:09,100
When he hit our radar,
816
00:36:09,266 --> 00:36:11,066
he became
quite clearly somebody
817
00:36:11,233 --> 00:36:12,533
who we should
be concerned with.
818
00:36:12,700 --> 00:36:15,567
There was DNA evidence
from one of the victims
819
00:36:15,734 --> 00:36:18,467
that may have given us a lead
820
00:36:18,633 --> 00:36:20,867
that Peter Dale MacDonald
was involved.
821
00:36:21,934 --> 00:36:24,400
[Prisor]
Peter Dale MacDonald's DNA
822
00:36:24,567 --> 00:36:26,066
came back to Julia Middleton.
823
00:36:26,967 --> 00:36:30,667
Unfortunately,
she had several DNA samples
824
00:36:30,834 --> 00:36:32,700
that were evident,
and we could not put
825
00:36:32,867 --> 00:36:35,166
sole proximity on Peter.
826
00:36:35,333 --> 00:36:36,433
So it was frustrating.
827
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:38,633
We went to the Crown Attorneys,
828
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:42,433
and it was quite clear
that we did not have enough
829
00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:46,600
to go forward with a case
for exclusive opportunity
830
00:36:46,767 --> 00:36:49,233
and for
a chance of a conviction.
831
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:51,166
It wasn't a strong case.
832
00:36:52,100 --> 00:36:53,100
[Prisor]
We had examined
833
00:36:53,266 --> 00:36:55,533
every potential lead
at that time.
834
00:36:55,700 --> 00:36:59,033
Once the Project Breakwater
concluded,
835
00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:02,133
we did not have
any viable suspects.
836
00:37:02,300 --> 00:37:05,934
Eventually, the three cases
go into the cold case squad.
837
00:37:06,100 --> 00:37:08,200
[reporter] Today, 16 years
after his sister's murder,
838
00:37:08,367 --> 00:37:09,967
the family finally
got to look at the man accused
839
00:37:10,133 --> 00:37:13,433
of killing her, 52-year-old
Peter Dale MacDonald.
840
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:15,767
When police were asked
why an arrest took so long
841
00:37:15,934 --> 00:37:17,467
in the case
of the three prostitutes.
842
00:37:17,633 --> 00:37:20,066
We need evidence that will
allow us to lay a charge,
843
00:37:20,233 --> 00:37:22,734
and over the past 16 years
844
00:37:22,900 --> 00:37:24,200
and within
the last little while,
845
00:37:24,367 --> 00:37:25,667
we've managed to come up
with that extra piece
846
00:37:25,834 --> 00:37:28,500
that we needed to charge him.
847
00:37:28,667 --> 00:37:29,533
[reporter]
It's a case that's haunted
848
00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:31,033
those who live in Parkdale.
849
00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:32,700
Everybody got scared
in the neighborhood,
850
00:37:32,867 --> 00:37:34,066
especially all the prostitutes.
851
00:37:34,233 --> 00:37:36,233
[reporter] Today, relief,
there's been an arrest.
852
00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:37,567
That's wonderful.
853
00:37:37,734 --> 00:37:40,500
And some closure for
the families of these girls.
854
00:37:40,667 --> 00:37:42,233
[reporter] MacDonald,
who remains behind bars
855
00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:43,533
serving life in jail,
856
00:37:43,700 --> 00:37:45,467
won't go to trial
here in Toronto
857
00:37:45,633 --> 00:37:47,567
until he stands trial
first in Windsor.
858
00:37:47,734 --> 00:37:52,734
♪
859
00:37:56,500 --> 00:37:59,033
[theme music]
860
00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:00,100
Welcome back.
861
00:38:00,266 --> 00:38:01,834
At the end of 2010,
862
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,533
convicted killer
Peter MacDonald
863
00:38:03,700 --> 00:38:06,467
is facing
four more murder charges.
864
00:38:06,633 --> 00:38:09,934
Already serving a life sentence
for strangling James Campbell,
865
00:38:10,100 --> 00:38:11,667
he now stands accused
in the deaths
866
00:38:11,834 --> 00:38:13,900
of three sex workers
in Toronto
867
00:38:14,066 --> 00:38:16,500
and Michelle Charette
in Windsor.
868
00:38:16,667 --> 00:38:20,333
But will all these families
finally see justice?
869
00:38:22,467 --> 00:38:26,700
Here now is the conclusion
of "She's Still Gone."
870
00:38:29,266 --> 00:38:30,333
[Trevor] In Toronto,
the charges
871
00:38:30,500 --> 00:38:33,000
involving the sex workers
were ultimately dropped.
872
00:38:33,166 --> 00:38:35,533
[Prisor]
In July of 2011,
873
00:38:35,700 --> 00:38:39,266
the Crown Attorney
withdrew the charges
874
00:38:39,433 --> 00:38:43,734
based on no reasonable
prospect of conviction.
875
00:38:43,900 --> 00:38:46,934
Whether it was
insufficient evidence,
876
00:38:47,100 --> 00:38:48,600
loss of witnesses,
877
00:38:48,767 --> 00:38:54,233
they felt that it was not
viable to pursue a trial.
878
00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,633
[Trevor] The case against
MacDonald in Windsor,
879
00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:58,767
after he basically
admitted to this murder,
880
00:38:58,934 --> 00:39:01,133
he then recants,
says he didn't do it.
881
00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:04,266
We needed more evidence
other than a confession
882
00:39:04,433 --> 00:39:07,367
because sometimes confessions
don't hold up in court,
883
00:39:07,533 --> 00:39:09,266
confessions are thrown out.
884
00:39:09,433 --> 00:39:12,166
We knew that DNA testing
had come a long way
885
00:39:12,333 --> 00:39:13,600
since the homicide.
886
00:39:13,767 --> 00:39:15,567
So six months
after the confession,
887
00:39:15,734 --> 00:39:18,633
after being charged,
we submitted the cigarette back
888
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:22,367
for further analysis,
it came back to Mr. MacDonald.
889
00:39:23,367 --> 00:39:24,834
It was pretty phenomenal
to think that
890
00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:26,700
the cigarette butt
had been discarded
891
00:39:26,867 --> 00:39:29,033
in an overgrown field,
sat there for weeks,
892
00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:31,667
heat, humidity, rain,
you name it.
893
00:39:31,834 --> 00:39:33,900
And there's enough integrity
in that DNA
894
00:39:34,066 --> 00:39:36,233
more than a decade later
to get a hit.
895
00:39:37,233 --> 00:39:40,166
Not just get a hit, but a solid
hit that police said,
896
00:39:40,333 --> 00:39:41,800
"This is within billions,
it's this guy.
897
00:39:41,967 --> 00:39:42,934
This is our guy."
898
00:39:43,967 --> 00:39:45,600
[Providenti] I was very happy
that that came back.
899
00:39:46,500 --> 00:39:47,734
What else can you say now?
900
00:39:47,900 --> 00:39:50,600
You've confessed,
you're in the middle of a field
901
00:39:50,767 --> 00:39:53,266
where nobody goes,
and your cigarette butt
902
00:39:53,433 --> 00:39:55,667
is six feet
from Michelle's knee?
903
00:39:55,834 --> 00:39:57,467
How do you explain
that when in court?
904
00:39:58,467 --> 00:40:01,500
So he's charged, and
it hasn't gone to trial yet,
905
00:40:01,667 --> 00:40:03,333
but there's a speak-to day.
906
00:40:03,500 --> 00:40:05,700
[Providenti] He's up in court
to discuss whether
907
00:40:05,867 --> 00:40:07,533
he's mentally fit
to stand trial.
908
00:40:07,700 --> 00:40:09,066
That's a defense tactic.
909
00:40:10,266 --> 00:40:11,200
[Trevor]
And everyone thinks,
910
00:40:11,367 --> 00:40:12,333
"Oh, it's just
a regular court day.
911
00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:13,834
It's not a trial.
912
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:15,967
That comes
weeks or months away."
913
00:40:16,133 --> 00:40:17,633
[Providenti] There was a lot of
people in that courtroom.
914
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:19,367
There was family.
There was a lot of press.
915
00:40:19,533 --> 00:40:21,533
[Trevor] He's brought
into court, shackled,
916
00:40:21,700 --> 00:40:23,100
surrounded by
tactical officers,
917
00:40:23,266 --> 00:40:24,967
and he's charged
with second degree murder.
918
00:40:25,133 --> 00:40:26,867
And he's asked,
how does he plead?
919
00:40:27,033 --> 00:40:29,734
And out of nowhere, he pleads
guilty to manslaughter.
920
00:40:30,734 --> 00:40:32,400
I think there were gasps
in the courtroom.
921
00:40:32,567 --> 00:40:33,867
I cover a lot of crime,
922
00:40:34,033 --> 00:40:35,266
a lot of courts
over the decades,
923
00:40:35,433 --> 00:40:37,967
and this was a dramatic moment.
924
00:40:38,133 --> 00:40:40,300
Michelle's father
was not expecting that.
925
00:40:40,467 --> 00:40:41,834
Even the Crown, I think,
later said that
926
00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:42,934
he wasn't expecting it
927
00:40:43,100 --> 00:40:44,367
until moments
before it happened.
928
00:40:45,367 --> 00:40:46,633
[Providenti] And I believe
the defense lawyer
929
00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:49,333
was just as shocked
as everybody else was.
930
00:40:49,500 --> 00:40:50,800
[Trevor] So police did tell us
at one point
931
00:40:50,967 --> 00:40:52,367
that when
he initially confessed,
932
00:40:52,533 --> 00:40:53,567
he said he strangled her
933
00:40:53,734 --> 00:40:55,066
because she was
trying to help him.
934
00:40:55,233 --> 00:40:57,600
And in his eyes,
she was just nagging him.
935
00:40:57,767 --> 00:40:58,734
He had a temper.
936
00:40:58,900 --> 00:41:00,333
He had a quick temper,
a violent temper,
937
00:41:00,500 --> 00:41:03,567
and he just snapped
and strangled her to death.
938
00:41:03,734 --> 00:41:06,166
So this woman was 4'10",
125 pounds,
939
00:41:06,333 --> 00:41:07,967
like a tiny girl,
and he was a Hulk.
940
00:41:08,133 --> 00:41:11,433
He was this big, muscular,
bruising, tattooed guy.
941
00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,033
So you can only imagine just
the fear she was going through.
942
00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:16,667
Like, this guy had his hands
wrapped around her throat,
943
00:41:16,834 --> 00:41:19,633
right, and literally
crushed her windpipe.
944
00:41:20,700 --> 00:41:21,633
[Providenti]
It was unexpected.
945
00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:23,166
He did take ownership
of the case.
946
00:41:23,333 --> 00:41:25,600
But when the Crown Attorney
947
00:41:25,767 --> 00:41:27,934
went through
some of the facts in the case,
948
00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:31,367
Mr. MacDonald interrupts
the Crown on numerous occasions
949
00:41:31,533 --> 00:41:33,834
because he doesn't
like what's being said.
950
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:35,333
It makes him look really bad.
951
00:41:35,500 --> 00:41:36,867
[Trevor] He's interrupting
and talking about
952
00:41:37,033 --> 00:41:38,567
how that it's being
sensationalized,
953
00:41:38,734 --> 00:41:39,800
and this is unfair to him.
954
00:41:39,967 --> 00:41:41,600
And he was actually
silenced by the judge.
955
00:41:42,567 --> 00:41:44,033
I remember the judge saying,
you know...
956
00:41:45,734 --> 00:41:47,767
"That was a horrible
thing you did that day.
957
00:41:47,934 --> 00:41:50,433
But today
somewhat makes it better
958
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:51,967
by taking ownership of it.
959
00:41:52,133 --> 00:41:54,567
And I accept your guilty plea."
960
00:41:55,533 --> 00:41:57,033
He's immediately
sentenced that day.
961
00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:00,333
He's already in prison serving
time for the Toronto murder.
962
00:42:00,500 --> 00:42:02,767
But they add seven years
to his sentence
963
00:42:02,934 --> 00:42:04,433
to be served concurrently.
964
00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:08,233
On Thursday, February 23,
Peter Dale MacDonald,
965
00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:11,400
54 years, entered a guilty plea
to manslaughter in relation
966
00:42:11,567 --> 00:42:13,166
to the death
of Michelle Charette.
967
00:42:13,333 --> 00:42:14,834
[reporter] Was there
ever a motive in this killing?
968
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:18,433
Mr. MacDonald
is a lifelong criminal
969
00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:21,233
with a very violent
background.
970
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,233
So my experience
with Mr. MacDonald
971
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:26,734
is that he has a bad temper,
972
00:42:26,900 --> 00:42:30,867
and he just snaps as indication
of his last conviction
973
00:42:31,033 --> 00:42:33,233
for a second degree murder.
974
00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:35,233
He's just...
he loses control...
975
00:42:36,767 --> 00:42:37,934
and kills people.
976
00:42:38,100 --> 00:42:40,166
He didn't have much to say
about why you did it,
977
00:42:40,333 --> 00:42:41,934
except that
he said he wanted to give
978
00:42:42,100 --> 00:42:43,700
Michelle's father some closure.
979
00:42:43,867 --> 00:42:45,066
And he also said
something like,
980
00:42:45,233 --> 00:42:47,734
"For what it's worth, Michelle
said he was a good dad."
981
00:42:48,633 --> 00:42:49,367
Dad was emotional.
982
00:42:49,533 --> 00:42:50,600
He was surrounded by reporters
983
00:42:50,767 --> 00:42:51,800
outside the courthouse.
984
00:42:51,967 --> 00:42:53,400
It was a bittersweet day.
It was a sad day.
985
00:42:53,567 --> 00:42:56,500
But in some way, he'd found
a little bit of closure,
986
00:42:56,667 --> 00:42:57,433
a little bit of justice.
987
00:42:57,600 --> 00:42:58,600
Very emotional,
988
00:42:58,767 --> 00:43:00,700
because he thought
he was going to die
989
00:43:00,867 --> 00:43:03,567
and never know who did this
to his little girl.
990
00:43:03,734 --> 00:43:05,667
[reporter] What's it like
after all these years?
991
00:43:05,834 --> 00:43:07,166
After all these years,
what's it like?
992
00:43:07,333 --> 00:43:10,233
It still pays a toll on me.
993
00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:11,367
- You know?
- [camera shutters click]
994
00:43:11,533 --> 00:43:15,033
I think I've aged
ten years from this.
995
00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:17,800
I didn't think
I'd ever see the end of it,
996
00:43:17,967 --> 00:43:19,500
the closing to this case.
997
00:43:19,667 --> 00:43:23,266
But with MacDonald
admitting he killed her,
998
00:43:23,433 --> 00:43:26,166
that kind of
gives me a relief.
999
00:43:26,333 --> 00:43:27,900
But she's still gone.
1000
00:43:28,066 --> 00:43:30,700
You don't expect
to bury one of your own.
1001
00:43:31,633 --> 00:43:34,033
But the waiting time
until they found her...
1002
00:43:35,333 --> 00:43:36,800
that was the hard part.
1003
00:43:36,967 --> 00:43:41,700
And then when we did find her,
then we had to wait.
1004
00:43:41,867 --> 00:43:45,333
I never thought
we'd ever find the killer.
1005
00:43:45,500 --> 00:43:47,633
We knew who it was,
but we couldn't prove it.
1006
00:43:48,500 --> 00:43:50,867
So it's a good feeling
that we know
1007
00:43:51,033 --> 00:43:53,900
the man committed it
and admitted it.
1008
00:43:55,567 --> 00:43:58,000
But that don't bring
Michelle back.
1009
00:43:58,166 --> 00:43:59,500
[Rogers]
She had that willingness
1010
00:43:59,667 --> 00:44:01,266
to want to help people,
1011
00:44:01,433 --> 00:44:03,467
but without the discernment,
1012
00:44:03,633 --> 00:44:06,934
it would have been
the very thing
1013
00:44:07,100 --> 00:44:10,233
that would lead her
to Peter MacDonald.
1014
00:44:11,233 --> 00:44:14,166
Her heart put her
into a vulnerable spot.
1015
00:44:14,333 --> 00:44:15,967
She couldn't foresee...
1016
00:44:17,133 --> 00:44:19,266
"This is
what could happen to me."
1017
00:44:19,433 --> 00:44:22,367
She had the heart of a lamb,
1018
00:44:22,533 --> 00:44:26,367
but she didn't have
the eyes to see a wolf.
1019
00:44:29,934 --> 00:44:33,467
[Antony] George Charette
passed away in March, 2019,
1020
00:44:33,633 --> 00:44:36,133
seven years after
Peter Dale MacDonald
1021
00:44:36,300 --> 00:44:39,033
was convicted of killing
his beloved daughter.
1022
00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:42,600
MacDonald became
eligible for parole in 2017.
1023
00:44:42,767 --> 00:44:45,567
However, according to
the Parole Board of Canada,
1024
00:44:45,734 --> 00:44:47,300
his most recent application
1025
00:44:47,467 --> 00:44:50,500
in May, 2022,
was denied.
1026
00:44:50,667 --> 00:44:53,467
To this day,
nobody has ever been convicted
1027
00:44:53,633 --> 00:44:56,467
in the deaths of the three
other women in Toronto.
1028
00:44:57,934 --> 00:44:59,233
I'm Anthony Robart.
1029
00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:02,166
Thank you for joining
us tonight on Crime Beat.
1030
00:45:03,767 --> 00:45:05,533
Want more
episodes of Crime Beat?
1031
00:45:05,700 --> 00:45:07,433
Listen to
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1032
00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:11,000
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1033
00:45:11,166 --> 00:45:13,600
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1034
00:45:13,767 --> 00:45:16,000
And for past episodes
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1035
00:45:16,166 --> 00:45:19,934
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1036
00:45:20,100 --> 00:45:23,300
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