Episodes
Episode 377: Joyce Carolyn Stevens, the daughter of a preacher from Houston, Texas, and Rose Marie Turford, a Canadian nurse and suburban mother, became infamous as the real-life “Thelma and Louise.” Their cross-border crime spree in the mid-1990s stunned communities from Houston to Toronto, as they lured, robbed, and humiliated unsuspecting men, all while eluding law enforcement. The case, with its bizarre twists, elaborate disguises, and a mysterious figure named “Avery,” captivated the public and left a trail of questions about motive, manipulation, and the dark side of friendship.
Sour...
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 NetworkWhat we know about the Muslim family in the f...
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 no...
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 ep...
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 ...
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 confronta...
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 episo...
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...
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 tri...
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...
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, v...
Episode 366: On a cold night, March 14, 1980, the city of Toronto was shaken by an act of violence that would leave a deep scar on its police force and forever change the lives of one family. It was the kind of crime that, decades later, still echoes in the halls of justice and the memories of those who lived through it. This is the story of Constable Michael Sweet, a dedicated police officer, loving husband, and devoted father of three young girls, all under ten years old, who lost his life in the line of duty at the hands of two brothers whose names would become synonymous with brutality...
Episode 365: On a humid August morning in 1873, the quiet, tight-knit community of Baker’s Settlement outside of Bridgewater in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, was shattered by a crime so shocking that it would echo for generations. This is the story of Mary Ann Frauzel Mailman—a woman described by her contemporaries as strikingly beautiful, and by all accounts, a devoted mother—whose life ended violently at the hands of her husband, Peter Mailman. The murder and its aftermath would become one of the most infamous cases in the province’s history, both for its brutality and for the chilling w...
Episode 364: On June 17, 1958, a warm summer afternoon in Vancouver, British Columbia, the bustling construction site of the Second Narrows Bridge was alive with activity. Seventy-nine workers, including ironworkers, engineers, and painters, were perched high above the waters of Burrard Inlet, labouring to connect Vancouver to the North Shore. Little did they know that in mere moments, their world would come crashing down in what would become the worst industrial disaster in Vancouver's history. Several bridge spans suddenly collapsed as they attempted to join two chords of the unfinished a...
Episode 362: On the morning of May 29, 2010, gunshots shattered the quiet of a rural property just outside Cranbrook, British Columbia. By the time police arrived at the scene, two lives had been tragically cut short in an apparent case of mistaken identity.
The victims were Jeffrey Todd Taylor, 42, and Leanne Laura MacFarlane, 43, a couple who had been renting half of a duplex on a large piece of land for about three months. They had no connection to the criminal underworld and appeared to have been innocent victims caught in the crossfire of a drug gang dispute.
Over the last 15 years, ...
Episode 362: We explore chilling events that unfolded at POW Camp 132 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, during World War II. This prisoner-of-war camp, one of many scattered across Canada, became the site of two brutal murders that shocked even hardened veterans and led to Canada's last mass execution.
In the summer of 1943, August Plaszek, a former French Foreign Legion soldier forcibly integrated into the German army, met a gruesome end at the hands of Nazi hardliners within the camp. Just over a year later, in September 1944, Karl Lehmann, a university professor turned Luftwaffe interpreter, su...
Episode 361: On October 4, 1957, as the world's eyes turned skyward to witness the launch of Sputnik 1, another technological marvel was about to be unveiled in a hangar in Malton, Ontario. The Avro Arrow, Canada's ambitious supersonic interceptor, was poised to revolutionize aviation. But within two years, it would vanish without a trace, leaving behind a legacy of controversy and conspiracy.
Sources:
Avro Arrow | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Avro Arrow | canadahistory.com
Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow | Wikipedia
Avro CF-100 Canuck | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Broken Arrow | Legion Magazine
A leg...
Episode 360: On May 18, 1966, Paul Joseph Chartier, among other things, a disillusioned and unemployed security guard and former truck driver, attempted a deadly act of terrorism on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Chartier planned to throw a homemade dynamite bomb into the House of Commons chamber, targeting politicians he blamed for societal injustices and his personal failures. However, the bomb detonated prematurely in a washroom, killing only Chartier himself. This tragic incident drew significant attention at the time, leading to investigations by the RCMP and led to a federal inquiry.
Sou...
Episode 359: On a warm summer evening in June 1887, 17-year-old Mary Pickering Tuplin vanished from her family's farm in Margate, PEI. A search and a grim discovery followed that would rock the quiet farming community to its core. Mary's body was found in the Southwest River, weighed down by a heavy stone, with two gunshot wounds to her head. The subsequent investigation would uncover a web of secrets, including the fact that Mary was six months pregnant. Circumstantial evidence led to 19-year-old William Millman's arrest, allegedly Mary’s lover. The shocking facts of the crime and its inve...
Episode 358: In Los Angeles, California, in the autumn of 1969, along winding Mulholland Drive, a young woman's body was discovered, brutally stabbed more than 150 times, her identity shrouded in mystery for nearly half a century. This Jane Doe, known only as case number 59, would lie nameless for the next 46 years, her story untold and her family unaware of her tragic fate. In a chilling twist, the proximity of her death to the infamous Tate-LaBianca murder scenes led investigators down a twisted path of speculation. The brutal nature of the crime sparked whispers of a possible connection ...
Episode 357: On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, 21 June 1950, the tranquil tobacco farming community of Langton, of Langton, Ontario, was shattered by a violent crime that would leave an indelible mark on Canadian history. Joseph Herbert McAuliffe, a World War II veteran turned counterfeiter, walked into the Imperial Bank of Canada with robbery on his mind. In less than half an hour, two innocent men lay dead at the robber’s hands, Arthur Lierman and William Goddyn, their bodies riddled with bullets, and a community was gripped by fear.
For three harrowing days, Norfolk County held its breath ...
Episode 356: In this episode, we explore two enduring Canadian legends that have captivated imaginations for generations. Our journey begins with the Lost Lemon Mine, a tale from the Canadian Rockies dating back to 1870. Two prospectors, Frank Lemon and "Blackjack," allegedly discovered gold, but their expedition descended into a dark saga of murder, madness, and an alleged curse that has kept the mine's location hidden for over 150 years.
We then venture to the frigid wilderness of Nunavut, where the mystery of the vanishing village at Angikuni Lake unfolds. In November 1930, fur trapper J...
Episode 355: In this episode, we explore a phenomenon that blurs the line between consciousness and culpability: homicidal somnambulism. Can a person be held responsible for murder if they commit the act while sleepwalking? We'll examine two haunting cases that have grappled with this very question. First, we'll unravel the infamous story of Kenneth Parks, who, in 1987, drove 23 kilometres from his home in Pickering to Scarborough, Ontario, where he brutally attacked his in-laws, Dennis and Barbara Woods, killing his mother-in-law. Then, we'll turn our attention to the lesser-known case of ...
Episode 354: In the quiet, close-knit community of Fosterville, New Brunswick, a crime of unspeakable horror shattered the peace on November 26, 1924. Two young sisters, Cynthia (14) and Necia Foster (10), were found bound, gagged, and brutally murdered in the lakeside camp of their uncle, Harry D. Williams. The sheer brutality of the crime sent shockwaves through the region, making it one of the most infamous cases in New Brunswick’s history.
Sources:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/new-brunswick
Fosterville, New Brunswick
Harry Williams - Search - Newspapers.com™
Fosterv...
Episode 353: On April 23, 2018, a bright spring afternoon turned into a nightmare when a rented van plowed through pedestrians along Yonge Street in North York, a Toronto neighbourhood. In just minutes, 10 lives were tragically lost, and 16 others were injured; one of those later passed away from her injuries, bringing the death toll to 11. The community was left mourning, and the country grappled with questions of how and why such a senseless act could occur.
The man behind the wheel was 25-year-old Alec Minassian, a self-proclaimed member of the so-called "incel" community—short for "in...
Episode 352: At 5:18 a.m. on May 9, 1992, in Plymouth, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, in the Westray Mine, a methane gas explosion, followed by a coal dust blast, ripped through the underground tunnels, claiming the lives of 26 miners working the night shift.
The tragedy unfolded against a backdrop of known safety violations and ignored warnings. In the aftermath, a gripping rescue attempt captivated the nation as teams of drägermen braved hazardous conditions in a desperate search for survivors. The bodies of 15 miners were recovered during the initial rescue and recovery efforts. However, th...
Episode 351: On March 8, 1987, a routine Sunday morning traffic stop on a quiet stretch of Route 640 between Yoho Lake and Hanwell to the southwest of Fredericton, New Brunswick, turned into a tragedy that shocked the nation. Constable Emmanuel “Manni” Aucoin, a 31-year-old highway patrol officer, husband and father of two young children, was shot and killed in the line of duty. His murderer, Anthony Phillip Romeo, an American fugitive who was wanted for another killing in New York, had been fleeing authorities when Aucoin pulled him over for speeding. Romeo shot Aucoin twice in the head as...
Episode 350: Ashley Wadsworth’s story is one of hope and adventure turned into a nightmare. Originally from Vernon, British Columbia, Ashley travelled to the UK to be with her boyfriend, Jack Sepple, whom she had met online. However, what began as a romantic journey ended in tragedy when she was found dead in February 2022. Her murder shocked communities on both sides of the Atlantic and raised questions about the dangers of online relationships.
Join us as we unravel the details of this heartbreaking case, examining the events leading up to Ashley’s untimely death and the subsequent invest...
Episode 349: In the 8th Christmas episode of the Dark Poutine podcast, we once again dive into the shadowy side of holiday traditions that often go unnoticed amidst the festive cheer. This episode will explore the dark origins of some Christmas customs, such as mummering, a practice steeped in mystery and community engagement, where masked individuals visit homes to entertain and sometimes frighten.
We will also recount the chilling tale of Isaac Mercer, who met a tragic end at the hands of mummers in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, in 1860.
Additionally, we’ll dig into the age-old custom of tel...
Episode 348: This is part 2 of our coverage of the Gay Purge in Canada. Last week, we uncovered the origins of the Canadian government’s purge of gays and queer folk, a campaign that began in the early years of the Cold War.
This week, we take a chilling dive into one of the government’s most sinister methods—the Fruit Machine. This pseudoscientific device was meant to expose gay individuals through invasive tests, and how the RCMP and military’s attempted Purge of gays from civil service continued unabated all the way through to the 1990s.
Sources:
Peyton V. Lyon, The Loyalties of E. Herb...