Canadian True Crime - 85 The Murder of Brayton Bullock

Episode Date: March 15, 2021

ONTARIO | In 2006, a close-knit family tried to deal with an escalating crisis, but they could only do so much before the situation ended in a devastating and senseless tragedy.Resources related to Canadian Victims of CrimeCanadian Victims Bill of Rights (Bill C-32)Get involved: pre-written email to send to members of parliamentCanadian Resource Centre for Victims of CrimeOffice of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of CrimeCanadian Crime Victim FoundationCanadian True Crime gives back monthly. This month we have donated to:Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime Podcast recommendation:I’m not a Monster Thanks for supporting our sponsors!See the special offer codes here Don't like the ads?Access early episodes without the ads plus bonus content and more on Patreon and Supercast. Learn more Website and social medias:Website: www.canadiantruecrime.caFacebook: facebook.com/CanadianTrueCrimeTwitter: @CanadianTCpodInstagram: @CanadianTrueCrimePodInstagram: @kristileehello Credits: Research: Haley GrayAdditional research and writing: Kristi Lee in consultation with Colin BullockAudio editing and production: We Talk of Dreams Disclaimer voiced by the host of TrueTheme Song: We Talk of DreamsAll credits and information sources can be found on the page for this episode at canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production, funded through advertising and direct donations. The podcast contains course language, adult themes, and content of a violent and disturbing nature. Listener discretion is advised. This story is about a close-knit family called the Bullocks, who lived in a funeral home in Barrie, Ontario. The father of the family was a funeral director, and they lived with their five children in living space directly over the top of the funeral home. Having been exposed to the reality of death and the business of death care all their lives, the Bullock family were quite spiritual. For this family, death was just as much a part of life as living

itself. They spoke about it often, as though it was something that all families did. They were pragmatic in their belief that everyone has their time. But as the siblings grew up, they brought in new partners and grew their own families. New people mean new family dynamics, causing complexities within relationships, and cracks can turn into canyons. In 2006, the Bullock family would find themselves having to confront their beliefs about death and family in the most devastating of ways. Colin Bullock is one of the five siblings, and in 1991, he and his then-wife Tammy welcomed a son called Brayton, an easygoing little boy with dark brown hair. As he grew up, everyone knew Brayton as fun and friendly, he was well liked,

and the centre of his parents' world. He was also a bright spark in the wider Bullock family, and was especially close with one of his cousins, Kyla. The two were the same age and pretty much inseparable. When Brayton was about eight years old, his parents made the decision to separate. It was completely amicable, and Colin and Tammy remained close friends and co-parents after that, making sure to keep their family connection close and Brayton their number one priority. It worked. Brayton continued to thrive. He got excellent grades at school and was a popular kid. In the years after his parents separated, they each went on to remarry, gifting Brayton with three-step siblings. Colin's new wife had a son who was a little older than

Brayton, and as teenagers, the two boys had a lot in common. Matt and Brayton got on like a house on fire. They loved listening to music. Brayton loved rock and country, and then when the boys got into the nights of the round table, there was no going back. They were enamoured with the legend and the mythology, and Brayton loved to research the clothing, the weapons, and anything he could find about the medieval period in history. He saved his money to buy night-themed books and swords, and then he and Matt had decided to take up an ambitious project. They were going to research and write a fiction book all about nights of the round table. They excitedly started putting plans together. Now while Brayton was enamoured with all things related to nights, he also loved

to write poems and spend time out in nature taking photos. His goal was to one day take photos for National Geographic, and anyone who knew Brayton had no doubt that he would achieve it. He was strong and decisive, but also considerate. And he seemed to have a sixth sense sometimes. He would comment sometimes in passing that he knew he wasn't going to live long. One time, his father Colin overheard, and even though he was used to death being a topic of conversation, this was a little beyond that. Brayton must have seen his father's surprised face and reassured him, I'm okay with it, you don't have to be scared. It wasn't the first time Brayton had said or written something that surprised his parents. When he was just 11 years old, he wrote a poem

called My Identity, where he pondered what would happen if there were no such thing as murderers, and referred to their being less feuds within family. His parents had no idea where the inspiration for the poem came from, nor did they know that Brayton's words would prove to be prophetic. Now, while the Bullock family were close knit with five siblings at the centre, including Brayton's dad Colin, there was one notable exception. One of the siblings, Sean, Brayton's uncle. From the family's perspective, Sean's wife didn't take to them, and resisted taking part in the combined family activities and get-togethers. Sean and his wife had a son called Nick, who was just two years older than Brayton. But because of the divide

between Nick's mother and the Bullock family, Brayton was lucky if he saw his cousin once a year, if that. Even though the family did what they could to make sure Nick was able to come for some family events, the sad truth was that they didn't know each other well. It put Sean in an awkward position, because he'd always been very family-oriented, but found himself in the middle between his wife and his extended family. And really, if anyone needed the love and support offered by an extended, close-knit family, it was their little boy, Nick. According to later reporting by the Toronto Sun, Nick had struggles starting in grade one. He was clearly intelligent, but he was always in trouble, got into fights, and resisted attending school. In grade two,

his parents separated, and the family divide grew wider. Nick's mother was reluctant to let him see his father, and by extension, the Bullock family. By the time Nick was a teenager, he was defiant. He skipped school a lot and had started dabbling in drugs. After a while, he also began selling them. Sean made it known that he wanted to be in his son's life more, but he found himself powerless to do anything but watch from afar, as Nick spiralled out of control. The teenager seemed to be at a significant disadvantage. From a young age, his behavioural struggles had not been treated effectively, and now, with a fractured family, he did not have access to the structure and approach he needed. The circumstances dictated that Nick would become a bit of a family

pariah, that bad boy teenage cousin who was always getting into trouble. But the Bullock family loved Nick and made it clear that they were there for him, and the message was heard loud and clear. At 15, Nick was spotted by his uncle Terry on the street. After chatting for a few minutes, Nick told his uncle that he was struggling at home. Terry brought Colin, Brayton's father, into the conversation. Nick confided in his uncles that he was having a hard time living with his mother and her partner. He needed a new place to live. Terry offered to have his nephew move in, but on the strict conditions that he abide by the house rules and attend school, they came to an agreement and Terry enrolled Nick in the local high school, starting September of 2005.

Now, Brayton was very close with his extended family, particularly that same uncle Terry and his family. Brayton was always over there spending time with them, often joined by his cousin Kyla. With Nick living there too now, Brayton and Kyla would inadvertently end up spending time with the cousin they saw very little of when they were younger. Nick would have observed the closeness of the Bullock family, the cousins who were best friends, the uncles and aunts who helped each other out. A supportive family that he'd only caught the occasional glimpse of and perhaps would have enjoyed spending more time with, but couldn't. And of course there was his cousin Brayton, two years younger and seemingly the

polar opposite. Popular, excellent grades, never short of attention from girls. Where Nick was perceived as the rebel of the family, Brayton seemed to be a golden child. At first, things seemed to go okay with Nick living at his uncle's house, but over the next three months, Terry discovered that the 15-year-old had been skipping school and bumming around and it was becoming more and more frequent. It was also discovered that Nick had stolen money out of Terry's youngest son's piggy bank. So in November of 2005, Terry and Colin got together to have a discussion with their nephew and his mother about the situation. It was the final straw and Terry had had enough. Nick had to find somewhere else to live.

But unfortunately, the 15-year-old did not take kindly to this message and things quickly devolved into a heated exchange between Nick and his uncle Terry. After some harsh words, Nick packed his things and left in a rage. He would later email Terry to tell him he didn't have to worry about him anymore because he was moving to Vancouver. There were other ramifications from this fallout. Colin had seen an angry, unpredictable side to Nick that he didn't like, especially when it came to his son Brayton. He and Brayton's mum Tammy conferred and made the difficult decision to tell the 14-year-old that he could no longer associate with his older cousin. They were concerned about Nick's escalating personal situation and didn't want Brayton involved.

At first, he was a little angry, like any teenager when told what to do or who to be friends with. That said, he did understand the situation. But also, this was 2005 and online messaging was a big hit with the kids. Colin soon discovered that Nick and Brayton had been chatting through MSN Messenger. And Nick returned from Vancouver. In the space of just a few months, he had bounced from British Columbia to Alberta and then back to his mother's place in Aurelia, Ontario. The next thing the family knew, something had happened there and he'd run away to stay in a hotel with his mother's credit card. Since Brayton was struggling to say no to his older cousin, Colin and Tammy were concerned. Colin called Nick and politely but firmly asked him to stop

trying to initiate contact. But the 16-year-old did not take it very well. He immediately became upset and told Colin, you can't make me stay away from Brayton. According to court documents, he then told his uncle to go fuck yourself. And then, he added, the Bullock family will die and hung up. Colin called straight back. Nick picked up and said to his uncle, you can't tell me what to do. Colin argued that Brayton was a minor, only 14, and he was responsible for his safety. After more discussion, they hung up. Colin felt there was a good chance that Nick had now got the point. But even though his nephew was only 16, he had just issued a verbal death threat to the family. So Colin thought it would be a good call to report it to police so

that it was on record. Even though Nick was now effectively living rough, he continued to try and contact Brayton online. And after everything that had happened, Brayton was certainly now wary of his cousin. But at the same time, he was 14, Nick was 16, and it's not a stretch to imagine being a young teenager with a cousin who was a little older and a bit of a rebel. And even though you know your parents don't want you to associate with them, you're intrigued. And when that cousin tries to message you, it's hard to say no. But also, Brayton knew Nick was unpredictable and didn't want to upset him and inflame the situation. So he would reply to the messages but only in a casual shrug it off kind of way. I'm Christy, an Australian who's called Canada home for more than

a decade, and this is my passion project. Join me to hear about some of the most thought-provoking and often heartbreaking true crime cases in Canada. Using court documents and news archives, I take you through each story from beginning to end with a look at the way the media covered the crime and the impact it had on the community. This is Canadian True Crime. Do you have a passion project that you're ready to take to the next level? Squarespace makes it easy for anyone to create an engaging web presence, grow a brand and sell anything from your products to the content you create and even your time. When I launched this passion project six years ago, I needed some kind of online hub to manage all the non-podcasting tasks that come with podcasting.

I chose Squarespace because it's an all-in-one platform that seamlessly helps me achieve multiple goals. It's important to have a website that looks good and I was inspired by Squarespace's wide selection of clean and modern templates. They can be easily customized with pre-built layouts and flexible design tools to fit your needs and you can even browse the category of your business to see examples of what others have done. I use the built-in blogging tools to create a new page for each episode and there are so many intuitive options from embedding an audio player so listeners can stream episodes to scheduling posts to be published on a certain date, an easily moderated comment section and automatically displaying recent episodes on the homepage. Every Squarespace

website and online store includes SEO tools to help you maximize your visibility in search engines and I love the powerful insights I can get from the analytics tools, helping me better understand who's visiting the site, where they came from and how they're interacting with it. Do you have a passion project or business idea or something to sell? Go to squarespace.com slash ctc for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer code CTC to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash ctc with offer code CTC and get your passion project off the ground today. March 9th 2006 was a cold foggy winters day. There was a lot of ice on the roads and school was

cancelled. Brayton was supposed to be going on a camping trip with his uncle Terry the next day and would be staying there the night before. That same night, his close cousin Kyla happened to be staying in the townhouse next door with a family friend, helping out with babysitting on and off. Brayton and Kyla had messaged each other and made plans for Brayton to stop by and visit. That evening, they were both logged in to MSN Messenger and heard a familiar beep. Nick Bullock had come online. Kyla watched as Brayton messaged his cousin back and they corresponded back and forth for about 10 to 15 minutes. Nick told Brayton that he was staying at a friend's apartment very close by and wanted to meet him at a park. Brayton decided there would be no harm in going to see

what he wanted. Kyla wasn't so sure but told herself it would probably be okay. Brayton put on his coat and left. Kyla was surprised when Brayton returned around 15 minutes later. He had his cousin with him and it was obvious that 16 year old Nick was high on some kind of drug. Nick walked in, sat down at the dining table and offered ecstasy to Brayton and Kyla. The 14 year olds did not plan to take the drugs but they also did not want to inflame the situation by refusing them. Brayton put it in his back pocket. The pair were growing increasingly uncomfortable. Then Nick showed them both a knife he had. It was a gold coloured flick style knife with holes in the blade. At this point Brayton and Kyla started to worry. Their older cousin was

visibly high on drugs and had a knife that he seemed to be showing off for some reason and also he was at a house where Kyla was temporarily staying with a family friend. The friend Karen wasn't home at the time but Kyla knew she would not appreciate Nick's presence in the state he was in. Off to the side though Brayton told her not to worry. Kyla was relieved when Nick and Brayton started getting ready to leave. They said they were off to a nearby convenience store. After Brayton and Nick left for the convenience store Kyla received a call from her uncle Colin, Brayton's father. He'd been alerted to the situation with Nick and he wanted to see where everyone was at. Kyla told him that they'd walked to the convenience store and everything

seemed okay when they left. Colin did not feel the same way. Before too long he started trying to get hold of Karen, the family friend and owner of the townhouse where Kyla was staying. He told her what he knew and was wondering if she could have a look around. Karen said she'd leave where she was straight away and then drove around the neighbourhood to see if she could see either Nick or Brayton. She drove to the convenience store and told the clerk she was looking for two teenage boys but he hadn't seen anyone that fit either Brayton or Nick's descriptions. Where were they? Back at the townhouse there was a knock at the door. Kyla went to answer thinking that it was probably Brayton returning from the convenience store but it was just Nick and he was holding

a bottle of pop. He said Brayton had his hat and he came to get it back. Kyla said I thought he was with you. Kyla noticed that Nick was no longer wearing his winter coat or hat. That seemed weird for a freezing cold winter's evening and by this point Karen had arrived back to her townhouse and saw that Nick was there and he was acting fidgety. So where was Brayton? Nick said that they went to the convenience store, got drinks and then Brayton walked him back to the apartment he was staying at. He thought that Brayton was continuing on to the townhouse but obviously not. Panic was rising. Karen grabbed her keys and left again to have another drive around. Maybe Brayton was nearby at another relative's house. Nick stayed behind at the townhouse making himself comfortable

on the front doorstep, fidgeting as he sipped quietly at his drink. Kyla stood in the doorway behind him looking out. The place where Nick said he parted ways with Brayton was a very short distance to the townhouse but by this point an immense fog had settled in making it difficult to see very far. Kyla peered into it hoping that any second she would see Brayton emerge from the fog and everything would be okay but she couldn't ignore a growing feeling that Nick's story didn't make a lot of sense. After a few more minutes Kyla grew even more worried. She had to stay at the townhouse to watch Karen's sleeping kids and asked Nick if he would go and help look for Brayton. He got up and left.

Nick left just before 9pm. At 9.13pm as the Bullock family were in full panic mode and Karen was driving around the neighbourhood looking for Brayton and 9.11pm dispatcher had responded to an incoming call. It was from a teenager called Leonard who said he was at a nearby bushland called Lackey's Bush. His friend's 14 year old cousin had been attacked and needed medical attention. Police arrived on the scene within minutes making their way down the hill and over towards the creek. As they walked over a teenager was yelling and screaming at them you guys have got to help him that's my cousin. It was 16 year old Nick Bullock and he was pointing to a figure on the ground. 14 year old Brayton Bullock lay there motionless.

Even though it was difficult to see in the fog and the darkness of night there were obvious wounds and blood was everywhere. Brayton had not survived this attack. Nick told police that he had found his cousin like this. According to court documents one of the police officers on the scene Constable Jason Neville had just arrived. As he surveyed the scene he saw Nick passing him and said he felt a dig into his shoulder accompanied by the words he's dead f*** it. One of the other officers saw that Nick's pupils were extremely dilated and asked him if he'd used any drugs. Even though Nick had taken two ecstasy tablets within the last few hours he denied it. The Constable asked him to wait inside a police cruiser for a few

minutes. Nick was then released but told not to leave the immediate area because someone would be over soon to get his story. Nick walked over to where his friends were giving their account of what happened to Constable Neville. Neville would later testify that from the point that Nick walked over to the group he quickly became a constant chatter in his ear. Neville eventually grew so frustrated by Nick's interruptions that he had to tell the 16 year old to back off until he'd finished speaking to the others. Now this next part of the story is told from two different perspectives and they're slightly different. This will be important later. Constable Neville's side of the story was that Nick didn't appreciate being told to back off and shoved the Constable

from behind knocking him off his balance and provoking him to restrain the teenager but Nick's friends said they didn't see him shoved the Constable they only saw Nick being restrained. Whatever the truth was Constable Neville then administered a brachial stun to Nick described as an open-handed strike to the teenager's neck followed by two punches to his face. He then put Nick in a headlock, handcuffed him, arrested him for obstructing police and put him back in the back of a police cruiser. Neville then left again to continue getting statements. But before long another officer came along to the car who didn't know that the scuffle had taken place or that Nick had been arrested for obstructing police.

From the cruiser Nick loudly protested that he'd been unfairly treated by Constable Neville and demanded his full name and badge number. Nick was assured that he would get the information and promised to calm down. His handcuffs were removed. After the statements had been taken from his friends Nick was then driven to the police station for questioning as the person who had led them to Brayton's body. In the car the officer described Nick as appearing emotional and distraught. He whimpered and asked if his cousin was going to be okay. The officer said he didn't know. In reply Nick said those guys are going to have to pay. It seems like a long story but it happened so quickly. Karen the owner of the townhouse had

been driving around a local strip mall. When she heard sirens her heart sank. She followed the emergency vehicles and saw they were stopped around Lackey's bush. Karen saw an officer standing there so she stopped the car and ran over to him. After establishing who she was and who she was looking for the officer told her he couldn't tell her what happened but she needed to call Brayton's parents and have them go to the hospital. Karen begged for more information but it was clear that this was all she was going to find out. Her shaking hands reached for the phone. She couldn't believe that she was the one making this call. Brayton's father Collins phone flashed with an incoming call. It was Karen and she didn't sound right but all she would say was that

there'd been an accident and told him to get to the hospital. Collins first thought was that Brayton must have been hit by a car. He frantically started calling around to make sure the family knew to meet at the hospital. The Bullocks were a very close-knit family both in good times and in bad. About eight or nine family members showed up with Kyla on her way. When the group were ushered into a separate room to wait they knew something was not right and started to wonder if maybe Brayton's injuries were worse than a broken leg. Two police officers came in with some doctors and one of them uttered three words that sent the family into a tailspin. Brayton is gone. His mother Tammy went into shock and couldn't comprehend what was happening. Gone? Where is

he gone? A dark, sinking realization washed over them. Brayton, their only son, had somehow passed away. Colin dropped to the floor. He asked where Brayton was. The response was that it wasn't possible to see him. I need to see my son. You can't. Colin was outraged. He demanded to see Brayton and was not going to take no for an answer. Brayton's mum Tammy was still in shock so her husband Steve went with Colin for support. The four of them, Brayton's parents and their spouses, were co-parents and close friends and together the two men walked to the room where Brayton had been transported, Brayton's father and his stepfather. They saw that the 14-year-old had been stabbed multiple times. They saw wounds in his head and chest. His shoulder length dark

hair was stained with blood. To Colin the whole thing was a blur but one thing he remembers clearly was that he and Steve both looked at each other and said Nick. Luckily he had already arrived at the station. The intake officers were told that Nick was in custody because he bumped into Constable Neville but they were also told not to worry about the official process of lodging him because it was not expected that Nick's charges would stick. It was true while Nick had originally been arrested and charged with obstructing police this had been downgraded to breach of the peace and would now likely be dropped but Nick wasn't aware of these changes. The intake officers were told that he

was quote an emotional kid who's out of control. The plan was to put him in an interview room which would need to be locked when no one was there with him. They also made a note to keep him away from any phones. Before too long two investigators came in to start the interview. Nick asked if they were going to read him his rights but one of the officers replied and said that he wasn't charged with anything quote and you don't need a lawyer we're just here shooting the shit that's all we're trying to help you okay. Nick was told that when he'd finished giving his statement they were going to drive him home. With that the officers asked Nick to tell them everything that had happened that day. He told them that he'd walked to the convenience store

with Brayton. There he purchased some drinks for them both and a packet of gum. Nick said he put his baseball cap on Brayton's head gave him a hug and said see you later then they parted ways. Nick told police he went back to Leonard's apartment for a bit. Brayton didn't say where he was going but Nick assumed it was back to the townhouse. Nick added that it was only after he returned to the townhouse himself that he discovered Brayton wasn't there so he said he left to look for his cousin stopping in at Leonard's to enlist some friends to help and they found him there at Lucky's Bush a large undeveloped parkland known for bush parties and students who wanted to smoke weed and hide and the entrance to it was

only minutes walk from both the apartment where Nick was staying with his friend Leonard and the townhouse where Kyla was babysitting. Nick told the police he had nothing to do with his cousin's death he said he and Brayton got on well and he was happy to see his cousin again after a few months away in British Columbia and Alberta but police noticed a glaring inconsistency in the story. Nick had led his friends right to the location where Brayton's body was in Lucky's bush but he told police that at no point that night did he and Brayton go into the bush together so how did he know where his cousin was? There was a recreation centre near the entrance to Lucky's bush and one of the officers asked Nick if there was any chance he'd be seen on the centre's

surveillance cameras. With this question Nick changed his story he said actually he and Brayton had walked into Lucky's bush to smoke a joint but he couldn't remember if it was that night or another night. Eventually he settled on it being the same night. He told the officers that while they were there two random guys came up and asked Brayton if he had a cigarette. Brayton said he didn't and one of the guys pulled out a knife. According to Nick he wanted to get out of there and told Brayton to come with but his cousin wanted to stay behind. Nick told the officers that he left and walked to the recreation centre washroom where he washed his hands and relieved himself. He said he then went back to Leonard's apartment and convinced his friends to come back

and help Brayton. When asked why he hadn't mentioned this earlier Nick said he could not justify why he was going back to Lucky's bush so late at night and admitted that he'd changed his story but didn't offer any more relevant or helpful information. The officers circled back quote you just finished telling us that two guys just pulled a knife on your cousin and then you walk across and go to the washroom. Nick was asked if he thought to tell anybody around or at the rec centre that his cousin Brayton was in trouble down there. Nick said he did Leonard that's why he then went over to his apartment just around the corner. The officer replied yeah it's just around the corner but you took the time out to have a piss in the rec. Nick said he had to go. The officer

said if somebody pulls a shank on my cousin a guy I really like and haven't seen in a while and I'm so scared I want to get the hell out of there I'm going to be making a beeline for help not stopping for a piss and then going to Leonard's. The officers noted that Nick had a cut on his neck and his face as well as some redness and small cuts on his hands near his knuckles. When asked about it Nick told them that he did not know how or when he was cut. After about an hour of questions the situation had changed. The officers realised that Nick the person they thought they were questioning as a witness might actually be the one who killed Brayton. Nick was left by himself in the interview room as the police conferred about what to do next. During this time he was

being monitored and the cameras captured him speaking to himself. This is what he said then bastards I'll fucking kill you both fucking want to stab my cousin you fucking silly ass bunch of dickheads there's so many expletives it's almost difficult to hear him say want to stab my cousin so 911 had been called at 9 13 p.m. around five hours later at 2 a.m. Nick Bullock was arrested for Brayton's first degree murder according to court documents he uttered various expletives as he was arrested he was cautioned and read his rights and immediately asked if he could speak with his mother and a lawyer two hours later the officers interviewed Nick again this time in the presence of his mother Nick again reiterated that he did not stab his cousin

when starting the interview they explained to Nick's mother what had happened and what Nick had told them in his earlier statement he interjected by protesting that he didn't know that making the previous statement was voluntary and no one had told him that he did not have to be there in response the officers explained that it was because he'd originally been interviewed as a witness but because of his inconsistent statements they changed their minds The Bullock family were reeling in shock they had no idea what to do next the only thing they knew was that they had to stay together after leaving the hospital they congregated in the basement of Colin and his wife Teresa's house and when nightfall came none of them could bear to leave it was a

life-changing event for their family so they stayed the night and then the Bullock family and then the Bullock family stayed camping out in the basement of Colin and Teresa's house the next night and the next while they waited for Brayton's body to be released from autopsy after 10 days the family finally emerged out of their bubble with no choice but to deal with the harshness of the reality they found themselves in while they had grown up with funerals being a normal part of life no one could have prepared them for the day of Brayton's funeral over a thousand people attended the service the biggest that had ever been held in the city of Barrie at the time with people bursting out the doors and spilling out into the grounds

with lots of extra chairs Brayton had touched so many people with his positive energy incredible laugh and wide smile as you'll remember he loved the Knights of the Round Table and left behind a treasure trove of night drawings plans research and of course that fiction book he was writing with Matt his stepbrother and close friend Brayton was buried in a real knight's armor his mum Tammy told the congregation it was fitting quote he was my knight in shining armor nobody is going to hurt him again dad Colin described the whole service as being a blur he also remembered not being able to stop shaking because he was so angry about what had happened see the autopsy results were in Brayton had 13 stab wounds on his body at least one of the wounds

was inflicted with such force such rage that the knife went through his skull and entered his brain and he didn't have much of a chance to fight back the report concluded it was likely one of the first stab wounds that inflicted the fatal damage and essentially incapacitated him Brayton's death would have been quick his young life over in seconds but the attack continued after that much longer than what was necessary Brayton had been stabbed in his face his eye his neck in his heart as well as his back and arms it was an attack of white hot rage he still had that ecstasy tablet in his back pocket Brayton's entire family were grieving and angry but they needed to hang in there so they could find out what had happened

they still had absolutely no idea Brayton was well liked and had no enemies why would Nick do this to him maybe the answer was just that simple the trial began in January of 2009 almost three years after Brayton was murdered given that this was a family affair with one teenage cousin on trial for the murder of another you might expect that family relations would be strained but they never blamed Sean Nick's father for what had happened and Sean was always remorseful about what his son had done Nick's mother was of course on her son's side at trial she pleaded to Colin Brayton's father don't kill my son please don't kill my son the crown did not offer a solid motive for Brayton's

murder and would present no evidence that there was any animosity between Brayton and Nick the court heard that the reason for the attack was likely simple both boys came from the same family and both had parents that divorced when they were younger but their experiences differed Brayton's parents got on well together shared custody of him and Brayton remained their focus he was a grade A student a solid character and was well liked by everyone on the other hand Nick's parents were not in agreement when it came to co-parenting there were likely other factors that impacted Nick's behavior but he was described as defiant a loner the family pariah who refused to go to school bummed around and got into drugs their fathers were brothers

and while Brayton was able to enjoy the benefits and support of a close-knit extended family Nick through no fault of his own could not the crown presented the relevant testimony and evidence as proof of what happened their theory was this on march the 9th 2006 Nick Bullock was no longer enrolled in school but he was in the area taking some shifts with his mother's partner's roofing business after work he went to the apartment of his friend Leonard where he'd arranged to spend the night Nick's life had spiralled out of control and he was not dealing well with his problems he'd bounced from Uncle Terry's to Vancouver to Alberta before ending up back with his mother in Barrie Ontario he bounced from there and into a cheap hotel he paid for

with her credit card he was out of there now and that cold winter's night Nick had arranged to sleep on the couch of his friend Leonard's apartment he changed out of his work clothes and then went to the bank with another friend to cash a work check the friend testified that on the way he showed her a gold colored knife with holes in it after he'd cashed the check the two returned to Leonard's apartment at about 6 30 p.m 16 year old Nick took two ecstasy pills stayed for half an hour and then went to use the computer of another friend who lived in the same building this is when he used MSN messenger to chat with Brayton at the townhouse with Kyla the crown told the court that at around 7 30 p.m Nick left the apartment Brayton had agreed to meet him at a nearby park

after meeting up Nick took Brayton back to Leonard's apartment and introduced him to some mutual friends as well as Leonard's mother and her boyfriend they only stayed for a few minutes and during that time no one detected any animosity between the two cousins through more testimony the jury heard about how Brayton and Nick went back to the townhouse where Kyla was staying Nick gave them the ecstasy and showed them the knife and then left with Brayton to go to the convenience store this was around 8 30 p.m the court heard that they never made it to the convenience store instead Nick pulled his cousin into Lucky's bush and once inside the bush's dark cover he took out the knife and stabbed Brayton 13 times including in his head brain face eye chest heart

and back this was a vicious violent attack and there was absolutely no explanation for it the court heard that after the attack Nick attempted to concoct a backstory complete with fabricated footprint and evidence the crown presented surveillance footage that showed Nick heading out of the woods and up to the rec center he dumped the copper or gold colored knife in the garbage bin and the police found it there afterwards there was also evidence that Nick had attempted a personal cleanup in the rec center washroom where traces of blood were found in various places when tested it was found to be his own blood as you remember when Nick first went to the police station the officers noted that he had a cut on his neck and face and some redness and small

cuts on his hands for the next part of the plan Nick had to show face at the convenience store the surveillance footage captured him and only him as he purchased drinks and some gum Brayton was not there at any point the crown alleged that Nick was planning to tell police that Brayton was with him and so that's why he used his debit card instead of the cash he was carrying to prove he was there and of course he bought two drinks with Nick believing he had that piece of evidence taken care of he arrived back at Leonard's apartment alone according to court documents he was wet thanks to that cleanup he did at the rec center and so he went to Leonard's bathroom and changed out of his jeans and t-shirt then put them into his backpack police later found the jeans they

had Brayton's blood on them his blood was also found on Nick's winter coat the court heard that once Nick had changed his clothes he went back to the townhouse spoke to Kyla and pretended to be surprised that Brayton wasn't already there Karen the woman who owned the townhouse testified about him looking fidgety before he left to look for Brayton again the jury heard that minutes later Leonard answered the door to his apartment nearby to see Nick there in a panic by now it was just after 9 p.m according to Leonard and their mutual friends Nick frantically told them that his cousin Brayton was in trouble the one he'd introduced them to earlier he said a few guys had grabbed Brayton and dragged him into Lackey's bush the group left straight away

ran over to the bush and Nick pointed down a hill to an area where he said Brayton was under attack from two strangers they got down there by the creek and there was 14 year old Brayton lying on the ground the others watched as Nick ran over and knelt down beside his cousin checked for a pulse and placed his hand on the side of Brayton's chest he shouted that Brayton was dead and hugged his cousin's body with big exaggerated movements his friends testified that Nick was visibly upset very emotional distraught hysterical crying and freaking out they saw him punch a few trees and roll around in the bloody snow around Brayton's body the crown told the jury that this display was intended to throw off the police evidence and the emotional

hysteria was likely to have been Nick attempting to give what he thought was the appropriate response other evidence presented included Brayton's black toke and Nick's baseball cap which were both found within five meters of Brayton's body down in the bush the defence argued that Brayton and Nick were good friends but that night they got into a family dispute quote there are no facts to show that he planned the killing but rather it happened during an argument between the two cousins Nick's defense lawyer told the jury that this argument combined with the fact that Nick was high on ecstasy was what caused him to murder Brayton to stab his 14 year old cousin 13 times so hard that the knife went into his brain not surprisingly the Bullock

family do not have anything complementary to say about the defense's case it seemed like a ridiculous stretch to state that ecstasy and a teenage argument can cause a violent rage-filled attack on a 14 year old and Nick had been carrying around that knife in a threatening way that night he'd shown it to his friend earlier and then to Brayton and Kyla at the townhouse but the defense had another angle to argue Nick Bullock's lawyer launched into the well-known and utterly deplorable strategy of blaming the victim the Bullock family watched in shock as the defense put together a weak narrative that Brayton had emotional issues of his own because of his parents separation not only was it not true but there was also no proof and no evidence of this

Colin recalled a moment when the defense implied that Brayton who never got into any serious trouble and was a straight A student may have also been involved with a gang the inference was that that made him and Nick two peas in a pod while these defense arguments didn't seem to make much of a dent in the crown's case what they did do was inflict new wounds on Brayton's family and then throw salt in them as for Nick he was never observed to show any sign of emotion on his face the entire trial but the Bullock family who were represented there every day had felt gut punch after gut punch they'd lost Brayton and they knew nothing could ever bring him back

but their experience dealing with the criminal justice system was crushing and left them feeling revictimized unfortunately it's a byproduct of the system's design the criminal justice system was designed to focus on just that the criminals and sadly those on the side of the victim feel it every step of the way they're left out they're under prioritized and continuously retraumatized as everyone focuses on the rights of the criminal and it starts right from the beginning according to the canadian resource center for victims of crime when the loss first happens their loved ones often feel insecure and don't know who to trust or rely on for support they suffer physically emotionally psychologically and financially from their victimization

they're often so stricken with grief that they can't work and struggle to hold down their jobs and with this loss of income comes poverty and destitution this happened to Colin and Tammy and their families while a victim assistance program helped them navigate the legal system and better understand the court's proceedings they had to go searching for other assistance available to victims of crime including therapies and financial assistance they discovered that there were over a thousand groups in Canada set up to help victims but the problem was they seemed to work in silos offering overlapping services and it was overwhelming to sort through it all without guidance there seemed to be no central service no place to start and they got buried in red tape

often encountering barriers to access like requests for referrals from police or other early responders and as families try to put their own lives back together after tragic loss they have to navigate the ongoing complexities of the criminal justice system and the effects it has on them for example the publication ban because nick bullock was a young offender his identity was protected under the youth criminal justice act but because they all had the same last name Brayton's name was also put under publication ban his family were not allowed to mention his name in conjunction with the crime he was referred to in the press as a 14 year old boy a nameless and faceless victim there was no honouring Brayton as the victim the funeral announcement couldn't say what

happened to him or connect him to the crime it could only say that he'd passed away suddenly as Colin put it to journalist Tracy McLaughlin for the Toronto Sun quote the day my son died is the day he lost his identity we all lost our identity nick bullock now 20 years old was found guilty of first degree murder and the crime was determined to be serious enough to have him sentenced as an adult which meant the publication ban was removed psychiatrist Lindley Bassoff described as an expert in youth forensic issues testified at the sentencing hearing he diagnosed nick with quote signs of psychopathy a lack of empathy a sense of his own superiority and a likelihood of committing further crimes

quote it's possible he could be a psychopath but we can't tell until a later age he also said his diagnosis might not be complete because nick refused to talk about the murder after his lawyer advised him not to now while you might think that a family's right to give a victim impact statement at sentencing is a given that's not at all the case the bullock family were at first told they couldn't submit one and Brayton's mum Tammy had to fight for it in the end the statement they submitted was heavily censored by the court who argued that it went against Nick's rights nick was also given the chance to say something to the family before he was sentenced he would be getting the maximum sentence for first degree murder anyway so what did he have to lose

he chose to say nothing in describing the sentence justice Alfred Strong described Brayton Bullock as a loving energetic respectful outgoing young man with a wonderful disposition the crime was described as chilling cold and calculated quote this was unfathomable violence caused by nick bullock nick was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole before 10 years the maximum a judge could sentence him to as a young offender that would bring him to 2019 the judge told the court that if nick were released from prison he would be worried for the bullock family as court adjourned Brayton's parents Colin and Tammy wept and hugged each other and their family members because the publication ban had been lifted they could now speak openly about their

beloved Brayton and what they'd been through they spoke to the press and applauded the judge's decision to sentence nick as an adult but Tammy described themselves as a broken and incomplete family quote no justice in the world will make us whole again as for nick's refusal to say anything to the family Colin told journalist Tracy McLaughlin that they just needed to know why quote the silence is killing us we need to hear his voice something anything to explain why he took my boy my little buddy the family had been going through it when it came to the stages of grief denial anger bargaining depression but getting to acceptance was hard when nick would not provide a reason and another piece of collateral damage is the loss of friends

Colin discovered that losing their only son to murder really showed them who their real friends were quote all you're left with are family and a small number of true friends I asked him why he thinks friends leave he said they just don't know how to talk to someone experiencing that level of grief they can't deal with the trauma of it all and feel it's putting them down and there's also an unspoken expectation that you should be over it by a certain time or at least appear to be over it when in their presence they get frustrated when they see you're not but what they don't understand is that you're now a different person there's no getting past it Colin said that's what this level of loss does the family channeled their frustrations into activism for victims of

crime they joined with others who saw a need to close the gap between the rights of perpetrators and the rights of the victims victims survivors and their families needed to know what to expect and where they could go for help Brayton's mother Tammy along with his aunt Cheryl were instrumental in the organization of a walk for justice and conference that hoped to shine the light on the situation improved the rights of victims and their families and to show support to families who were starting their own journey through the legal system they started putting together a giant list of all the different services available from both the government and other organizations with the intention of packaging it together as a resource that could be handed to other families

in the early stages of their loss it would tell them exactly where they needed to go first and what they needed to do to start getting assistance and advocating for themselves and their rights the bullocks were also consulted in the development of a new Canadian victims bill of rights which sought to provide a balance to the established legal rights of the criminal Colin's wife Teresa told the Sudbury star that crime suspects are immediately read their rights and given access to a lawyer who tells them what to expect as they make their way through the legal system but victims she said are often not given the same level of information the establishment of the victims bill of rights in 2015 was a great achievement and details that

victims have the right to information protection participation and the right to seek restitution there was still a way to go but through their new connections the family were able to start and continue some important conversations during next prison sentence he bounced between about seven different prisons most of them maximum security the family were told that there are only two situations in which this would happen one he was getting transferred for his own protection or two he was getting transferred for the prison's protection because of Nick's propensity to get into trouble he was always put in some variation of solitary confinement in 2017 the very real problem of solitary confinement was the subject of a court case in bc and nick decided to speak publicly

about it taking a call with cbc news from his then prison in new brunswick in the piece journalist ellison crawford reported that nick said there were quote other ways to go about handling things and segregating people he added that the isolation was getting to him quote we're still human beings like locking anyone in a room for 23 hours a day and only giving them a shower every other day and having limited contact with people is not the correct way to go about reforming people you're making them worse you're making them less able to integrate into society you're making them more likely to have mental health issues which will not only potentially put people in danger in the public but suck up resources in the public too nick made some very valid points but to the bullock

family it seems strange for him to beg for compassion when he still had yet to take accountability for killing brayton he hadn't even so much as expressed remorse or issued the expected half hearted apology and his lawyer was preparing an appeal despite all of the moving around and the segregation nick was still productive in prison according to journalist tracy McLaughlin he completed his high school diploma and took two music courses nick's lawyers ended up appealing and if you listened to the last episode of this podcast the grounds for appeal in this case are going to make you scream his legal team argued that the police violated the youth criminal justice act when it came to the statement nick gave before they changed their minds about his involvement let's go through

it as you'll remember when he was first brought to the station it was as a witness and the police had already made their first mistake by not telling him that he did not have to go to the police station if he didn't want to the officer who settled nick in the interview room also did not tell him why he was brought to the station nick was not told that even though he'd been originally charged for obstructing the police that charge was lowered then dropped he didn't know that he was no longer in custody no longer being detained he was not told that he could leave at any time and that he did not have to provide a statement and then his official interview the one where the investigators started off thinking he was a key witness but changed their minds the more they heard his side

of the story as you remember early on nick himself actually asked them if they were going to read him his rights and they explained why they weren't and also told him he didn't need a lawyer because they were just shooting the shit under the young offenders act if nick was detained at that time he needed to have a parent or adult present at his trial the judge had ruled that he had not been detained at the time so the officers did not have to take those steps under the youth criminal justice act but at appeal nick's legal team argued that he actually had been detained at the time and because the police made so many errors in regards to nick's rights it meant his statement and its inconsistencies should not have been admissible in court

during the appeal process nick's legal team also tried to have fresh evidence admitted it was related to that scuffle he had with constable jason neville who originally put him in a headlock and arrested him for obstruction of justice before handcuffing him and putting him in the police cruiser according to neville his actions were in response to nick shoving him but nick's friends testified that they didn't see that happen they only saw the officer restraining the 16 year old with a brachial stun as i said earlier this would become important later on four years after the trial constable neville was involved in a completely separate incident that had some compelling similarities to his involvement with nick bullock that day

according to court documents constable jason neville was dispatched to deal with a fight that had broken out at a mall and ended up getting into a violent altercation with one of the people involved neville administered several blows to the head and body of the civilian who was taken to hospital with significant injuries constable neville's story was that he was provoked and therefore justified in his actions but it all came apart when surveillance video surfaced that showed constable neville's story was not true the video showed what was described as a sudden and violent attack by neville who inflicted numerous blows to the head and body of the civilian and once the injured man was taken to hospital neville instructed security officers to wash away

the considerable amount of blood that had been left after the attack he ended up being charged and convicted of several counts of causing bodily harm as well as fabricating evidence and obstructing the course of justice he resigned from the barry police service and his appeal was dismissed jason neville served a year in prison and was released in 2014 now when it came to neville's interaction with nick bullock nick's lawyer argued that the same thing may have happened there and neville may not have been provoked by nick as he claimed and the problem with this was that at brayton bullock's trial the judge relied on constable neville's testimony to inform nick's overall credibility the judge ruled not to admit this new evidence about former constable neville

but it was a moot point the appeal itself was successful without it in june of 2018 the ontario court of appeal ordered a new trial they found that police quote failed to take the proper care in dealing with a young offender and overturned nick's guilty verdict but seven months later the day before that trial was supposed to begin crown lawyers took the bullock family into a room sat them down and delivered the news that there would be no trial the crown wanted to avoid a trial for several reasons so they were going to allow nick to plead guilty to a lesser charge than the first degree murder he'd been convicted of on february the 13th 2019 nick bullock pleaded guilty to manslaughter the judge said quote

the immediate concern was for himself he tried to give himself an alibi it was calculated thinking but the judge was of the opinion that nick was remorseful for his actions and that people had to quote consider that some rehabilitation must have occurred given the amount of time nick served so even though there was no evidence that nick had participated or expressed interest in any rehabilitation programs he hadn't communicated or demonstrated any remorse for killing brayton he'd been moved from prison to prison due to problematic and violent behavior and was currently in maximum security the judge wanted the court to believe that he had achieved rehabilitation just through the simple passage of time with that she sentenced nick to the amount of time

he'd already served which was 13 years at 29 years old he was released from maximum security prison straight into the community as a free man and while nick's defense was that he was high on ecstasy when he killed brayton he was not banned from drugs or alcohol upon his release brayton's family thought that under the circumstances nick would be monitored when he got out of prison but that wasn't on the cards either he was only banned from owning weapons and also from contacting the bullock family they were devastated and felt betrayed by this plea deal manslaughter all planning and intent to kill had been removed so even though nick ferociously stabbed brayton 13 times he somehow didn't mean to kill him as his mother tammy would put it how can you savagely stab

someone to death without intent the family also questioned the integration plan they'd been told about they were well aware that the canadian criminal justice system is built on a principle of rehabilitation and the plan was for nick's eventual reintegration back into society they were prepared for that but they also understood that there would be evidence of rehabilitation and remorse and some record of good behavior not to mention a plan for how nick a 29 year old who'd been in prison since he was 16 was going to integrate himself from a maximum security prison back into the community ironically for the bullock family it felt like they had now been stabbed in the back navigating the justice system as the family of a victim is harrowing

and they felt re victimized at every turn and after all the effort they'd put in with their advocacy and activism work and all the work they saw others doing too nothing had changed the criminal had far more rights than the victim they were also scared tammy told journalist tracy mcgloughlin that nick had been released to live in the same area of barry that she lived and she lived in fear that one day she would walk into a grocery store and come face to face with a man who stabbed her only child to death and nick had continued to demonstrate violence in the year before he was released he had accrued a new charge for assaulting a police officer in prison which was still pending the bullock family had lost numerous friends over

the years and now that nick was out again there was fear of retaliation upon the bullock family and anyone who associated with them but most of all brayton's parents felt they'd let him down failed him tammy said i'm sorry that your life meant nothing colin added i feel like i failed him i just want to tell him i'm sorry buddy i'm just so so sorry shawn nick's father passed away from terminal cancer in hospice he and colin had a heart to heart about what had happened and shawn told his brother that he blamed himself for what nick had done colin made sure to tell him shawn it's not your fault you did nothing wrong even though brayton was an only child his parents were good friends and co-parents before his death and remain

that today the family has continued to raise awareness of the problems with balance in the justice system and the changes that need to be made to lessen the blows suffered by those on the side of victims and survivors in the 15 years since brayton's death tammy and colin have both received multiple awards for their efforts including the queen's jubilee medal in 2014 tammy received the victim services award for helping train police officers to be more sensitive quote tammy's perspective on the lasting impact of the words actions and processes of police officers on victims has helped the officers better prepare for the incidents they attend the family knows there is still work to be done and look forward to more changes they'd like to

see more funding for victim services and for victim service organizations specializing more instead of overlapping their offerings and on the victim advocacy side colin wishes it was more centralized instead of splintering into local groups fighting for different things families need to fight together for change he says and to make sure that they're on the same page about what needs to be changed according to the canadian resource center for victims of crime the objectives set out in the victims bill of rights have not been met and it's time for a review for example in the six years since the bill was enacted its integration into the justice system has been sporadic and inconsistent there are limited training opportunities for criminal justice

officials and how to deal with the victims in a sensitive manner and there's no public education effort to inform citizens of their rights if they find themselves victims common complaints include victims finding out about trials after they've occurred and when they discover they have a right to submit a victim impact statement it's often after the deadline has passed they're often not told about changes to the offender's incarceration status and there have been instances where a victim has accidentally come into contact with them after they've been released there is a role for the public to play in this because we never know when we might find ourselves in that position look out for victim advocacy and service groups in your area learn about their situation

and challenges and if you can help them attend events and join the fight you can also contact your local MP or the federal ombudsman for victims of crime see the show notes for a link to resources including the canadian victims bill of rights a pre-written email to send to your local MP and some key websites related to helping victims of crime and their families on march the 9th 2021 the bullock family remembered brayton bullock on the 15 year anniversary of his death they have been through so much but a closer than ever today brayton would have been 29 years old i asked collin what he might be doing if he were alive today he thought for a minute before replying whatever he wanted collin suggested we end the

episode with a reading of the poem brayton wrote when he was just 11 that eerily prophetic poem that demonstrated his uncanny ability to sense things here is my identity read by his father collin i just wanted to leave you with this when brayton was 12 years old he had to do a school project and it was called my identity within the book it had brayton described his physical self him and his family the sports he liked who he admired world issues and under world issues and how to change them this is what he said i wonder what would happen if there is no such thing as murders i think it would be a good thing because people would walk around feeling a lot safer there would be less feuds within family people would still get

hurt but fewer people would die there would be fewer people wanting revenge there would be no need for the death penalty since no one would be put to death for killing someone else i think the population would be happy because their family and friends would live longer it would be a lot better world if there is no such thing as murders thanks for listening and special thanks to collin bullock for all of his help and input into this episode and also to rodney stafford for connecting us collin told me he enjoys talking about brayton and wanted to tell the complete story through this episode so we spent many hours on the phone to get all those extra details thanks also to tammy sharyl kyla and the rest of brayton's family for their help activism and positivity

this is a special family canadian true crime donates regularly to canadian charitable organizations that help victims and survivors of injustice this month we have donated to the canadian resource center for victims of crime who offer support research and education to survivors victims and their families you can learn more at crcvc.ca or see a link in the show notes today's podcast recommendation is i'm not a monster it's a bbc news podcast and it tells the story of sam a single mom from indiana in the u.s who married a man from morocco who she says tricked her into moving to the center of the isis caliphate in raca syria shockingly her 10-year-old son would be featured in an isis propaganda video that was seen around the world

and there's chilling audio of sam's husband teaching him how to take apart a loaded gun and put together a suicide bomb and while sam says she was forced there through her husband's trickery her friends and family say she's a known thrill seeker and there is some suspicion that she might not be telling the truth journalist josh bake at goes to the u.s and to syria to investigate and discover the truth about her actions was she forced to go or did she volunteer i have been binging this podcast it's called i'm not a monster and it's been nominated for all kinds of awards check it out canadian true crime is a completely independent production funded through advertising and the generosity of supporters thank you to everyone who listens

who writes and reviews the podcast and who supports us on patreon and supercast to learn more about these episodes and for full credits and resources see the page for this episode at canadiantruecrime.ca slash episodes while you're there you can submit case suggestions follow the show on twitter facebook and instagram and learn more about how to get early ad free episodes and bonus content via the exclusive feed for supporters thanks to the host of true for voicing the disclaimer and also to we talk of dreams who compose the theme song i'll be back soon with another canadian true crime story see you then