Canadian True Crime - Brent and Brendan McGuigan

Episode Date: March 15, 2019

From PEI, the story of a family feud that lasted for decades - in the eyes of one man who couldn’t get past his obsession. Look out for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast. Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The last couple of episodes have been mammoth ones, so this week I'm bringing you a case that, quite frankly, I didn't quite know what to do with. It's a shocking story out of PEI that comes with many twists and turns, but the direction this case would eventually take means that there just wasn't enough information available to produce an episode at my usual preferred length of 45 to 60 minutes. Does that mean the story shouldn't get told in its own shorter,

and sweet away, I have decided that this week it doesn't. This podcast contains coarse language, adult themes, and content of a violent and disturbing nature. Listener discretion is advised. Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet is presented in the context of a family feud between the Capulets and the Montague's. It seems fitting that this story of family feud took place in a city called Montague on the coast of Prince Edward Island. But in this feud, there was only one side, because this feud occurred in the mind of one man, and that one man's obsession would cause him to go down a dark path as he plotted his revenge. This is Christy, and you're listening to Canadian True Crime, Episode 42.

It was August the 20th, 2014. An elementary school teacher Kim McGuigan was at home with her three young children waiting for her husband Brendan to get home. Kim was about five months pregnant with their fourth child and just that day had gone with the kids to see an ultrasound. All was well with the baby and Kim and Brendan had stayed firm in their resolve to keep the gender a surprise. With the summer winding down the kids were looking forward to enjoying the last late night watching TV with their dad before getting back to the school bedtime routine. But first, 39-year-old driver Brendan wanted to stop by at his dad's house quickly after dinner. His father, 69-year-old Brent, had been putting together a piece of backyard machinery

and Brendan wanted to see how he was doing. As Brendan was leaving for his parents' house, his youngest daughter asked to go with him. But she was tired and Kim wanted her to stay home, so Brendan left on his own. His parents, Brent and Marie McGuigan, lived about 10 kilometres south of the city of Montague in a little brown bungalow on a treed lot. After Brendan arrived and exchanged greetings with both parents, he went to chat with his dad Brent at the kitchen table while his mother Marie went into the adjoining room. Suddenly, from where she sat, she heard loud noises and then the words,

My sister. She called into the kitchen as she got up to see what happened, but when she entered, she saw her husband Brent and son Brendan on the floor and blood everywhere. Emergency services were called at 9.16 p.m. And then Marie called next door to her daughter Donna. She was screaming, so Donna raced straight over. Marie hadn't seen anything. By the time she made it to the kitchen, the shooter had fled.

The kitchen window looked out into the front yard, but Marie said she didn't even see a vehicle pull away from the house. Back at Brendan's house, his wife Kim was still watching TV with her older kids when her phone rang at 9.30pm. It was Brendan's sister Donna, telling Kim that she had to get to their parents' house immediately. Donna also insisted that Kim come alone, the children needed to stay behind. So Kim rushed her kids over to a neighbour and headed to her in-law's house.

Kim's main fear was that her husband was hurt. He liked to go four-wheeling on his parents' property, so her mind went immediately to the idea that he might have flipped the four-wheeler. She expected she was going to need to bring her husband to the hospital. Kim was not prepared for what she walked to. into. Her brother-in-law was on the porch, obviously distraught. Inside the kitchen, she saw Donna giving CPR to her father, Brent. They were both covered in blood. Kim then noticed her husband, Brendan, lying on the floor as well, also lying in blood. She ran over to him and pleaded with

him to come back to her. The McGuiggins lived in a remote area and it took first responders nearly 20 minutes to arrive at the home. A nearby neighbor who was an ER nurse did all she could to help, but it was hopeless. Sixty-eight-year-old Brent and his son, 39-year-old Brendan, had been shot at least 13 times total, with some bullets going through their hands as they raised their arms to defend themselves. They were both pronounced dead. When police arrived, they taped the area off as a crime scene, and set up roadblocks. They also used police dogs to search the woods surrounding the property

in the hopes of tracking the killer. Neither of these methods led the police to the gunman. Meanwhile, the RCMP's major crime unit was called in. As they were being briefed by the local police at around 1.30 in the morning, a phone call came in from a man named Jeremy Vuzzo. On the phone with him was his wife Nicole. They reported that at around midnight, Jeremy's 46-year-old brother Alfred had shown up at their home unexpectedly.

Alfred told Jeremy and Nicole that he, quote, got them. He then told Jeremy the details of how he'd killed the two men at the McGuigan home. He also told his brother that he had weapons in the car. The RCMP knew that arresting Alfred could be dangerous if he was. was armed. They quickly established his vehicle was at the home he shared with his mother, and they waited for a warrant to enter his home for this high-risk arrest. But at 7.45 a.m., Alfred walked out of his home voluntarily and was arrested without incident. While Alfred had told Jeremy where the murders had taken place, he didn't need to. Jeremy knew, as soon as Alfred

said, he got them. Because Jeremy, knew his brother Alfred harboured a lifelong grudge against the McGuigan family. And in the last two years, he had spoken more and more about his desire to seek revenge. To get to the root of the grudge, we have to go back 44 years before the McGuigan murders, to the night of November 19, 1970. The Vuzzo family was driving home through a rural, area of Prince Edward Island. Alfred Vuzzo Sr. was driving the family's panel van. His wife, Bernice, nine-year-old daughter Kathy and two-year-old son Alfred Jr. were also in the vehicle.

While traveling down a straight road, they passed through an intersection where they had the right of way. At the same time as they passed through, another man driving a truck came upon the same intersection, except he had a stop sign, but he didn't see it and didn't stop. Alfred Sr. glanced to the side of the family van he was driving and saw the lights of the truck as he went through the intersection, right before the truck smashed into the side of his van. The impact of the crash sent 9-year-old Kathy through the windshield of the family's van, and she landed in a ditch. She died at the scene.

When police arrived, Bernice and her two-year-old son Alfred Jr. had bruising but were generally okay. Alfred Sr. was wandering outside the van, dazed. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. The driver of the truck was found in his vehicle on the floor. He was alive but appeared confused over what had happened. The constable at the scene smelled alcohol and noticed. the driver's watery eyes. The name of this truck driver was Herb McGuigan, the father of Brent, and the grandfather of Brendan. Herb McGuigan was arrested and charged with criminal negligence causing death. He was found guilty of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and was sentenced to nine months in jail. Additionally, he was given a 12-month driving probation

after he was released from prison. According to the Vuzzo family, who had of course buried their oldest child, this was a sentence that was far too short, and the family wasn't alone in their view. It was also noted in the media that this was considered a lenient sentence. According to Alfred Jr., his father attended Herb's trial every day.

He was subjected to gruesome picket of the accident scene, including those of the body of his nine-year-old daughter Kathy who lost her life. Kathy had since been buried in a graveyard in Montague with a headstone that read, Walk softly, a dream lies here. As Alfred Sr. and Bernice struggled to deal with their grief, they argued often. While Bernice dealt with her anxiety quietly, Alfred Sr.'s depression became severe enough, for him to seek inpatient treatment at a hospital. Alfred would later describe his home life at the time as just misery.

Quote, there wasn't a second of happiness. Alfred came to believe that his parents' mental health struggles and everything that had gone wrong in his family began with the death of his older sister. He himself struggled through school, having difficulties both socially and academically. He had no success-making friends. And at age 15, he dropped out of school altogether

after he couldn't manage to pass grade 8. Not long after this, he turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. At one point, he used solvents and smoked pot, later saying that the effects of it were lasting. He called it a toxic effect, perhaps giving a clue to his own mental state. As an adult, he never seemed to be able to get his life together. People would continue to describe him as a bit of a loner, someone who wasn't overly talkative.

One relative said he laughed at inappropriate times. As for romantic relationships, he did have one serious relationship at one point, and they did live together in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a time, but other than that, he mostly lived with his mother. He worked a series of jobs and was able to make a few friends among his co-workers. But his deep grudge toward Herb McGuigan continued to grow. He now believed that Herb was the sole source of his parents' problems, and by extension, his own.

Even though Herb himself was now deceased, he'd actually passed away just five years after the accident while Alfred was still a child. And this grudge that outlived both Herb McGuigan and Alfred Senior, the drivers of the two cars, is what led Alfred to the McGuigan home over 40 years later. His desire for revenge had started to occupy all of his thoughts. Years later, he would tell forensic psychiatrist Dr. Peter Terrio

that he felt that Kathy would have wanted him to get revenge. revenge too. After Alfred was arrested, he agreed to speak with police and he told them not just about his sister Kathy's death in the car accident, but also about two other incidents between the families that were evidence, in his mind at least, of a lingering feud between them. One of these incidents occurred in the 1980s. Alfred's mother, Bernice, was attending a dance at a local legion. She saw Ivan McGuigan, the son of Herb, the man who was driving the truck that killed her daughter.

She went up to Ivan, hit him, and told him his father was a monster. For some reason, Alfred told police that it was not Ivan there, but his brother Brent involved in this incident. In a statement, Ivan recalled the incident, but he didn't remember it being anything major, and afterwards everyone just went back to dancing.

He had no idea that Bernice had told Alfred about it, and he also had no idea that Alfred viewed it as evidence of a feud. The other incident that Alfred believed was evidence of a feud was from 2009 when he was working at the Department of Transportation and Public Works. According to Alfred, a co-worker named David Nive. McGuigan, no relation, had been bullying him over a period of time. This culminated in a physical confrontation. David was suspended from work for three days without pay, and Alfred was given a written reprimand. This was more likely just two men who did not like each other, but to Alfred, it was targeted

because he was a Vuzzo, and David was a McGuigan. What Alfred did not. didn't mention to the police in any of his statements were the number of times the Vuzzo and McGuigan family shared space without issue, like when Ivan McGuigan and Alfred Vuzzo Sr. worked together and got along well. But Alfred did not know either Brent or Brendan personally. He simply knew that they were related to Herb McGuigan. The murders of the McGuigan men and the arrest of Alfred Vuzzo shook the town of Montague, in part because of how many people knew or knew of both of the families. This area of Canada is not densely populated. In 2018, Montague and several surrounding municipalities combined to form a new town called Three Rivers. The population of

three rivers is only around 7,000 people total, so not huge. The people who knew both families struggled with how to support the McGuiggins and also the Vuzos, who had no part in Alfred's plans and cooperated fully with the investigation. While the families worshipped at different parishes, the two parishes shared one priest. Father Gerard was called upon to give comfort to both the widows of Brent and Brendan and to Alfred Vuzo's mother. The community immediately began a fundraiser for Brendan and Kim's children with the goal of raising $10,000.

They rallied and raised $60,000. On Prince Edward Island, a crime like this is major news. PEI has the distinction of having the lowest violent crime rate in all of the Canadian provinces and territories. In fact, the annual average homicide rate is less than one, person per year since there are so many years with no murder victims. With so few homicides, every murder makes the news. But these kind of murders, where the accused and the victims were strangers to each other, were particularly shocking. Through Alfred's statement to police and a later

evaluation by a psychiatrist, a clearer picture of what happened the night Brent and Brendan were murdered was developed. This crime was clearly planned. Knowing that Herb was deceased, Alfred spent some time making inquiries about the family and learned that Herb's son Brent lived just five kilometres from the 1970 crash site and just a 20-minute drive from his own home. Alfred took the drive on a few occasions and even watched the house,

which didn't go entirely unnoticed by the McGuiggins. They had noticed an unfamiliar car near the house a few times, but thought nothing of it. Alfred would not approach the house on any of these nights, instead turning around and just going home. But on August the 20th, 2014, Alfred didn't turn around. He left his mother's home at around 8pm

for the 20-minute drive to the McGuigan. Gwiggins' house. When he arrived, he parked his car on the shoulder of the road. It has not been reported how long he sat outside the house watching, but it was likely to have been around 30 minutes based on the timeline, plenty of time to think about what he was about to do. The only explanation for why Alfred decided to go through with it that night was that he was in a rage. He believed he could not rest until he went through with his revenge plot, and that prison was far better than living the way that he was. As Alfred approached the house, he saw through the kitchen window and knew two men were there. He had only gone to the house to kill Brent, the son of Herb, the man who was

responsible for Alfred's family tragedy. He didn't know who this other man was, but Alfred decided in that moment that he would kill them both. The door was unlocked so Alfred simply walked in with his 22-caliber pistol in his jacket. He pulled his gun and shot Brendan first. He then shot Brent. Brendan was still alive and attempted to get up, so Alfred shot him again. After the men were on the floor, he told them something to the effect of, I did this for what your father did to my sister. He then heard Marie's voice calling into the kitchen and saw a brief glimpse of her before leaving the house quickly. He believed he'd gotten away unseen and he was right.

Because his car was parked up on the street, he even managed to pull away without Marie seeing him. Not knowing his next move, Alfred drove around. He'd finally fulfilled his revenge plans and while he fell to weight off his shoulders, he also contemplated killing himself. Instead, he decided to drive to his brother Jeremy's house and once he got there he confessed to what he'd done.

After leaving his brother's house, Alfred drove to a cornfield near where he liked to go hunting and buried his gun, two boxes of ammunition and his ammunition magazines along with a pair of gloves he'd worn, the evidence. That night he'd been arrested after his brother reported him, Alfred gave his full statement to the RCMP and they'd led them to the spot where he'd buried the evidence.

He was then charged with two counts of first-degree murder. In December of 2014, four months after the murders, Brendan's wife Kim gave birth to their fourth child, a daughter. The pregnancy and delivery was most, marred by serious complications to the health of both Kim and the baby, and she had no choice but to face these challenges without Brendan by her side. In an interview with the National Post for an article called The Monster of Montague, Kim said when she looked into her new daughter's eyes, she could see Brendan.

Quote, I was so angry, he should have been with me. Many times I think that I can't do this without him. Despite the complications, Kim and the baby regained their health and strength in time to face the next phase in a murder case, the court case itself. On February the 13th, 2015, the Crown amended the charges against Alfred to one count of first-degree murder for the death of Brent McGuigan and one count of second-degree murder for the death of Brendan McGuigan. While Alfred did realize that Brendan was in the home when he entered it, he really had only gone there with the intention to murder Brent. The McGuigan family told the media they were

surprised at the reduced charge for the murder of Brendan. They wanted the Crown to move forward with two first-degree murder charges. While the Crown does, at times, consult with the families of victims before making deals. They don't have to. With 30 of Brent and Brendan's family and friends in the courtroom, Alfred pled guilty to both charges that day. Though this case would never go to trial, the sentencing hearing was as contentious as any trial could have been. In this case, the judge had a lot of discretion in the sentencing of Alfred Vuzzo.

The Crown was asking for life sentences on both counts, with non-parole periods of 25 years on each count to be served consecutively. That would mean Alfred would not be eligible for parole for a total of 50 years. He would be 94 years old before he had a chance to be out of prison. The defence, however, asked for a non-parole period of 25 years total. When looking at the mitigating factors, meaning the factors that lessen the severity or culpability of criminal acts, the court noted that Alfred had no previous criminal record. The only contact he had with police was as a complainant or a witness to minor incidents.

Alfred had also cooperated with police, giving a full confession and leading them to the murder weapon. The Crown counted that the evidence against him was significant, even without his confession. but the court noted that much of the significant evidence such as the murder weapon was provided by Alfred himself. The police would not have had the evidence without his cooperation. Alfred also pled guilty, taking responsibility for what he'd done and sparing the family the pain of a trial. Showing remorse is generally seen as a mitigating factor,

but Alfred would not be providing that. The court heard that Alfred did feel some remorse for killing Brendan and for the impact it had on his wife and children. However, the psychologist who examined him determined that Alfred did not experience remorse and still felt justified in his actions. The Crown presented aggravating circumstances to support the longer non-parole period.

The presence of aggravating circumstances can increase the severity or culpability in a crime. In this case, they pointed to the high level of violence as well as the use of a firearm. But the court would only accept one aggravating factor, a third one, that the offence had had a significant impact on the victims. Both victims in this case lost their lives due to Alfred's actions and the full weight of that loss could be heard in the dozen impact statements that were submitted to the court.

Brendan's wife Kim submitted two impact statements. She told the courts about the Brendan she knew, the husband and father, and also spoke about the great loss it was to their family to have Brendan taken from them. She said their four children will grow up without Brendan to guide them, and the youngest will never know her father at all. Brent's daughter, Donna, who knelt in his blood that night trying to resuscitate him, told the court that she felt so much hatred and anger since the murders that it scared her. Her memories of her father and brother were permanently changed,

and her final memory of them would always be them lying dead on the floor. Marie, Brent's widow and Brendan's mother gave a short statement about the impact the loss of her husband and son has had on her. She said a part of her died with them that night, but that she prays for herself and others to have the strength to move through this terrible ordeal and to find peace. Marie then asked permission to speak to Alfred directly. She asked Alfred if Brent, her husband, was sitting in his rocking chair when he was shot. Alfred said yes. She told him that she wished that he had have changed his mind. Alfred replied, I should have.

Alfred also said he knew Marie was in the house. He heard her call into the room, but he decided to leave without harming her because she was a woman. Alfred did tell her at one point that he was sorry. As Marie finished speaking, her other son, who had been watching the proceedings quietly, shouted a threat at Alfred that he wouldn't go so easy on Alfred's mother and that there wouldn't be a vuzzo left alive in the city of Montague. He was immediately ejected from the courtroom. Dr Scott Terrio, a forensic psychiatrist,

examined Alfred and submitted a lengthy lengthy. report to the court, diagnosing Alfred with pervasive depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. He wrote that Alfred linked all of his problems in life back to his home life and that Alfred believed everything had changed for the worse after his sister's death. He obsessed over the idea that all his problems linked back to the night in 1970 when Herb McGuigan decided to drive home drunk. Alfred had started to believe that Kathy dying had saved them all. At one point, he said he spilled blood for her as she did for the family. It was also noted in the report that Alfred had sought treatment for his mental health struggles

and was on medication for many years. Although Dr Terrio found that Alfred's thinking was distorted, he concluded that Alfred planned the events of that night in advance and that he understood the nature and quality of his actions. His mental health issues explained why he had trouble letting go of his one-sided feud with the McGuigan family, but they did not absolve him of responsibility for his choice to murder two innocent men. Alfred was also allowed to make a statement prior to sentencing. He said that his sister's short life and the short sentence served by Herb McGuigan

haunted him his entire life. He said his family's life was ruined and the community did not support them. He claimed he wasn't a cold-blooded killer. Justice Gordon Campbell weighed the mitigating and aggravating factors as well as looked at the case law. In Canada, it is established case law that the court cannot hand down a sentence

that effectively removes all hope of rehabilitation through unduly long sentences. The 50-year period of parole in eligibility that the Crown asked for would be considered a crushing sentence, seeing as Alfred would unlikely live long enough to apply for parole. However, Justice Campbell did not feel the defence's request for a total non-parole period of 25 years to be insufficient for the brutality of the murders that Alfred had committed.

Before he was sentenced, Alfred told the court that he was tormented by his sister's death. Quote, That's all her life was worth. She only had nine years in this world and nobody cared. It's haunted me all my life. She hit me and that was it. It's over with now. Justice Campbell handed down a sentence of two life sentences to run consecutively.

For Brent McGuigan, Alfred would not be eligible for parole for 25 years, and for Brendan, another 10 years, making it a total of 35 years before Alfred can apply. In 2049, when he's eligible, Alfred will be 81 years old. After the sentence was handed down, Alfred began to curse and scream.

As officers tried to remove him from the courtroom, he fought them. He yelled, you sentenced me to life and I sent them to death before he was pulled from the courtroom. He then looked back at the McGuiggins and yelled, Fuck you guys. Kim McGuigan also sold her family home, saying she was too lonely to live there without Brent. She left Montague with her four children. In an interview with the National Post, Marie McGuigan spoke of her husband Brent.

He was a good father and a good father. a good grandfather and a good husband. We never had anything to do with the Vuzos. On the one-year anniversary of the murders, Kim said in a written statement that her children have lost a loving father and a doting grandfather. She wrote that Brendan was the quietest, kindest, most honest person. He was truly an amazing husband, father and friend. We were supposed to raise our kids together, grow old together and enjoy life together. The kids and I miss him so much. Thanks for listening and a huge thanks to Charlie Worrell from Impact Statement for writing this episode. To support the show, you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Just search for Canadian True Crime. If you don't like the ads, for just $2 a month, you can get early access to add free versions of all my episodes via my exclusive feed for supporters on Patreon. I also let my patrons in on what I'm doing, what cases I'm working on, what's happening with the show, video updates and more. Check it out at www.com.com slash Canadian True Crime. This week's podcast recommendation is misconduct. It's a favourite of mind and has been on a bit of a break, but now it is back. Here's Colleen. Misconduct is a bi-weekly podcast that looks into lesser-known crimes, cold cases, wrongful convictions, and miscarriages of justice. Join me, Colleen, as I take a deep dive straight into

the facts and theories of a new case each episode, discussing stories that didn't always get the coverage that they deserved. Misconduct has covered episodes that will take you through why Oakland, California's oldest cold case is still on the books, or how a botched investigation let the murderer of a 12-year-old girl walk free. Misconduct is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcatching app. You can also find Misconduct on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Misconduct Podcast. New episodes of Misconduct are available every other Thursday, so make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.

This episode, I'm saying thank you to these patrons. Lisa G. Hannah P. Ilse M. Amanda B. Carrie Ann. Megan S. Brenda W. K. Corinne M. Drina A. Amanda K. Tornie Plattes from the Dirty Bits podcast. Catherine S. Alexa M. Krista B. Brad F. Brook C. and Corey S. This episode of Canadian True Crime was written by Charlie Worrell. was by Eric Crosby and me. The host of the Beyond Bazaar True Crime podcast voiced the disclaimer, and the Canadian True Crime intro song was written by We Talk of Dreams. I'll be back soon with another Canadian true crime story. See you then.