Canadian True Crime - The Mayerthorpe Tragedy [1]

Episode Date: May 1, 2021

A three-part series — In 2005, bailiffs were sent to the property of a man called James Roszko to repossess a truck, but the situation devolved into a devastating tragedy that made international headlines.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.

Hi there. Today's episode is the first of a two-part series, and while it's my long-term goal to not make you have to wait long between multi-part episodes, the reality of my situation during the pandemic has greatly restricted what I'm capable of. It just is what it is. So part two of this case will drop in two weeks on May 15th, a day earlier for supporters on Patreon and Supercast. I am so sorry for the wait, but I also wanted to tell you that this case isn't like most multi-parters. It's actually two separate stories with a diabolical shared connection, kind of similar to the Dallin-Millard saga. If you decide to listen to Part 1 now, there will be a recap at the beginning of Part 2 to bring you back up to speed before the story

continues. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. And just before I go, an additional content warning. While not the main focus, this story does include some details about crimes committed against a child, as well as treatment of animals that could be considered inhumane. Please take care when listening. 1,500 residents, it's one of those small rural towns where everyone knows everyone, and entanglements can be complicated. On the afternoon of March 2, 2005, a local bailiff was preparing to execute a warrant to seize a vehicle from a property about 10 to 15 minutes drive from the town.

The bailiff was a former Edmonton police officer called Rob Parry, and he took a look at the file before putting together his plan. Bayliff work can be risky. They act as officers of the court, executing and enforcing court orders, participating in the seizure, repossession or eviction of property, and also performing other related activities for the court. Obviously, a visit from a bailiff typically means not so great news,

so they need to make sure they're aware of potential risk factors. Reading the file, Parry saw the owner was a 46-year-old man called James Roscoe, and he'd recently purchased his brand new white Ford pickup truck on a payment plan. But he wasn't making his payments and owed more than $47,000, so the creditor got a civil warrant to repossess it. While there wasn't a lot of additional information about Roscoe on the file, there was something that gave the bailiff pause for concern. Apparently, in the previous few years, an election's enumerator was out and about visiting houses to verify

voter information. But when she arrived at the Roscoe property, she drove over a homemade spike belt left intentionally on his driveway. The tires on her car were all damaged. Bayliff Rob Perry had actually been a police officer for 40 years before retiring from the RCMP, and his instincts told him that this was, perhaps not an everyday, ordinary file. This James Roscoe clearly did not want people coming onto his property. This meant he was likely not going to be too pleased about bailiffs arriving to repossess his truck, so Parry requested a second bailiff accompany him to the property. The two bailiffs arrived at the entrance to Roscoe's snow-covered property at around 3pm and scanned the terrain.

It was an enclosed, fenced-in compound on a large piece of land that went about as far as the eye could see. The compound was set back from the main road, with a dirt road leading up to it that was secured with steel gates that were locked. Prevented from going any further, the bailiffs parked at the gate while they figured out their next move. They spotted what looked to be a brand-new white Ford pickup truck on the compound, which they assumed was probably the one they were there to repossess. The property was fairly barren, a flat piece of land populated with a mobile trailer home, a small shed, three granaries for storing grain,

and all surrounded by patches of dirt, grass and crunchy snow. The largest building on the property was what's called a Quonset hut, an easy-to-assemble rectangle-shaped storage building that has corrugated steel arched over it, in a semicircle shape. And just outside of the Quonset hut, the bailiff saw a man moving around. This must be James Roscoe.

They got the feeling he knew they were there but was refusing to acknowledge them. He disappeared inside. In the car, Parry honked the horn, hoping it would force Roscoe to give them his attention. Instead, two large Rottweilers emerged and ran over to the gate, barking and growling aggressively. But there was no sign of James Roscoe. The two bailiffs

decided to call Mayor Thorpe RCMP for assistance. They were not optimistic about their ability to keep the peace in this situation. When Parry told the officer on the phone what was happening and who was involved, he was given a very stern warning. Do not go on the property. You're at Jimmy Rosco's. stay off until we get there. As the two bailiffs waited for RCMP backup to arrive, they watched Roscoe move around the property and then walk over to the white truck. He got into it and drove a short distance towards the bailiffs.

Suddenly, he slowed down, flipped his middle finger and yelled obscenities before taking a sharp turn on the dirt. The truck was seen burning up the field before it disappeared over a small hill and out of sight. A few minutes later, police backup arrived. Corporal Jim Martin from the Mayer Thorpe RCMP detachment was in charge and brought two younger members with him. One of them was 25-year-old constable Peter Sheeeman,

who, for all his youth, had actually been in the RCMP for almost five years. He paid for his university degree working part-time, detailing police cruisers and then joined the force after he graduated. Constable Sheeeman had never had any direct experience with James Roscoe, but Corporal Martin was more experienced and had encountered the man a few times. Roscoe was considered somewhat strange. He had a history of violence and threatening behaviour and was a possible police hater. They discussed the situation with the bailiffs and Corporal Martin put

a plan together. He and Constable Sheeman would look around for Roscoe, while another officer and a cruiser drove around the northern and western boundaries of the huge piece of property to see if he could see anything. But first, they had to take care of those two Rottweilers, who were still snarling at the gate, just as their owner had clearly instructed them to do. A decision was made to incapacitate the dogs with pepper spray and force them into the small shed, out of the way. At around the same time, witnesses reported they'd seen a white pickup truck exit rapidly from another side of the property before screeching onto the road and heading north. It seemed James Roscoe had managed to escape.

Meanwhile, the officer in the cruiser phoned in to say he'd come across a local helicopter crew who were available to help with an air search for $900 an hour. But Corporal Martin declined. Maybe hiring a helicopter at this point would be jumping the gun. The bailiffs warrant legally allowed them to enter the property to search for and repossess the Ford pickup truck. But at this point, it wasn't yet considered stolen. They hadn't confirmed that the truck Roscoe drove often was the same truck they were there to repossess. And also, the Quonset hut was massive and could have sheltered a number of vehicles, including the truck. So, the RCMP decided to proceed with a search on that basis.

After the steel front doors were forced open, the group made their way over to the Kwancet and let themselves in through an unlocked door. They immediately stopped in their tracks. There was not much available light, but it was obvious that this hut was being used for two illegal operations, a cannabis grow-up and a chop shop

where stolen vehicles were being dismantled and sold for parts. So now there were several issues to deal with. 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. First, the bailiffs posted their civil warrant at the mobile home on the property. The truck had not been located and was designated as stolen. Constable Sheeeman called it in over the radio as an official B-O-L-F, or be on the lookout for. Although the young officer hadn't had any... any personal dealings with Roscoe. From what he'd seen and heard that day, he decided to ask

the operator to add a notation that extreme caution should be shown. All local RCMP officers were told to be on the lookout for the white truck and 46-year-old James Roscoe. The second issue was the cannabis grow-up and chop shop. Corporal Martin and Constable Sheeeman left to get a new search warrant to search the Quonset on that basis, leaving two officers behind to guard the property. Over the next few hours, as the search warrant was still being processed, Constable Peter Sheeeman returned, with another member from the Mayor Thorpe Detachment, 29-year-old rookie constable Brock Myroll. Brock was the valedictorian of his RCMP graduating class, and had only been a member of the force

for less than a month. The two bailiffs stayed behind two, just in case Roscoe or the truck re-emerged from somewhere. But a few hours later, they decided the chances of that happening was slim and left. As part of the RCMP's application for the search warrant, they had to obtain a copy of James Roscoe's criminal record. Even though it comes in a condensed format, it was still somewhat lengthy, showing a total of six convictions that occurred between, in 1976 and the last one in the year 2000, which was five years beforehand.

Rusco's first conviction was at 17 for breaking and entering theft and possession of stolen property. He was given a fine and a year's probation. Over the next few years, there were more convictions and more fines and probation. And then, in 1979 at age 20, he served his first prison sentence. sentence of 45 days for breaching his probation and making harassing phone calls. Now, according to his criminal record, there was a significant gap of almost 12 years before his next conviction, which happened in 1990 when he was 32. For that, he was convicted and fined $200 for uttering threats. And then, there seemed to be another big gap of 10 years before he was

found guilty of sexual assault in 2000 for crimes he reportedly committed in the 1980s. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison and released in 2002. So that meant he'd been out of prison for just under three years. Now, according to a later report written by Judge Daniel R. Powell, what isn't listed in a criminal record are other incidents where charges were laid but ended up being stayed, withdrawn or dismissed. Obviously, if charges don't result in a conviction, they don't make it to the official listing on a criminal record.

Now, when the court or the RCMP request someone's criminal record, these additional items are often listed in an area called summary. This section is designed to give authorities a bit more information and context when considering someone's prior convictions, but it is by no means a 360-degree view of their involvement with the court system. In this area of James Roscoe's criminal record, it had a notation that said caution, violence, which Corporal Martin would say was not an uncommon notation on a criminal record, but still a good reminder to be extra vigilant. Under that section were three entries. In 1995, five, Roscoe was charged with sexual exploitation, which was stayed by the Crown later that year.

The second notation was that another conviction for sexual assault had been overturned in 1997 and a new trial audit. And the third notation was that Roscoe had been charged with a series of offences from five and a half years earlier in 1999. These included aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm and the use of a firearm during the commission of an offence. But these charges were also dismissed by the Crown. The report also said that in the time since Roscoe's release, he had apparently followed his parole conditions, which included a ban on possessing weapons. He had received two violation tickets for traffic offences. One was withdrawn, and the other was the spike belt incident with the elections enumerator.

And at the time, he was facing two outstanding charges for mischief to property that had yet to be dealt with in court. So that was Roscoe's official criminal record, as accessed that day by the RCMP. At around 8pm that night, the RCMP had the search warrant in hand and assembled a team consisting of all 12 members of the Mayor Thorpe Detourpe. attachment. The team arrived at the Roscoe compound at around 840pm and headed straight for the

Quonset Hut. There was still no sign of Roscoe, which was a good thing, as they knew he could be trouble. Corporal Martin was aware that while James Roscoe had not been violent towards the police, he was known to have a violent past nonetheless, and when considering the possibility that he might return, they all deferred to the collective belief that people on the run from law enforcement don't typically return to the scene. So while it was possible that Roscoe might come back, they didn't think it was likely. And right now, the RCMP were focusing on executing the search warrant, so they could proceed with a criminal investigation and then find James Roscoe himself after that. At first, it was difficult to see inside the Quonset hut.

because the lights were tied to the main door which they couldn't open. But after some portable halogen lights were brought in to light the scene, the enormity of what they were dealing with came into sharp focus. James Roscoe's cannabis grow-up was a lot larger than they thought, large enough to call the RCMP Green Team, a specialised unit responsible for the investigation and processing of relatively large-scale commercial drug operations. While that call was being made, James Roscoe's mobile trailer home was also searched.

In it, they found a radio scanner tuned in to the frequency of another RCMP detachment in the general area, that's White Court. Also found in his trailer was information he'd been gathering on that same White Court RCMP detachment, as well as Mayerthorpe, Barhead and Evansburg detachments. The Intel included the names, car numbers and cell phone numbers of RCMP offices. Also found in the trailer was a night vision scope and two types of ammunition. As you'll remember, Roscoe was supposed to be prohibited from owning weapons. So what was this ammunition for? When the Green Team arrived, they were told that there'd been ammunition found in Roscoe's residence, but no guns. As several of the RCMP officers were relieved of their duties and told to report back the next morning,

the Green team took over the Quonset, keeping their eyes out for firearms as they went. The team worked over the next few hours to photograph, catalogue and dismantle the entire operation. They hadn't found any firearms there, but they'd seized about 280 marijuana plants. By three in the morning, they were finished. And when it came to the chop shop, there were numerous motor vehicles and ATV, a lawn tractor and a power generation system, as well as numerous spare parts and clutter.

A towing company was called to move all the vehicles outside to clear space, and the Edmonton RCMP Auto Th theft unit were called to process the stolen vehicles and the chop shop. The theft unit promised they would arrive in the morning, and until then, Corporal Martin needed two. officers to maintain visual security at the property. 32-year-old Constable Lionide Johnston, known as Leo, was the only one available from the Mayerathorpe Detachment.

Leo had been a Mountie for about four years. Corporal Martin requested assistance from the nearby White Court RCMP detachment, and they sent 28-year-old Constable Anthony Gordon to help Johnston guard the property. Anthony was just two and a half years into his RCMP career and both he and Leo were married. Leo was a newlywed and Anthony's wife was pregnant with a couple's second child. The job the two officers set out to do seemed fairly routine. Just publicly guard the site for the next few hours until the auto theft unit got there.

Nothing too complicated. Everything was left just as it was. To enhance visible security, the marked police cars were parked strategically at the front and the portable halogen lights were left on. At that point, it had been some 12 hours since James Roscoe had last been seen. They didn't think it likely that he would try to get back in, but if he did, they didn't want him surprised by their presence. They wanted to keep the peace.

hours later at 9 a.m., constables Johnston and Gordon phoned in and reported back that the rest of the night had been uneventful and they were still waiting for the auto theft unit to arrive. Back at Mayerthorpe RCMP detachment, Corporal Martin was there working out who to send back to the scene. He needed to run an errand before he could return and several of the other officers had other commitments they needed to attend to first. He ended up deciding to send Constable Brock Myroll back. As you remember, the 29-year-old had only been in the RCMP for a month. 25-year-old Constable Peter Sheeeman happened to be at the detachment too, although he wasn't on duty. Sheiman was the one who went with Corporal Martin to get the search warrant the day before,

the one who'd been in the RCMP since he was just 20. But that day, Peter wasn't working. He had just stopped by the detachment on his way to Edmonton to run some errands. He overheard that Brock needed to be taken to the Roscoe property as soon as possible, but Corporal Martin couldn't go with him yet, so Peter volunteered to take Brock there himself. When the pair arrived at the property, there were some concern around those two Rottweilers. Constables Leo Johnston and Anthony Gordon told them that the dogs had been locked in the shed, all night. It was decided that Brock would get a sedative from the vet and buy some meat.

He would then hide the sedative in the meat so the dogs would be fed and sedated in one move. Even though Constable Peter Sheeeman wasn't on duty, he decided to stay on a bit longer to continue helping the rookie officer. The two constables returned from the vet and took care of the dogs. Not long after this, two members from the Edmunds R-CMP auto theft unit pulled up. They surveyed the scene, seeing the group of RCMP officers standing next to the shed at the back of the Qonset. They were, of course, the three uniformed RCMP officers, constables Leo Johnston, Anthony Gordon, and Brock Myrol, and one unarmed in civilians' clothes, who was Constable Peter Sheiman.

One of the auto team, Constable Hugastratt, got out of the car, and Constable Gordon recognised him and came over to say hi before rejoining the other three officers as they walked around the corner of the Quonset and out of sight. Hugestrart from the Auto Th theft team went to the back of the car to get changed into his work clothes and was soon joined by his partner, Corporal Stephen Vigger, to discuss their plan. Suddenly, they heard two loud bangs. Maybe something banging on the inside metal arch of the Quonset? But then there was another bang and another and more and some screaming.

It was gunfire. Both officers pulled their guns out of their side holsters and started running towards the front of the Quonset. But wait, there may be officers down and they needed to call that in. Hugastrat ran back to the vehicle to make the call. As Vigar cautiously approached the Quonset, his gun drawn, the door suddenly swung open and a man walked out holding a semi-automatic rifle. Slung across his back was a hunting rifle and he also had a pistol in his belt. There was no one else it could be but James Roscoe.

Somehow he had managed to return to the property undetected, even though six RCMP officers were present. Roscoe suddenly locked eyes with Constable Vigar and a look of surprise flashed across his face. It was clear he didn't expect them to be there. Roscoe grabbed his semi-automatic rifle and fired two shots. Vigar was able to duck beside a vehicle and the bullets hit the side mirror and passenger side window. He fired two return shots and then hid beside the vehicle.

He couldn't be sure that he hit Roscoe, but he caught a glimpse of the man staggering back inside the Qonset. The constable then joined his partner in the vehicle and they waited for a minute or two. They had no idea what was going on inside the Qonset. All they could see was an RCMP pant leg sticking out from around the side of it. Hugastrat was on the radio frantically trying to communicate with the other four constables, but no one responded. No further sounds were heard.

For safety reasons, they waited there until the RCMP Emergency Response Team showed up. Because of the possible danger, a robot was deployed to assess the situation inside and around the Qoncet. Tragically, no signs of life were detected. The Emergency Response Team entered the Qonset and discovered five bodies. The four fallen constables, Anthony Fitzgerald Gordon, age 28, lionide Leo Nicholas Johnston, age 32, Brock Warren Myroll age 29, and the youngest of the four, Peter Christopher Sheiman, age 25, who wasn't even on duty that day. All four officers died as a result of gunshot wounds. And the fifth body belonged to James Roscoe, who also died of a gunshot wound,

except his was self-inflicted. That day, the town of Mayerathorpe and the surrounding areas came to a standstill, as locals tried to process what had happened. As the news made headlines across Canada and beyond, there was widespread shock and mourning. Flags across Canada were flown at half-mast. The small town of Mayerathorpe, previously unknown to many, would go down in history as being the location of the world,

multiple officer killing in contemporary Canadian history. The Mayerthorpe and White Court RCMP detachments had been obliterated. Mayor Thorpe only had 12 members in the detachment and three of them were now dead, and White Court had sent one of their members to assist and he was dead now too. All remaining members of both detachments were given time off and staffed with RCMP officers who flew in from other detachments. A week after the tragedy, a public memorial service was held in Edmonton to honour the four RCMP officers who lost their lives that day.

Public interest in the case had grown to such a point that an arena was needed, the University of Alberta's Butterdome Arena, and it would be televised nationally. It would be the biggest ceremony of its kind in Canadian history. According to CBC News, an estimated 10,000 police officers travelled to Edmonton from across Canada and the US, arriving to witness the ceremony and pay their respects to the four Mounties. As news spread of the influx of officers coming to Edmonton, local residents offered up their homes for them to stay at.

In fact, so many called that they were turned away. Before the service, the thousands of uniformed Mounties met at a part of. about a kilometer away from the Butterdome Arena, they marched together as a sea of red and black, some on horseback to the arena to pay their respects. There were more than two hours of eulogies and tributes to the four men who lost their lives that day, all described as having immense pride

and belonging to the RCMP. Constable Peter Christopher Sheiman was the youngest of the four, but he was also the one who had the longest service in the RCMP. He was off duty in civilian attire just there to help out that day and it cost him his life. Peter was a musician. He played violin. He sang in the school choir. He was into curling, skydiving, scuba diving and water skiing. He graduated from Concordia University with a major in sociology and was known for having a love of cars. a love of driving them, riding in them, and making sure they looked nice.

Detailing police cars was his foot into the door of the RCMP. Peter Sheeeman was also extremely close with his family. His heartbroken father, Lutheran Church Reverend Don Sheiman, spoke about his son's strong faith and how Peter had told him that, if anything ever happened to him, he wanted people to know there was hope. In delivering the message to the crowd, the reverend said, My son, I carried out your wish this afternoon. Peter, we will see you in heaven, but we can hardly wait.

Constable Sheeman had been there that day to help rookie constable Brock Warren Myroll. He wanted to make a difference and set the bar high for himself, excelling in everything he did. He was a musician who played guitar and wrote songs. He was a martial arts expert, a qualified wildlife field guide and loved to scuba dive. He was engaged to be married to his fiancée, Angela, and their wedding would have taken place just six months after the shooting. According to the book The Mayor Thorpe's story from Ambush to Aftermath by Robert Knuckle, Angela would go on to change her name, adding Brock's surname to her own as a tribute to the man she never got to marry.

A poem Brock wrote was read aloud at the memorial service, and his mother, Colleen Myroll, described her son as a responsible citizen who wanted to make a difference. His sister Kalani would urge Canadians to live as her brother did. Quote, he did everything to the best and the fullest, full steam ahead. Constable Lionide Nicholas Johnston, known as Leo, was a newlywed. The 32-year-old had only been. been married to his wife Callie for a few months when he was killed. They hadn't even had a chance to have their honeymoon yet. A quote from his obituary. He completed her life with his bravery,

his deep love, his understanding and innocent and precious enjoyment of their every moment together. Callie told reporters, We had a beautiful life each day and we were supposed to have a long and beautiful future together. Leo was known to be fun-loving, adventurous and kind, and loved being in the outdoors hunting and riding dirt bikes. He actually had a twin brother who was also in the RCMP, both known for being excellent marksmen who raced motorcycles professionally in their spare time. His brother, Constable Lee Johnston, said Leo fought to the end.

Constable Anthony Fitzger. Gerald Orion Gordon was described as a friendly, tall giant of a man who left behind a growing young family that he loved to spend time with. His wife Kim was pregnant with their second child, a little brother for their toddler Spencer, who would be named after the father he never got to meet. When Anthony was in grade one, an RCMP officer visited the school and he was inspired then and there to join the force when he grew up. At the time of the shooting, he was stationed at White Court RCMP detachment and his colleagues there remembered him as gentle and honest, with a big smile and a bigger heart. Anthony loved all sports and the outdoors, including fishing and snowmobiling.

The mayor of White Court spoke with a reporter of the Ottawa citizen, describing him as, the kind of guy that just instantly put you at ease. The famed last post bugle call was played to a tearful crowd to farewell the officers. Well-known singers performed, and the crowd heard speeches from prominent politicians, including then Prime Minister Paul Martin. After the official ceremony, the four officers' RCMP Stetson hats were carried through the crowd and set in front of their official portraits. The attending law enforcement officers all saluted their fallen comrades.

As far as the local public and any average Canadian knew, the person responsible for the Mayer Thorpe tragedy was 46-year-old James Roscoe, and he would never hurt anyone again. But at the same time, there was talk about his known criminal history. He had a reputation. CBC News spoke with local residents who described him as a dangerous, recluse who hated visitors. Quote, you don't want to go on his land, he'll shoot you. Roscoe was a known police hater with a history of violent and antisocial behaviour.

Even his former lawyer from one of his previous cases told the CBC that he was well known to the RCMP. People were wondering, why did the RCMP not take the proper precautions? How was this tragedy allowed to happen? Behind the scenes, the RCMP felt the pressure and were trying to make sense of the whole thing themselves. It was puzzling. When Roscoe was last seen, he was driving across the property in the white Ford pickup truck, but after he returned to the property, the truck was nowhere to be found. So, where did he leave it?

There were other unanswered questions too. During the search of Roscoe's trailer and the Qonset, the RCMP found ammunition, but no actual firearms. Yet when he walked out of the Quonset, he had a semi-automatic rifle, a hunting rifle, and a pistol in his belt. So where did those three guns come from? How was he able to ambush the RCMP and take down four of their members? He must have had someone assisting him, but who?

The RCMP had been blindsided and were determined, to find out why. A large-scale investigation was initiated, starting with a comprehensive search of James Roscoe's property, this time both above and below the ground. Like many law enforcement agencies, the RCMP are known to hold their cards close to their chest, especially when it comes to investigations into their own operations. This investigation was no different. Word had started to spread that search warrants had been executed on the Roscoe property, but it would be some time before anyone knew what was happening, and the information would only come out in bits and pieces. There were local rumours that James Roscoe had a network of tunnels dug out under his compound

and had been storing drugs or guns. The RCMP wondered if this was how he was able to get back in without being seen and ambushed them. A back hoe was brought in to dig up the dirt, and a range of technology was used, including X-rays, subsurface radars, and airborne infrared technology. They found no tunnels or secret underground bunkers with weapons cases that may have been able to explain things.

But in the northeast corner of the Quonset hut, they uncovered evidence of a hidey spot. There was a sheet, a pillowcase containing a pair of work gloves, a small bottle of water and a tin of bear spray. Perhaps this is where he'd been concealing himself. They also found shell casings, bullet fragments and a number of firearms, several of which had been carefully hidden in various spots around the Qonset. The RCMP investigated the sources for each of these guns.

None of them were registered to James Roscoe. The semi-automatic rifle he had slung on, over his shoulder, had been sold to him by a person who legally purchased it in Mayerathorpe some 20 years earlier, before a change to Canadian firearms laws that saw semi-automatic rifles classified as prohibited firearms. There was a pistol which was a restricted weapon that he did not have permission for. Apparently Roscoe purchased it in the US and had illegally smuggled it back to Canada. Another rifle and shotgun were found and three more rifles that had been stolen from the nearby town of Barhead. The RCMP would need to follow up on these and find out why they were

in Roscoe's possession. Also found was more ammunition, a homemade device for silencing a gun and what seemed to be an attempt at making a rudimentary pipe bomb. All of these would need to be sent for forensic testing. A cell phone had been found with James Roscoe's body and the RCMP got search warrants to go through his phone records and call history, including on his landline. It was discovered that he had begun to use the cell phone around the time he drove off the property in his Ford truck the day before the tragedy. Roscoe had called his mother and his sister multiple times.

He'd also called his aunt. Maybe this had been a family affair. And he also called an automotive repair and tyre business in the nearby town of Barhead called Keltyre, as well as several calls to an unknown number. The RCMP would need to trace and investigate each of these calls to find out what had happened, starting with his mother, sister and aunt. But there was one thing they had to do first. According to the book The Mayor of Thorpe story, from ambush to aftermath by Robert Knuckle,

after the RCMP were ready to hand James Roscoe's property, the crime scene, back to his family, several RCMP officers arranged to meet there privately with the families of constables Myrol, Sheiman, Gordon and Johnston. As a special courtesy, they were walked through the order of events that day and shown inside the Qoncetonson, At the end, they held a candlelight prayer service. It was led by Reverend Don Sheiman, Peter Sheiman's father, and the book recounts the feeling that he got when he was inside the concert. Quote, evil is residing here. This is an evil place.

The full story of who James Michael Roscoe really was and his diabolical criminal history, that is what wasn't listed on his official record, didn't come out straight away. His 80-year-old father, Bill Roscoe, would tell CBC News that he didn't consider James to be his son, but instead, a wicked devil. And while they still lived in the same area, they hadn't spoken for around nine years. In fact, James had drifted apart from most of his family.

His brother John would tell CTV news that he was never much of a brother. James Roscoe's troubles reportedly started when his mother Stephanie left the family home for reasons that are publicly unknown, leaving her husband Bill to raise their eight children alone. James was 12 years old at the time, the second youngest of his seven siblings, and he did not cope well with the separation. His older sister would say they did make attempts to help him, but he spurned them. Within two years he was using drugs frequently and experimenting with guns and after he turned 17 he started the break and enters, theft, possession of stolen property,

gun-related incidents and threatening behaviour, leading to his first prison stint at age 20. Now what's interesting is his relationship with his mother, Stephanie. After she left her first husband, she would go on to marry at least four more time. and have at least one more child, but she remained close with James. According to an investigation by David Staples for the Edmonton Journal, Stephanie's subsequent marriages were troubled, and she experienced domestic violence. But even as her own son's violent and criminal behaviours worsened, and other family members washed their hands of him one by one, she stuck by him.

In fact, she was known to take his side over another of his. her children that she had after him. The journal reported that her last child, Doug, came to her one day saying he'd been violently thrown across the room by his older half-brother James, so hard that there was a crack in the wall where his body had hit. Stephanie didn't believe it, so he showed her the wall. Her response was,

What crack? I can't see no crack. That same brother would later tell court that James was always, quote, kicking the shit out of me in the yard, we would be working on something and he would get mad, throw wrenches around, grab me, kabuff in the head. Mum never said anything. In adulthood, James Roscoe started a legitimate career as a driller at the oil patch for a time, but he subsidised his income with illegal activities. And no matter what he did, Stephanie always gave him the benefit of the doubt,

even as his illegal activities turned from criminal money-making pursuits into crimes of a different kind. In 1983, when he was in his mid-20s, James Roscoe started sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy, who some sources reported was a relative of his. Over the course of the next six years, the boy was assaulted several times a week, before finally plucking up the courage to go to police about it years later as an adult. The stigma of being a male survivor of child sexual assault perpetrated by another male can be stifling, especially in small towns and rural areas. But according to the Edmonton Journal,

when Roscoe's mother Stephanie found out about the allegations, she scoffed at them. Quote, if it really happened, why didn't he say something then? The journal also noted that Stephanie didn't blindly believe her son was innocent. Some days, she would deny the sexual assault allegations happened. Others, she would admit her son needed help. In fact, it seems that she was victimized by him too. According to one of her other sons, James actively intimidated his mother.

When he didn't get what he wanted, he would throw violent tantrums and rage at her, making her afraid of him. And he was never far away because it was her land that he lived on. His fortress-like compound was on a much larger parcel of 480 acres of land that Stephanie owned and lived on with her last husband Warren. Their two trailers were only about a kilometer apart on that land. But whatever Stephanie went through, she still chose to belittle the man who accused her son of sexually assaulting him,

as a child. And his journey through the court process would be a prolonged one over more than a decade, which was the reason for that 12-year gap in James Roscoe's criminal record. He was initially charged with sexual exploitations, but those charges were stayed. He eventually went to trial on charges of sexual assault of a minor and was found guilty. But the conviction was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered. And while all this was happening, Roscoe continued to get into trouble, but was always supported by his mother Stephanie. The charges piled up, but not many of them resulted in a conviction.

There was an altercation with a school trustee over a bus stop that had been moved to a location that Roscoe didn't like, and he was charged with unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm and impersonating an officer. but there were some hiccup in the court process and those charges were all stayed. That same year, 1993, 34-year-old Roscoe tried to initiate a friendship with a 16-year-old. Over the next year or two, he groomed the teenager who, will call Mike, with his age and experience. He tried to impress and manipulate Mike's friends too, offering them all assistance to fix their trucks,

helping them with their car insurance, paying off their debts, and letting them fire weapons from his gun collection. And remember, he was doing all of this while the charges for sexual assault on the other boy were still making their way through the court system. At around the time Mike had turned 18, Roscoe convinced him to go on a trip to Utah in the US, where he illegally purchased that restricted pistol from a pawn shop

before sneaking it back into Canada. This is the pistol that would be found next to his dead body after he shot the four RCMP officers. Not long after he and Mike drove back across the border into Canada, Roscoe suddenly asked the teenager to expose his genitals. He added that the reason was he was dying of cancer and wanted to have a look at the teenager's penis before he died. Mike refused this attempt at emotional manipulation,

and Roscoe put a gun to his head threatening him if he didn't comply. The situation was diffused and the confused teenager chalked it down to weird behaviour, but tried to steer clear of Roscoe after that as much as he could. But a few months later, Roscoe showed up at his family home, saying that he wanted to clear the air. Mike was willing to hear him out and they went to his bedroom to talk. Instead, Roscoe threw him on the bed, held a gun to his head and threatened him even more. Mike fought back, wrestling with him before he was able to grab a knife and cut Roscoe on the jaw,

necessitating a hospital trip. After that, Roscoe continued to terrorise the teenager, threatening to kill him if he told anyone what had happened. He didn't care so much about it getting out that he had threatened a teenager with a gun, What he was most worried about was that local residents would think he was gay. One night, Roscoe came up with a ruse to lure Mike to his mobile home. It worked, and Roscoe proceeded to interrogate him for hours before handcuffing and sexually assaulting him at gumpoint. After that, he drove Mike to school like nothing had happened.

Traumatized, Mike went to the police, and James Roscoe was charged with these. offences. The case made it to trial, but Mike was a no-show for some reason. With no key witness to testify, Roscoe was acquitted. While assumptions had been made that the charges must have been fabricated and Mike thought better of it, this is not what happened. The spectacle of the Mayor Thorpe tragedy later prompted Mike to come forward and share his story with the Globe and Mail under an assumed name. He said that the reason why he didn't show up at trial was because James Roscoe had threatened to kill him and his family. And even after he was acquitted,

Roscoe continued to threaten and harass them. Mike tearfully told the paper that for the next 12 years he slept with a knife under his pillow and a gun under his bed, right up until the moment he heard that James Roscoe was dead. and a former Edmonton police officer anonymously told the Edmonton Journal that he knew of many more teenagers and young men who were victimized by Roscoe in the same way. Any survivors or witnesses to his crimes who did decide to come forward experienced the same treatment as Mike. They were stalked and threatened by Roscoe, sometimes with a firearm.

He would offer money to their friends to report where they were going so he could follow them and threaten them there. He terrorized them so much that it became not worth it for them to continue speaking out. Hence, so many charges not resulting in convictions. The former Edmonton RCMP officer also told the journal something chilling. Three young men who went to the RCMP about James Roscoe ended up dead. All three deaths were deemed suspicious, and Roscoe's name came up in each case because he clearly had a motive.

But there was no solid evidence of homicide, let alone his involvement in it. James Roscoe continued to barrel through life, taking what he wanted, not considering the repercussions and intimidating witnesses. The majority of the crimes he was charged with didn't result in convictions. A few years after the incidents with Mike, as Roscoe was still waiting for his second trial for the charge of sexual assault to a minor, he was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm, and the use of a firearm during the commission of an offense.

This was only a notation on his criminal record under the summary section, but the reason why this didn't proceed from charge to conviction was that in the preliminary hearing, it came out that some witnesses had lied about some facts, hurt their credibility, and this led the Crown to reassess its case and not call those witnesses. The charges were dropped. Rusco also allegedly pepper sprayed several people at a hotel and impersonated a police officer. Again, charges went nowhere. He also made repeated complaints about the RCMP, accusing various officers of criminal

offences and harassment. According to the book, The Mayor of Thorpe's story from ambush to aftermath, he would write letters to the editor of the local newspaper, the freelancer, complaining about police harassment. He even used to purchase ad space in the paper, thinking he could use it for whatever message he wanted. So he put in ads defaming people that he considered his enemies. The paper finally put its foot down after he tried to publish an ad around the holiday

season that said, don't drink and drive, you might spill some. The paper told Roscoe they could not condone drinking and driving, and when he found out they refused to publish his ad, he shouted obscenities at the receptionist. And Roscoe's threatening behavior was not limited to civilians. Even as he complained about being harassed by the RCMP, he was doing the same thing to them. Retired RCMP officer Mike Stattnick would tell CBC's The Fifth Estate that James Roscoe had also made threats against him and his family. When he saw Roscoe getting away with things time and time again, he decided it was necessary to teach his nine-year-old daughter how to shoot a gun. He told the reporter he left loaded guns around the house and told his daughter that if she saw Roscoe pull up, She was to grab one and shoot him before he got out of the car.

You might be wondering why an RCMP officer was instructing his nine-year-old daughter to shoot a man if he came on the property. Because, obviously, while James Roscoe was known to be dangerous, he was as slippery as a snake. Crown prosecutor Gordon Wong would later write a report on Roscoe's criminal past, referring to their feelings of frustration. Quote, it's not a case of us conceding a lot. There was nothing we could do to hold him.

James Roscoe's second trial for sexual assault began in the year 2000, 17 years after the assault on the minor first started, and just five years before he would shoot four RCMP officers dead. The verdict was again guilty. For the crime of sexually assaulting a minor, repeatedly over a period of six years, He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, which was said to be the standard sentence for that crime.

Roscoe applied for parole after serving just nine months. The board noted that he vigorously denied responsibility for the sexual assault and refused to get treatment. The application was denied. At the 20-month mark, he applied again, and this time the board released him. But he didn't last long on the outside. He was soon put back in prison for parole violations, including refusing mandated treatment for sexual offenders and not cooperating with his parole officer.

And even with these parole violations, when James Roscoe was eventually given full release, the board did not deem him to be at a high risk to re-offend. After all, his most recent conviction of sexual assault to a minor was the first serious offense of that nature on his crime. criminal record, and it was for crimes that took place 17 years earlier. And there was also that problem of his official criminal record only representing the tip of the iceberg when it came to the full story of his criminality. And the majority of his family knew it too. He was now estranged to most of them. In the aftermath of the shootings, one of his brothers, John Roscoe, told CBC News that he

was, quote, out on the street when he shouldn't have been. James Roscoe had fallen through the cracks time and time again. He was a law unto himself, free to terrorise anyone he wanted. But the full picture of his activities wouldn't be known for quite some time. Back to the investigation, the RCMP were looking into the numbers James Roscoe had called after his encounter with the bailiffs when he first drove off his own. property and disappeared. As you remember, he called his mother, sister and aunt. The RCMP spoke to his aunt, Anne, who reported that he contacted her first, sounding desperate and nervous. He said he was

dealing with a situation on his property and wanted to know where his mother was. Anne didn't know. But as it turned out, Stephanie was uncontactable that day as she drove to the nearby town of Bahrain to run some errands. She told the RCMP that when she arrived home later that evening, she was surprised to see some police cars positioned on her son's property, which was just about a kilometre away on the same piece of land. They were, of course, guarding the property as they waited for the search warrant that would allow them to search the Quonset heart.

Stephanie told the RCMP that her immediate thought was fear that her son was going back to jail. But within a few minutes, the phone rang. It was James relieved that he'd finally gotten hold of his mother. Strangely, despite what was happening on his property, she said he sounded the same as he always did, whatever that meant. But he had a request. He was looking for a place to hide his truck

and asked her if he could park it on his Aunt Anne's property, which was about 35 kilometres away. Even though he'd previously spoken to his aunt Anne himself, he obviously expected his mother to do his bidding and ask her about the truck, which she did. She called Anne later that night to ask, assuring her that nothing bad was going to happen. But Anne refused.

The whole thing was stressful and she wanted nothing to do with whatever her nephew had gotten himself into this time. Stephanie kept at her, pleaded. telling her that if anyone asked about the truck, she could just say a neighbour had left it there. Anne still said no. Stephanie promised she'd personally come and get it the next morning. Finally, Anne had no energy left to argue. She didn't say yes or no, she just left it at that and waited in her living room to see if anyone showed up. No one did, so at long last she went to bed, relieved. The next morning, Anne woke up and looked out the window. Her heart sank. There was her nephew's white Ford pickup truck now parked in her yard. Angry, she immediately called Stephanie,

but Stephanie was in hysterics. She said James had phoned her back the previous night, sounding panicked. He told her he was in significant trouble with the police and asked her to pray for him, before referring to a will and some money he left in his mobile home for her. And now, the next morning, there were helicopters flying overhead and she could see ambulances and more police cars on her son's compound. She had no idea that her son was dead and had taken four Mounties with him. Whatever it happened, Anne was angry about being dragged into it. She ordered her sister to come back and pick up James' truck

or she would call the police herself and report it. The problem was Stephanie couldn't leave because the road was now blocked off. According to the Edmonton Journal, Stephanie pleaded with her sister. If she insisted on calling it in, don't report who the truck belongs to. Reluctantly, Anne agreed.

She reported the truck but said she thought it may have belonged to a neighbor. But after she learned about what had happened, that day, she decided enough was enough and told the RCMP about her conversations with Stephanie about hiding James Roscoe's truck. It was helpful information, but for the RCMP, it resulted in even more questions. So now they knew that James Roscoe had driven his truck 35 kilometres to his aunt Anne's place and left it there. At some point, he made a stealthy return to the compound without the truck. His aunt Anne did not drive him back. His mother Stephanie also did not, as she was at her trailer the whole night.

And he couldn't have walked because it would have taken too long. So how did Roscoe get back to his property? The RCMP firmly believed he had a partner, a mystery person whose assistants had clearly enabled James Roscoe to ambush the force, resulting in the worst multiple officer killing in modern Canadian history. With four young Mounties dead, their families and colleagues grieving and escalating questions from the general public and the media about how the Mayor Thorpe tragedy was permitted to happen,

the RCMP were determined to do whatever it took to find this person and bring them to justice. That's where we'll leave it for part one. Thanks for listening and special thanks to Danielle Paradie who researched this episode. You'll have part two on May 15th, and if you're a listener on Patreon or Supercast, you'll receive it a day or two before that. Today's podcast recommendation is Season 2 of Criminal Conduct for my friend Javier Laver from

Pretend Radio. Take a listen. Criminal conduct is back with a brand new season. John, what is a constable? Like a police officer, they can carry a gun, a badge, and drive around town with blue light. But a constable is much more powerful than a regular police officer. In Kentucky, a constable has all the powers of a sheriff. He answers to no one but the voters on Election Day.

And there's one constable in Kentucky that got our attention. Mike Wallace, the constable, was a walking civil rights violation. He's got a gun and a badge and is able to intimidate a lot of people. If he got behind me and turned his blue lights on, I ain't stopping. Constable Wallace has been accused of shaking. people down and stealing their cash. It's kind of like giving the fox keys to the chicken house.

This Wally guy is notorious for planting drugs, stealing shit. Everybody knows it. We just can't nail him. He said, but you know what? You just might be the difference. From the creators are twisted and pretend podcasts come

season two of criminal conduct. Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production funded through advertising and the generosity of supporters on Patreon and Supercast. Thank you to everyone who's told a friend or left a positive review wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps the show. If you don't like the ads, you can get early access to an ad-free version of every episode for just a couple of dollars a month.

There's also a few bonus episodes, as well as a monthly debrief episode where I take you behind the scenes. Visit Canadian True Crime. dotCA slash support to learn more. A percentage of profits and all proceeds of merch sales are donated regularly to Canadian charitable organizations related to helping victims and survivors of injustice. 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.