Canadian True Crime - The Murder of January Lapuz

Episode Date: April 17, 2023

In 2012, a beloved community figure was killed in her own home in an extremely violent attack. It would take a while to learn what happened to her and who was responsible, but the immense loss of her absence was felt immediately by all who knew her - or knew of her."Hi. My name is January. I know it's a cold month, but I make it hot!"* Additional content warning: This episode is about the death of a transgender person, and it also includes brief details of Indigenous trauma and residential schools. 24/7 Crisis Line for Indian Residential School Survivors: call 1-800-721-0066Look 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.

Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production, funded mainly through advertising. You can listen to Canadian True Crime ad-free and early on Amazon music included with Prime, Apple Podcasts, Patreon, and Supercast. The podcast often has disturbing content and coarse language. It's not for everyone. Please take care when listening. Hi everyone, I hope you're well. I've got two things to talk about before we start.

One is a short message and another is a bit of a longer message. Many of you have asked me if there's any way to help Kelly Favro and the other survivors in their fight to have changes made to the whole publication ban's issue. If you can join us in donating financially, they've launched a GoFundMe to help them get to Parliament in a few weeks to see the outcome of all their hard work. Many live on Vancouver Island and it's not cheap or easy to get to Ottawa. So if you're able to help, please see a link to the GoFundMe in the show notes. The second thing I wanted to talk about starts with an additional content warning. This episode is about the killing of a transgender person, and it also includes brief mention of Indigenous trauma and residential schools. See the show notes for details of a 24-hour crisis

line. This episode was in the works before one of the recent mass shootings in the United States that stoked to the growing fire of anti-transgender hatred. And I briefly considered postponing this episode for a while, but I realized that it just doesn't matter. I've tried to fight the misinformation and conspiracy theories, outright hypocrisy, disingenuous and strawman arguments about trans people and the so-called trans agenda, but it makes no difference. I've tried countering with data and statistics and good faith arguments, but I've realized that that doesn't matter either. We are living in a post-truth world where we believe we have to pick aside, a team, whether based on politics or religion or ideology, demographics or something else. And once we've

picked that team or teams, we feel compelled to defend whatever that team says or does, while criticizing whatever the other team says or does point blank. We take our team allegiances so personally that there's little room for independent or critical thought. And right now, several of these teams are on the warpath against the trans community. An entire group of individuals is being targeted, portrayed as some kind of group-think militia who are out to ruin our lives with their evil agendas. Here's the thing. Every single group has bad eggs. None of us are perfect and that includes trans people.

We are all human beings and the vast majority of us are just trying to survive. When it comes to what these anti-trans groups are actually advocating for, there is no need to follow their arguments to a logical conclusion because they've started saying it out loud. They want transgender people gone from public life. They're working their way towards genocide and it is deeply disturbing. But also, it's a distraction from what's really going on. In the last few years, no one can deny that life has gotten harder than we ever imagined.

And we're exhausted, irritable, miserable. There's a feeling of discontent, a void that we just can't quite put our finger on. That uncomfortable feeling is worry for our future, as well as those of our children and grandchildren, and it's only natural to want to look for a scapegoat, someone to blame. I know there'll be people listening who will assign political motivations to what I'm saying. So I want to make it very clear that even though I think it's important to vote in elections and I always do, I am not on any of the teams. I don't support any political party and I don't even adhere to a particular ideology because I'm always learning and taking

new perspectives into consideration. What I do believe in is improvement, fairness, honesty, transparency and the truth, even when it's inconvenient for me or difficult to hear. This world is becoming more of a dystopia by the day and we are most definitely getting screwed here, but it's not by trans people or any other targeted minority group. Trans people are not to blame for the cost of living crisis that many of us are experiencing. They're not to blame for the fact that grocery store CEOs are claiming inflation as an excuse for the sharp increases in the price of food, yet refusing to increase the minimum wage of workers so they can keep up with that inflation, and they're still making billions in revenue,

giving themselves fat bonuses and pay increases. Why do they rally against protections for workers like paid sick days and increased safety standards while continuing to pay massive dividends to their shareholders? It's governments, all of them, that allow this to happen, and while we're all down here slinging mud at each other while we try to survive. We're not paying attention to politicians who gaslight us by saying they're here to support us all. Yet their actions demonstrate their allegiances lie with the groups that have the money to influence them. And it is not trans people with the money. We have to ask ourselves, why has housing become so unaffordable that tent cities are popping up everywhere and we don't even know if our own children

will ever be able to move out, let alone by their own home. Why are government elites able to get away with sitting on giant piles of money, pointing fingers at each other and exchanging gifts and special deals with wealthy donors while our public health and education systems crumble? Why is it that many Canadians who are disabled, mentally ill or living in poverty, find it far easier to access medically assisted death than it is to access the basic human needs and services that can help them keep living. It's brutal and I could go on for much longer but I'm tired too. I don't enjoy conflict and making people angry and I've taken far longer to write this than the time I had available. I'm sorry it's been so long and I wish I had a solution. But while we're all

fighting with each other about things that amount to absolute bullshit and blindlessly believing and defending our favorite politicians or talking heads, instead of thinking critically about what they're saying and doing, this situation is only going to get worse. So, before we start today's episode about the murder of a transgender person, I wanted to send strength and support to all our trans listeners and friends. Like all humans, your existence is very. You're valid. You deserve respect and love and empathy, and it costs me absolutely nothing to give that to you. Except RIP my reviews. If you're angry, have at it. Go for gold. But please know, this has been a sincere, authentic message that I feel is necessary at this time. And hey, it's my podcast after all.

Thanks for listening. And speaking of which, it's on with the show. and a resident of the city of New Westminster in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia was entertaining a friend. At about 10pm that Saturday night, they were suddenly alerted to some loud noises coming from a nearby home. Together, they went over to check if everything was okay. When they got to the front door, they were confronted with a bloody scene and what looked to be the end of a struggle between two people.

on the floor, one holding a red-stained knife above the other. Before there was time to process what was happening, the man holding the knife spotted them. He jumped up and ran towards the door, threatening the neighbour's friend with it on the way out. They immediately called 911, reporting a victim of a serious stabbing incident needing medical assistance and an assailant that had fled the scene with the knife. Their neighbour was lying on the floor, surrounded by blood, but she was still alive. As the ambulance rushed her off to hospital, the neighbours who found her described the assailant to the police. Since he'd fled on foot with a knife, perhaps he was still in the area.

As it turned out, he was long gone. It would take more than two months to locate him, and even longer, to figure out what had happened that night. Just over four years earlier in 2008, Canadian social worker Alex Sanger had an idea to start a not-for-profit. As a member of Vancouver's Punjabi Sikh community, Alex had experienced cultural pressures to follow a set life path, get married, have kids, and live what's considered a normal heterosexual lifestyle. When he came out as gay, he had the love and support of his life. his mother, but he knew many others weren't so fortunate. They felt ostracized and alienated by their families and communities, and he wanted to do something to support them. So in 2008, he founded

Cher Vancouver, a non-profit and registered charity for LGBTQ Plus South Asians. Share means lion in many South Asian languages, a symbol of courage, pride, bravery, and strength. Alex relied on a small group of friends to help him get the organization up and running, including Ash Brough, who today serves as president. But they needed all the help they could get, and in early 2009, Ash came to Alex with some exciting news. He had just met someone fabulous.

Ash said he was on the bus when a woman hopped on that he immediately recognized as being Filipina. Ash was also from the Philippines and couldn't resist the opportunity to speak to her in Tagalog. The woman responded in kind with a sparkle in her eye, and the two started chatting as the bus pulled away from the curb. She said her name was January. She was 23 years old, and as Ash would later learn, she had led an interesting life. January was born in April and, of 1986, in Santiago Isabella, in the Philippines, and when she was 18 years old, she immigrated to Canada. But she wasn't born with that name. At some point in her life, she realized she was a trans woman, and by the time she met Ash Bras on the bus five years later, she had legally changed her name

to January Marie Lapus, and was proudly living as her authentic self. And it's it showed. January had a joyful, vibrant energy that was infectious. Ash and January quickly became best friends, and he soon introduced her to Alex Sanger and bought her into the fold at Shear Vancouver. Everyone loved her extroverted, goofy, larger-than-life personality and the way she was able to laugh at herself while complimenting those around her. It was clear to all that January wanted people to feel comfortable in her presence. Share Vancouver was starting to further their local community outreach by putting on events. In January, soon became the perfect MC, effortlessly getting the small crowds going with

dancing, singing and making them laugh. The organization's founders, Alex Sengar and Ash Bras didn't know if many people would attend some of their events, but January was like a magnet. In just a few short months they saw more and more new people showing up just because of January. She was literally a highlight, people came just to see her, and word was starting to spread. But for all of January's joy and vibrancy, she dealt with difficulties and internal struggles, which likely included the knowledge that she had been bought and sold as a baby. When January was just two months old, her birth mother sold her to another Filipino woman, Betty Lapuze.

In later interviews, Betty would say she paid a thousand Philippine pesos for the baby, an amount she estimated to be the equivalent of less than ten Canadian dollars. Under Philippine law, this is a legal black market adoption, punishable by life in prison and hefty fines. The illegal sale of newborn babies was widespread among women, particularly those living below the poverty line in the country's poorest communities. And they still are today, with babies being reportedly sold on Instagram and Facebook, or in Manila's slums, the makeshift home of approximately 4.5 million homeless people.

Access to birth control is one of many factors that come into play, But it wasn't that these mothers didn't want their babies. In most cases, they literally couldn't afford them and had other mouths to feed. It may have been their only realistic choice. But for those babies, as they grew up, that knowledge or context about the circumstances in which they were adopted or sold

doesn't make it any easier to come to grips with. Alex Sanger would say that January never really felt full love or acceptance. Another problem she experienced was finding employment. After she immigrated to Canada, she lived in poverty in Vancouver's downtown east side, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods and the historic heart of the city. The downtown east side is also known for disproportionately high levels of homelessness, poverty, crime, hazardous use of drugs and alcohol, mental illness and sex work, a complex set of circumstances that allowed convicted serial murderer Robert Pickdon to use the area as his personal hunting ground for as long as he did.

It should also be noted that the downtown east side is known for its artistic contributions and strong community resilience, something that January was known to take part in by giving generously and often to people living in the area who needed it. January relied on survival sex work to pay her bills, also known as street or outdoor sex work. It's usually the last resort for people in extreme need and can be extremely dangerous. Alex Senga would say he tried to talk January out of survival sex work, but she would shoot back, Are you going to pay my groceries? Are you going to pay my rent? How am I going to survive? January told him that she'd tried many times to get a more conventional job,

but no one would hire her. She figured it was because she looked so obviously different. This is a common experience for transgender and non-binary people in Canada. Even though they're often well-educated, their unemployment rate is almost three times higher than that of the broader Canadian population, and almost half of them live either below the poverty line or very close to it. And if they do manage to land a so-called normal job,

they bear the brunt of violence and harassment, both within and outside of the workplace. A 2022 report by the Canadian Labor Congress found that almost three quarters of transgender respondents reported facing sexual harassment and violence at work. So January decided to take her chances and stick to survival sex work, at least for now. Meanwhile, her volunteer work with Cher Vancouver was so successful that she was soon named the organization's social coordinator, becoming the first transgender person to hold an executive position.

January welcomed new members, connected them to information and support services and helped organize and plan social activities and events, a perfect role for her personality. She was thrilled, and the organisation's founder, Alex Sanger, would say it was, quote, the first time in her life that someone gave her a chance. But really, it was sheer Vancouver that was lucky. January would take to the streets with Ash Bras, the man she met on the bus, who was now her best friend. The pair were almost inseparable. talking up their events, putting up posters, selling tickets, educating people, with January confidently chatting to anyone and everyone she came across. Alex Sanger would recount that when January introduced herself to new people on the street,

she would often charm and disarm them by saying, quote, Hi, my name is January. I know it's a cold month, but I make it hot. And when the events were happening, she was there to make sure everything went smoothly and everyone felt comfortable. Share Vancouver had initiated a fun social event called Bollywood Nights, and after January started performing as Beyonce, the crowds grew and grew. By 2012, she had become a known figure in the local pride parade. When the float won the most diverse award one year, January had been credited with being the primary reason.

Through her volunteer work with Shear Vancouver and the connection she'd made, a whole new world of possibilities had opened up for her. She had taken some make-up artistry courses and was considering going back to school, but she still relied on sex work to pay her bills. Instead of doing outside survival work on the downtown east side, though, January was now seeing clients in her new home. home in New Westminster. She was always up front about the fact that she was transgender. It was dangerous not to be. A few years earlier, a client in North Vancouver had been charged with the

second-degree murder of 40-year-old sex worker Tracy Tom. The client claimed to have no knowledge that Tracy was transgender until they got to a motel room. Longtime listeners might remember that we covered this case in episode 50. The defence successfully relied on what's widely referred to as the gay panic defence, which states that if the person accused of murder can demonstrate that they were provoked, the murder charge can be reduced to manslaughter. In Tracy Tom's case, the accused claimed to have seen some scarring around her genital area after they got to the motel room,

which provoked the violent reaction of strangling her to death and dumping her body in an abandoned shopping cart. A guilty plea of manslaughter was allowed, along with a reduced sentence. The gay or trans panic defence justified and excused violence and murder as a reaction to the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity. Fortunately, it would be removed from the Canadian Criminal Code in 2015, but that was three years after the story we're telling today. On Sunday, September 30th, 2012, January Lapuze's best friend Ash got word that something terrible had happened to her.

He rushed over to her home with some other friends to a confronting mess of police tape and cars, blocking what was now a crime scene. It was January's neighbours who heard a struggle coming from her home, and when they ran over to her front door, they saw her long. lying on the floor surrounded by blood with a man holding a red-stained knife over her. When he spotted the neighbours, he fled, threatening them with his knife as he ran past. January was still alive, but only just. She was rushed to hospital. Ash would say that there was a lot of dried blood on the pavement, which he found extremely hard to see. He knew it was likely January's blood. The group of friends just stood there, quiet, in shock,

not knowing what to do or what to say, as they watched police and investigators going back and forth from January's home to their vehicles. It didn't seem real. January fought for her life in hospital for a few more hours, but her injuries were too severe. January Marie Lapuze was pronounced dead at 5. 4.4 a.m. She was 26 years old. Her mother Betty was devastated, and the news traveled through the local

LGBTQ plus community like a series of shockwaves. If people didn't know January personally, they likely knew of her, thanks to her community outreach, her entertaining performances, and the fact that she organized the share Vancouver float at the Pride Parade. January Maria, Maria, La Pooze was a beloved local figure. No one could imagine why anyone would want her dead. Initial media reports referred to January's death as a fatal stabbing, and the RCMP requested the public's assistance to identify the man seen running from her home with a knife. He was described as a male in his mid-20s, maybe Asian, approximately 5 foot 5 inches tall,

with short black hair and a muscular build. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and grey shorts. Before releasing any information to the media about the victim of the fatal stabbing, the RCMP's integrated homicide investigation team, also known as IHit, confirmed with January's family that she was transgender and had completed the legal paperwork to change her name to January Marie Lapuze, more than four years earlier.

So when the RCMP chose instead to announce her male birth name or dead name in their media release and refer to her with male pronouns, her friends and family were understandably upset. January made a point of treating everyone with respect and dignity, and with minimal effort it could have been offered back to her in death, but it wasn't. Reporting for Extra magazine, journalist Jeremy Hainsworth asked the RCMP for comment on why they made that decision, noting that further down in the body of their press release, it did state that the victim legally changed her name in 2008 to January Marie. So it wasn't a case of getting wires crossed and not knowing which name to print. It was a deliberate choice.

Sergeant Jennifer Pound of the RCMP's I-Hit team confirmed that January's family had told them about her legal name change before the press release was sent out, but she defended their decision. For inexplicable reasons, Pound said they chose to go by doctor's reports and information they found inside January's home instead of her legal name.

Another RCMP spokesperson was quoted saying they have the discretion to write press releases as they see fit. A response to this was provided by David Eby, then of the BC Civil Liberties Association and the current Premier of British Columbia. Quote, The implicit understanding in the police release is that the name change wasn't legitimate. He added that trans people continually face issues with law enforcement when it comes to identification and called it an issue that wasn't going away.

In their press release, the RCMP had stated that the investigation remained active and ongoing and requested the public's assistance to find the assailant but couldn't provide any information on the circumstances or any possible motives. According to Sergeant Jennifer Pound, it would be speculation at that point to refer to January's murder as a hate crime. She instead chose to note that January was, quote, working in the sex trade to some degree. I believe there were advertisements online.

It's a high-risk lifestyle, no doubt about that. Whether intentional or not, the specific words chosen in this comment minimised the serious circumstances of January's death, effectively shifting the blame away from the offender. As the RCMP's I-Hit team continued to investigate, January's family and close friends organized a private memorial and then a public celebration of her life.

Betty Lapuze would say that she had already lost her own mother and her sister before she lost January, but nothing prepared her for how difficult losing a child is. She had no choice but to cremobile. mate January because it was the cheapest option to bring her home. January's loved ones and community celebrated her as a good friend, a kind and generous person who faced much rejection and ridicule, both as an immigrant, a transgender woman and someone who once worked and lived on the downtown East Side. But in the face of her own

personal hardships, January always prioritized acceptance, open-mindedness and not. not being judgmental. She saw value in every human. January's name was included in the official list of deaths for transgender Day of Remembrance and likely read out as part of vigils to commemorate the day internationally. That was November 20th, 2012, and it didn't go unnoticed that almost two months had passed with no further announcements from investigators. Share Vancouver was hurting too. Founder Alex Sanger would later tell the New Westminster record that the organisation lost its spark for a while after January's death.

Everyone considered her the mother of the group, the social glue, and not having her there left them feeling lost. Quote, We basically shut down after she died. The group just couldn't function. We just didn't feel like celebrate. and having parties. There were doubts about whether there would ever be justice for January.

On December 6th, 2012, just over two months after January's death, the RCMPI hit team suddenly announced they had made an arrest. They named 20-year-old Charles Jameson Mungo Neil, who went by Jamie, as the person they had charged with second-degree murder. The announcement gave no information on how the accused was identified and how they found him. It only mentioned that he had no previous criminal record and that investigators were continuing to look for a motive in the killing. Jamie Neal was remanded in custody until his next court appearance in the new year.

In the lead-up to that bail hearing, January's loved ones and members of the local LGBTQ plus kids, community decided to stage a rally to call for justice for January and to voice their concerns about the prospect of Jamie Neal being released on bail. The rally's organizer, Leader Stray, wanted to stress that this wasn't about asking people to pass judgment. They encouraged the process of justice and understood that Jamie Neal had a right to a fair trial. The rally was instead about the prospect of him being released on bail when he was accused of stabbing a transgender person to death with no provided motive. On January 5, 2013, about 80 people marched to the New Westminster

courthouse and stood in vigil at the front steps. The crowd included New Westminster councillor Jamie McAvoy, who said it was important to show support for a group who was among the most disadvantaged in the greater Vancouver area. After a greeting and prayer by Kakite First Nation Chief Ronda Larrabee, candles were lit to honour January. Raleigh organiser, Leader Stray, told the crowd they had been silent in the back corner for far too long. Quote,

We've accepted injustice, humiliation, degradation based solely on the lack of education on our community and our lifestyle. For me, the death of January Marie Lapuze was the breaking point in my silence. It's horrific that it took the murder of someone so beautiful, so strong, to break that silence. Jamie Neal's court appearance was two days after that, and January's loved ones and the community organizers were surprised and relieved when it was over in about five minutes. Instead of requesting bail, Neil's lawyer,

Neil's lawyer, David Tarnow, requested that he continued to be remanded in custody. It wasn't public knowledge at the time, but as it turned out, Jamie had confessed to the murder to an undercover officer in his cell. No further details were ever publicly provided about this confession, but Jamie would be kept in custody right up until his trial. Jamie Neal is Indigenous and his family are, Quagutal First Nation from Fort Rupert, located on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Jamie is one of three children who ended up being raised by their father as a single parent.

Their mother had attended a residential school, one of the many government-funded and church-run schools for indigenous children, designed to, quote, kill the Indian in the child. We know that the Canadian government forcibly removed 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Méti children from their families to send them to residential schools. There they were subjected to neglect, physical and sexual abuse, experimentation and violence, and thousands died right on their school grounds, buried in unmarked graves. An overwhelming percentage of those who survived were left with anger, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, PTSD, high suicide rates and more. Residential schools took them away from their families and communities and taught them that parenting was about punishment, abuse, violence, coercion and control, and this was often inadvertently passed on as intergenerational trauma when they became parents themselves. James' mother gave birth to his older brother and then twins, Jamie and his sister, who were born

prematurely. His mother wasn't able to cope with being a parent and left them with their father, David Neal. In a later letter sent to the court, David would recognize that this abandonment was the single most adverse experience of his son as a First Nations person. He described it as a significant and early childhood trauma from which Jamie never fully recovered. According to court documents, Jamie Neal displayed developmental delays and throughout elementary school he struggled, behaviorally, socially and academically. His father worked with the school in North Vancouver on extensive interventions to help Jamie, but this problematic behavior continued.

David Neal would describe his son. as a textbook example of what happens to the children of indigenous people who attended residential schools. When Jamie was an adolescent, his father moved them to Thailand where he operated a business. Jamie was enrolled in a private secondary school there, but it didn't help with his behavioral issues. At some point, he was expelled after several physical altercations with other students. The family returned to North Vancouver in 2010, when Jamie was 17 years old, and his father David would say he took advantage of all the government and community supports on offer to help him,

but Jamie wasn't interested. The following year 2011, he did enroll in an adult basic education program in Vancouver, but was removed from the program after another physical altercation. According to court documents, by the time Jamie was arrested at age 20, he had no significant employment history, but he was supported by his father and siblings who were described as productive members of the community. Although Jamie reportedly maintained a close relationship with them, he mostly preferred to spend his time alone and wasn't connected to the local community. A year after Jamie's trial was ordered, it was announced that he had reached a plea agreement with the Crown.

He would plead guilty, but only, to manslaughter. He had been charged with second-degree murder, which means a murder that was deliberate but occurred without any planning. In pleading guilty to manslaughter, Jamie accepted responsibility for causing January's death, but denied any intent to kill her. The plea deal hearing was held in June of 2014. January's loved ones were present, including her mother Betty Lapuze, seated just two rows behind Jamie Neal.

Betty told the media she was not yet ready to discuss the case or the plea deal. The Crown presented an agreed statement of facts in which Jamie Neal admitted he was responsible for the death of January Marie Lapuze and detailed what happened that night. According to the agreed statement of facts, on September 29, 2012, 20-year-old Jamie sent a text message to 26-year-old January to arrange sexual services.

He confirmed he didn't know her, but did know she was a trans, gender sex worker. They agreed on a time and she gave him her address, but they didn't finalise the price for the services. At the time, Jamie was living with his twin sister and older brother in East Vancouver, and he travelled the 15 kilometres or so to January's New Westminster home, arriving at about 9.45 that evening. He and January had a conversation about what services he was requesting, but they couldn't reach an agreement about the price, which likely meant that Jamie didn't want to pay the rate that January gave him. According to the court document, they started arguing, and January grabbed some scissors and

cut Jamie's hand. A physical struggle then ensued, where Jamie said he grabbed a nearby knife to defend himself. He proceeded to stab January in the face, neck, arms and torso. until her neighbours showed up to see what the noise was about. Crown Prosecutor Rusty Antunuch provided some additional context, telling the judge that January Lapus was 5 foot 11 inches tall and weighed just over 250 pounds, as compared with Jamie Neal, who was only 110 pounds and 5 foot 6. Journalist Jennifer Saltman described the difference for the province,

quote, January Lapuze was five inches taller than kneel and twice as heavy. But it's also relevant to note that January was stabbed a total of 18 times. At autopsy, she was found to have significant injury and internal damage, specifically to her vertebral artery and jugular vein, which was determined to have caused her death. Jamie jumped and ran out of the home, threatening the neighbour's friend with a knife as he ran past. According to the agreed statement of facts,

Jamie Neal said he returned to his home, where his siblings tried to treat his hand wound. Whether he told them the truth about how he got it is unclear, but he would likely have been covered in blood after stabbing January 18 times. Jamie's hand wound was serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, to have it seen to by a doctor, and shortly after that, he said he took a bus to Calgary. He then flew back to Thailand, where it appears his father David was living. The neighbours had told police they saw a male in his mid-20s running away with a knife,

describing him as maybe Asian, approximately 5 foot 5 inches tall, with short black hair and a muscular build. Apart from the fact that Jamie was 20 and Indigenous, the description was fairly accurate, but there's some mystery as to how the RCMP got from point A to point B, how they learned the man described was actually Jamie Neal, who lived in a different area 15 kilometres away. The only thing mentioned in the court document is that investigators later recovered the knife he had been carrying. The RCMP became aware that Jamie Neal had gone to Thailand

and were alerted that he would be returning to Canada on December 5th, 2012, just over two months after January's murder. He was arrested as soon as he returned. The Crown prosecutor said Jamie Neal, quote, "...overreacted in an explosive and highly violent manner. He did not have the... required intent for murder, but rather used excessive force to defend himself. The Crown agreed with the defense's case that January was not killed because she was transgender.

It resulted from an argument, and that's why the Crown didn't seek to have it labeled a hate crime. Extra Magazine noted that while the Crown prosecutor and the judge consistently referred to January as Miss Lapuze, Jamie Neal's defense lawyer, David Tarno called her Mr. Le Pooze throughout the court process. The judge heard that the aggravating factors in the case that may warrant an increased sentence were that January Marie Le Pooze was a sex worker and therefore vulnerable. There was no mention that the fact that she was also transgender made her especially vulnerable. Another highly aggravating factor, according to the Crown, was that Jamie Neal,

showed attempts to avoid criminal prosecution, first by threatening the neighbour with the knife as he ran from January's home, and then by fleeing to Calgary and then Thailand. Clear attempts to evade arrest and the consequences of his actions. And of course, the fact that Jamie stabbed January so many times indicated that he overreacted in an explosive and extremely violent manner. When it came to mitigating factors, the judge had ordered a Gladdo report be prepared, a report that details the unique circumstances and systemic issues that come into play with Indigenous offenders.

It's in this Gladdo report that the details of Jamie's family history were reported, including the intergenerational trauma resulting from his mother's residential school experience, the impact of her leaving the family and Jamie struggles after that. It wasn't an excuse or a reason for his violence that night, but it was noted as a mitigating circumstance that may warrant a decreased sentence. The Gladou report also noted that while substance use had been an issue for Jamie in the past, neither he nor others identified it as being a problem in the months before January was murdered. Other mitigating circumstances included his youth, the fact that Jamie was only 20 years old at the

time of the offence, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and had no other criminal record. The Gladu report indicated he had intentions to change and was trying to turn his life around. It also detailed Jamie's expression of empathy and regret about the offence. He indicated that he was sorry for it and convinced, conveyed condolences to January's family and the community. The judge stated that Jamie's expressions of remorse were, quote, not as thorough and convincing as one might wish to see, but conceded they may have been more of a reflection on Jamie's lack of ability to fully express himself.

The judge accepted that Jamie's comments were sincere and noted they were supported by other information provided in the report. Judge Fritz Verhoeven confirmed with Jamie that he understood that he had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and that he understood the consequences of that plea. Jamie, seen in glasses, a white shirt and grey pants, agreed. The Crown and defence presented a joint submission asking for a sentence of eight years in prison, minus time already served, but the sentencing decision was of course up to the judge. In delivering his sentence, Justice Verhoven noted that rehabilitation remains a significant factor in Jamie Neal's case.

Quote, while his youth has been a troubled one and there have been frequent indications of difficulties including inappropriate behaviour, this offences out of character for Mr Neal. It was also noted that Jamie Neal had been cooperating with available programs while in custody, and was supported emotionally by his twin sister, older brother and father, who said they had identified his needs for social and emotional development and expressed hope for Jamie to receive and respond to those interventions. The judge summarised the case. While Jamie Neal, quote, stab January Lapuze with the intent to defend himself,

he used more force than was reasonable in the circumstances. Therefore, Mr. Neal is guilty of the crime of manslaughter, but he is not guilty of murder. A victim impact statement written by January's mother, Betty Lapuze, was read out loud. Quote, January is a person with no sadness. She made everybody laugh. She loved helping people regardless of race, color or age. She is sweet to everyone. Her smile is like sunlight up in the sky.

Guy. Betty said that she was heartbroken by January's absence. Quote, she was everything I had. Reporting for Extra magazine, Jeremy Hainsworth described Jamie Neal as showing no emotion as this victim impact statement was read. His father, David Neal, didn't attend the hearing. According to the court document, he was still in Thailand operating a business. But he did send a letter to the court, saying his family was, quote, shocked by what occurred and very upset by so much grief they have caused to the other family. Before passing his sentence, the judge asked Jamie if he had anything to say. Jamie said he expressed his, quote, dearest condolences to the victim's family. I am sorry for all the trouble and pain I have caused. Justice Verhoeven found no

reason to depart from the joint sentencing submission. And on October 2nd, 2014, Jamie Neal was sentenced to eight years in prison minus time already served. This meant he would serve an additional five years and three months. Jamie was also ordered to provide a DNA sample and was imposed with a lifetime firearms ban. When Jamie Neal was led out of court, he looked across the courtroom to his siblings. His twin sister stood and watched her brother leaving until she could no longer see him. In a later interview with the Vancouver son,

Cher Vancouver founder Alex Sengar would describe January's murder as a tragedy that took her away from her community, her friends and her family, and when it came to the defense insisting it wasn't a hate crime and the crown not treating it like one, Alex didn't believe it. The clinical counsellor and social worker said that as a transgender person,

January was, quote, marginalized and alienated and isolated in dealing with suffering in her life. She was involved in survival sex work to pay for her food, her clothing, her phone. She was vulnerable. Studies show that transgender people are at much higher risk of discreet. and violent victimization than their cisgender counterparts, those who identify with their assigned gender at birth. A much higher proportion of transgender Canadians reported experiencing physical or sexual assault in their lifetimes, 59% as compared to 37%. And not surprisingly, in

2021, Statistics Canada reported that the COVID-19 pandemic further exposed and exacerbated issues related to discrimination in Canada, including hate crime. When it comes to incidents motivated by a hatred of gender diverse people, the overall number is small relative to some other hate crime categories, like race, religion or ethnicity. But what stands out in the police reported data is that incidents against trans people are much more violent in nature than other hate crime categories, with almost 80% of reported incidents involving a violent violation, almost double the proportion. So when considering this data in the context of the highly violent way that January Lapus was stabbed to death that night, there are a few things that really

stand out. The facts of the case are that Jamie Neal knew January was a transgender sex worker. The evidence shows that when he arrived at her home and learned the price for his requested services, he didn't want to pay it. He could have just left at that point, but he responded in a way that obviously caused January to feel unsafe in her own home, prompting her to pick up a pair of scissors. As an experienced sex worker, she would have had ample experience with clients who disagreed on price. She would have been experienced in negotiation, and it stands to reason that it would be extremely unusual for any sex worker to force an agreement with a potential client by threatening them with a weapon, especially for January who had no history of violence. It also stands to reason that

but when she grabbed the scissors, her preferred outcome would likely have been for Jamie to leave her home immediately. She may have been taller than him and twice as heavy, but he also had a visible muscular build and was likely able to move much faster than she was. Jamie Neal was the only source for the agreed statement of facts, but even in his version of events, there was no mention of January making repeated advances with the scissors that may have required him to fight back in self-defense. Instead of just leaving when his hand was cut, Jamie chose to grab a weapon of his own from January's home, a knife which he used to stab her a total of 18 times in an extremely violent manner, an explosive overreaction that only ended when the neighbors interrupted him.

And then there's his obvious attempts to avoid consequences afterwards, running from January's home, threatening the neighbours with the knife as he ran past and then ultimately fleeing to Thailand. It's clear to see why January's community believed hate was more of a factor in her death than self-defense. Jamie Neal finished his sentence in June of 2019 and was released on parole. But just five months later, in November, his parole was revoked. The only information about this was reported by Denise Ryan for the Vancouver Sun. Quote, in its decision to revoke Neil's statutory release, the parole board wrote that he had little regard for the conditions of his release.

He had been intoxicated, engaged in sexual activity without reporting, that a knife had been found in his room, and that he is considered a flight risk. That was more than three years ago, and there hasn't been any public mention of Jamie Neal since. It's not known if he's still in custody. Share Vancouver eventually got its spark back. After the shock of January's murder,

Alex Sanger, Ash, Bra and the rest of the community got back to work, building up their services and community outreach again. They started peer support groups, crisis counselling and participated with afloat in the Vancouver Pride Parade again. In 2015, the group founded the January Marie Lapu's Youth Leadership Award, which has been awarded every year since to people between the ages of 16 and 30 who have demonstrated commitment to and leadership in the LGBTQ plus community. Their next big project was to start working on a short film to celebrate January's life. Originally, it was supposed to be just a concise five-minute memorial to a treasured friend, but after the directors began the process of interviewing January's friends, family and community,

it ended up being 25 minutes long. The multi-award-winning documentary titled My Name Was January, was released, in 2018, directed by Lenny's son and Elena Gress and produced by Alex Sanger and Ash Bras. The film features raw interviews with Betty Lapuz, who speaks about January's life and her pain as a mother who can't quite come to grips with losing a child. It also explores January's widespread impact on her friends and loved ones, as well as the local LGBTQ plus community. The filmmakers didn't want to focus on her death,

the man responsible or the court process. Instead, creating the film to be a legacy, a showcase of January's life and her joyful, bubbly personality. My Name Was January went on to win 13 international awards and was selected for 56 different international film festivals. You can find links to watch it on January's memorial website, Januaryfilm.com. The film's description ends, quote, This is the story of January, a friend, a daughter, a person.

This film will not only bring justice to January, but to all the women who have lost their lives. January had a beautiful soul, and now part of her soul rests in each and every one of us. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to tell a friend or leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Special thanks to Alex Sengar and Ash Brar from Share Vancouver. You can learn more at S-H-E-R-Vancover.com or check out the Share Vancouver podcast.

See the show notes for all the links. Canadian True Crime donates monthly to organizations helping those for those facing injustice. And this month we have donated to the Share Vancouver LGBTQ Plus Friends Society in memory of January Marie Lapuz. Thanks also to Elliot Newton for suggesting this case and researching it. Elliot is a non-binary transgender activist and freelance educator from Ottawa. You can find them at genderbandit.com. For the full list of resources we relied on to write this episode and anything else you want to know about the podcast, visit canadian truecrime.ca. Audio editing and production was by We Talk of Dreams, who also composed the theme songs.

Production Assistance was by Jesse Hawke, with script consulting by Carol Weinberg. Writing, narration, sound design and additional research was by me, and the disclaimer was voiced by Eric Crosby. I'll be back soon with another Canadian True Crime episode. See you then.