Canadian True Crime - The Richardson Family Murders [3]

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

[Part 3 of 3] At trial, Jade Richardson and Jeremy Steinke’s final testimonies are weighed against the forensic evidence, and the picture of what exactly happened inside that house starts to take shape.... leading to the final conclusion.Additional content warning: this episode includes the death of a child. Please take care when listening.The intention of this series is to take a look back at a shocking crime sensationalized through headlines and explore how it impacted the community. Some names have been changed to respect the privacy of those involved.Canadian True Crime donates monthly to help those facing injustice.This month we have donated to the Calgary Homicide Support Society.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.

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listening. This is the final part of a three-part series. three-part series. Investigators had collected enough evidence for Jade Richardson and Jeremy Steinke to be tried separately for the first-degree murders of Mark, Debra and Jacob Richardson. They both pleaded not guilty. As a young offender, Jade Richardson's identity was under publication ban, so all possible efforts were made to protect it. She spent most of her trial in a very high prisoner's box where no one could see her except when she left and entered court. The press was not allowed to report that Jade was related to the victims in any way. She was referred to as The Girl. The Calgary Herald

took to referring to her as Runaway Devil, one of the names she went by online. But there was no way to take back that her name and photo had already been published early in the investigation with the public plea to find her. And the sensationalism in the case meant it was high profile internationally, where Canadian publication bans do not apply. So many people knew who she was, and crowds of them showed up at the courthouse in Medicine Hat each day to watch the trial

from the public gallery. Jade's trial was held first in Youth Court and Jeremy's adult trial was moved to Calgary almost a year later, but almost all of the evidence and witness testimony was the same at both trials. The court heard about the problems between Jade and her parents

and the messages she exchanged with Jeremy, including one she sent to him about a month before the murders. Quote, Roar, I hate them. So I have this plan. It begins with me killing them and ends with me living with you. So we are set. And Jeremy's reply, Well, I love your plan, but we need to get a little more creative with like details and stuff. The Crown argued that this was evidence of planning and intent. So was the testimony of Jeremy's friends, Jade's friends and all the young people who

interacted with them before the murders. The main difference between their two trials was they each testified in their own defense. The Calgary Herald reported that Jade Richardson, now 13 years old, was the youngest person in Canadian history to testify in her own defense in a triple homicide case. And the courtroom was packed to hear what she had to say. Jade was asked to recall her relationship with Jeremy Steinke, and she was described

as smiling often as she recounted the time she first saw him doing donuts in the car in the Medicine Hat Mall parking lot. Clearly, her feelings for him had not changed. She admitted to lying to him about her age, but said everyone did it. She described Jeremy as sensitive and loving, and insisted he was never violent.

She pointed out how much they had in common, listening to death metal bands, wearing dark hoodies and makeup, and having morbid discussions about suicide, killing or death. But she insisted it was all just part of the goth and punk scene, intended for shock value. Nobody meant anything by it, she claimed. Jay testified that she told Jeremy she hated her family and wished they were dead and that they had joked together about killing her parents. In fact, they'd even spoken about hypothetical situations that might leave her parents dead, like a murder-suicide or a house fire. She testified that she and

Jeremy spoke about her younger brother Jacob needing to die as well because he was just a little boy. Quote, you can't leave him without parents. But again she insisted she and Jeremy were not serious. It was all just jokes. Jade gave a similar response to the stick figure cartoon found in her school locker in the hours after the bodies of her family were discovered. The jurors were shown the 10-frame cartoon drawing, which wasn't released to the public

until the book Runaway Devil was published. The cartoon starts off with two adults holding hands, saying, Let's go for a walk as they pat the head of a small child. Standing off to the side is a third stick figure labeled Angry, who is slightly smaller than the adults. As they walk down the road, Angry sneaks off to a vehicle parked nearby, labeled Jeremy's truck.

The stick figure is depicted laughing while getting gasoline. In the next square, the two adults are sitting on a bench together watching the small child on a swing set. Angry comes along, drenches them all in gasoline and sets them on fire. The next three squares depict all three of them on fire. The child, still on the swing set, is saying, ah, I'm burning alive. The adults are saying, help, my flesh is being burned off. The final two squares have the caption, the unimaginable pain.

And the final square depicts two people pointing, saying, aha, you're burning alive. From the witness box, Jade Richardson confirmed that she was the one who drew the cartoon strip, but she was just angry and venting. Again, it didn't mean anything. Jade Richardson was asked to recount her version of events of the night her family was murdered. The jury didn't know about her confession to police, the details she'd

changed as she continued talking to the investigators or the apology she'd written to her family because it was all inadmissible as evidence. They also didn't know that she was unemotional with the police. At trial, Jade was the opposite, described as breaking down on the stand multiple times during her testimony, and some details of her previous stories changed slightly. Gone was the part where she and Jeremy partied at the drug dealer's place all night before going to her home. Now she testified that she was at home with her family that night. At about 1am, after her parents were asleep, she called Jeremy and spoke on the phone with him for about an hour.

She claimed they talked about all kinds of things, but she only spent about 10 minutes of that call discussing how much she hated her parents. And just a few hours later, Jeremy broke into her family home. She said she was upstairs with Jacob, and they heard her parents screaming and yelling from the basement. Jade testified she crept part way downstairs to peer down at the basement and saw her father Mark fighting with Jeremy and her mother Deborah lying at the bottom of the stairs with blood on her chest.

Jade ran back upstairs and said she grabbed a kitchen knife she kept in her bedroom to protect herself. Then she said she cradled Jacob's head in the crook of her arm so he wouldn't hear what was going on downstairs because it was horrible. Jay testified that she tried to choke Jacob to put him to sleep, but he left claw marks on her arms and she released him. Then Jeremy came upstairs covered in blood.

Jay testified that she told Jacob to go to his bedroom and Jeremy followed pushing past her. Jay testified that Jeremy screamed at her, just stab him, just do it, just slit his throat, you have to do this, I did this for you, you have to do this for me." She said she was too scared to refuse his order, and she didn't want Jeremy to hurt her. So she gripped the knife harder and stabbed her brother. Quote, not very hard. It was somewhere in his upper body. It went to the side. She said Jacob told her he was scared. he was too young to die. She described herself as being in a zombie state as Jeremy snatched the knife from her.

She turned around because she didn't want to see what he did with it. Jade testified that she didn't see it but Jeremy slashed Jacob's throat and the eight-year-old made a gurgling sound like he was trying to breathe. She said she heard Jeremy say, He won't die and then she heard as he quote stabbed him stabbed him again. Jeremy came out of Jacob's room handed Jade the knife and walked downstairs again like a zombie. Jayed the knife and walked downstairs again like a zombie. Jayed testified that she went to wash her bloody hands and the knife in the bathroom sink.

She left the knife on the vanity because she couldn't look at it. She made no attempt to help her little brother. Then, Jeremy got paranoid and announced he was leaving the house. She testified that she asked him, you're just going to leave me here? The crown would point out that Jade herself sounded petulant, like she was sulking that he wouldn't take her with him. And this was inconsistent with her testimony that she was scared of him. Jade told the jury that Jeremy ordered her to hurry up, but then he got in his truck and drove off without her. Jade testified, He was gone. I was shocked like it was morbid, surreal. I was not in my head. I was panicking and I was very scared."

She said she didn't know what to do. She felt sick to her stomach and tried to close the blinds on a basement window to block her father's body from her sight. She took her mother's purse and put it in a bag. She assumed Jeremy returned to his trailer. She called a taxi company and ordered a cab to arrive in 20 or 30 minutes' time. The taxi cab dispatcher had already testified that Jade made that phone call at 5.25am, and she was whimpering. Jade testified she took her mother's bank card and ran about six blocks to a convenience store where she got cash out of an ATM to pay for the taxi. She ran back to her house and the taxi was waiting for her. The driver had testified that Jade appeared calm.

When asked about this on the witness box, Jade explained that she was, quote, trying really hard to hold it together and pretend everything was normal. The Crown prosecutor would also point out that Jade had claimed she was in zombie mode, scared, to the point where she couldn't stop Jeremy or get help. But she was okay to go to the convenience store, get cash out and call a taxi for herself. The taxi took Jade about 10 minutes across town to Jeremy's trailer, and he was home at the time she arrived. She testified they packed up his bloody clothes into a plastic bag and drove over to the cocaine dealer's place, where Jeremy got ice for his swollen eye.

She said they went and laid down in a bedroom. They had sex. She was scared and Jeremy wanted to make her feel better. Jade testified about attending the separate house party that afternoon, particularly in response to testimony that she and Jeremy were looking happy, giggling and making out. She explained, quote, I couldn't absorb what happened. I loved him. I was spaced out. It was so surreal. He was trying to make me feel better and comfort me. And same thing with those jailhouse letters they wrote to each other after they were arrested. Jay testified she was only telling Jeremy what she thought he wanted to hear. She said she blamed

herself for the killings because she told Jeremy that she hated her family and wished they were dead. But she was only joking. She never meant for that to happen. Next, the forensic evidence and what the experts had to say about what happened followed by Jeremy's testimony. At trial, the testimony of various forensic experts revealed a disturbing level of brutality. Deborah Richardson, age 48, had been stabbed 12 times. One of those wounds was very deep and pierced the aorta in her heart, causing her death. Another wound was inflicted post-mortem after she was dead. 42-year-old Mark Richardson had 24 stab wounds, nine of them to the back. His blood was projected onto the walls, a gas fireplace, the TV and all over the carpet. The autopsy determined that no single wound resulted in his death.

He died from massive blood loss from his collective injuries. And three of the stab wounds to his back were inflicted after his death. The Crown pointed out that the crime scene photos showed that Mark Richardson was lying on his back, which conflicted with Jeremy Steinke's testimony that he left him on his stomach. This fact, along with the evidence of the stab wounds inflicted after their deaths, raised another possibility, according to reporter Robert Remington for the Calgary Herald.

He wrote that if Jeremy Steinke's testimony was to be believed, it suggested that Jade may have inflicted those wounds on her parents after Jeremy freaked out and fled the house. But on the other hand, it could just be evidence of overkill. Both of Jade's parents had defense wounds on their hands and arms, showing they tried to fend off the blows. Mark's hands were clenched tightly in a fist, as though he had died in a fighting position. It was rigor mortis that stiffened his muscles,

but the evidence certainly did show he fought valiantly to protect his family to his death. The jury saw photos and videos of the crime scene and the bodies, and at least three police officers choked back tears as they described the gruesome and violent crime scene they encountered, particularly when describing the body of eight-year-old Jacob Richardson. Many of them needed counseling afterwards. There was nothing gentle about the way Jacob died. The autopsy found the little boy had scrapes on his neck, chest, back and legs and a mark on his neck that was consistent with asphyxia or being deprived of oxygen.

There was no determination about what might have caused this asphyxia, but common causes in similar circumstances include suffocation, strangulation or choking. From the autopsy in conjunction with the forensic evidence from the scene, it was determined that Jacob was first stabbed in the upstairs hallway and the incident continued into his bedroom. The little boy was stabbed twice in the face, twice in his chest and his throat was slit with a deep lash that severed his jugular vein. The forensic pathologist gave chilling testimony that this wound might have made a gurgling sound.

There was a steady flow of blood from the hallway over to Jacob's bed and there was blood spatter everywhere, all over his toys and on the walls above his bed. One of the widely circulated anecdotes associated with this case is that Jacob used his toy lightsaber to defend himself. This detail comes from the book Runaway Devil, but it was based solely on the lead investigators' reflections after entering Jacob's room and seeing his blood-covered toys. He recalled, quote, the most touching thing was the lightsaber. I suspect he grabbed it and tried to use it, with the blood all over it. While the thought of a young Star Wars fan trying to fend off a killer using a toy lightsaber would add another heartbreaking layer to an already devastating story, there was no forensic

evidence about this. The only established fact is that there were almost 200 blood spatters, smears, droplets and transfers both outside and inside Jacob's bedroom. The jury heard about other forensic evidence. There was a partial footprint and blood in the upstairs bathroom that was consistent with Jade's shoe, but wasn't enough of an impression for an exact match. In the basement, there was so much blood that it was impossible to obtain any footwear impressions. The murder weapons had been tested. Of particular interest was the partially rinsed knife found in the upstairs bathroom. Forensic testing identified both Jacob's blood and a trace

of Jade's DNA. As for Jeremy Steinke, the only thing that linked him to Jacob was a drop of the little boy's blood on one of Jeremy's shoelaces. You'll also remember Jeremy's bloody clothes in the white plastic bag. It was mostly Mark Richardson's DNA with traces of Deborah's also found. There was no trace of Jacob's DNA found on any of Jeremy's clothes. The evidence showed the home was entered that night through a broken basement window. Fingerprints were found there that matched to Jade, and in the dirt below, there were footprints largely consistent with the shoes that Jade and Jeremy were wearing. Forensic investigators used luminol on the inside of Jeremy's truck,

and it lit up, showing multiple areas with blood. There was also a box of cleaning wipes found. Jeremy's mother's trailer had also been searched extensively, and luminol had detected traces of blood on Jeremy's bedroom door, in his bedroom, bathroom and the shower, which corroborated Mike's details about Jeremy storming off to the shower when he arrived home. To get a first degree murder conviction, the Crown prosecution had to prove that there was planning and intent to kill.

Jade Richardson's testimony was that there was no plan. Jeremy Steinke attempted to do the same at his own trial. He corroborated Jade's testimony that he received a phone call from her at about 1am that Sunday morning, and they spoke for an hour. He testified that she asked for him to come over and then she would sneak out and see him. That was the plan. He was already drunk and high but he stopped off at his drug dealer's apartment on the way to get more drunk and more high for no apparent reason. Jeremy testified that he wore black clothing and his black neoprene ski mask on his face

with his eyes lined with black eyeliner as he waited for Jade outside her house. He intended to drive her back to his trailer, but she didn't appear. So he decided to enter her house through a basement window. He testified he heard someone come down the stairs and thought it was Jade, but it was actually her mother Deborah who turned on the light and screamed when she saw a masked intruder in the house. He said he freaked out and pulled out a knife he always carried for self-protection and stabbed her. He said that Jade's father Mark then came barreling down the stairs, a big, athletic man much larger in size than Jeremy was, and lunged at him with a screwdriver in a valiant attempt to protect his family.

There was a violent struggle between the two men on the floor, and Jeremy said he was injured in the eye. He claimed he stabbed Mark in self-defense, but he couldn't say how many times because he lost control. He said he left Mark lying on his stomach and went upstairs to the kitchen where Jade was waiting for him. Jeremy testified she kissed him and he waited in the kitchen while she went upstairs to the bedrooms. He said he heard muffled conversation but couldn't hear what was actually being said. He went upstairs and saw Jacob lying on his back on his bed with Jade standing over him. Jeremy told the jury he was standing in the doorway,

shocked as Jade slashed her little brother's throat. She then turned and casually walked past him over into the bathroom. Jeremy told the jury he freaked out and left in his truck, pulling over to vomit on the way home. But the Crown pointed out a few inconsistencies. Jeremy had told the undercover officer that Mark Richardson asked him why he was doing this as they fought on the floor, and Jeremy told him that Jade wanted it that way. But at trial, Jeremy denied having this exchange

and claimed that a lot of comments he made to the undercover officer were just him trying to act macho with someone he thought was a criminal. The Crown suggested that the only reason Jeremy joined Jade upstairs was because she needed help with Jacob who was fighting back. But all Jeremy would admit to was standing in the doorway watching Jade kill him, which meant at the very least he did not stop it or help the boy. Jeremy said the messages he wrote to Jade that looked like they were planning a murder was all joking around. Same thing with his song lyrics and poems that talked about slitting throats and blood shedding fights. They were just words that helped him vent his feelings.

Same with the comments he made to his friends. Jeremy denied asking anyone for made to his friends. Jeremy denied asking anyone for help to kill Jade's family and denied ever planning to. Jeremy Steinke testified he thought Jade was 16 and didn't learn her real age until after they'd been arrested. Yet he still proposed to her in those jailhouse letters.

He admitted he had no concern about their age difference. He also said that he was now taking medication for paranoid schizophrenia and depression. In closing arguments, the Crown prosecutor told the jury that Jade Richardson was a cold-hearted killer who planned the murders of her family along with her boyfriend, so they could be free together. And Jeremy Steinke was so obsessed with Jade that he would do anything for her, including kill her family. That hour-long phone call at 1 a.m. was where Jade let Jeremy know it was time to activate their plan. His friends had refused to help him so he stopped off at the drug dealers place on the way to give

himself some courage. The Crown argued that Jeremy killed Deborah and Mark Richardson, then killed little Jacob to eliminate a witness. But Jade aided and encouraged him at every step. Under Canadian law, that made her equally guilty of first degree murder in all three deaths. The Crown rejected Jade's claim that she was afraid of Jeremy, noting she had multiple chances to get help but never did. And while Jade was seen crying on the stand, the Crown pointed out that she never expressed any sorrow for her family or remorse for her role. Jade's defense lawyer argued she was just a naive 12-year-old manipulated by a 23-year-old man. Her lawyer said everything happened in that context. And while Jade joked about hating her parents and murdering them, she never actually wanted it to happen. The killings were just a tragic misunderstanding.

Jeremy's defence claimed he was immature and infatuated with Jade, and there was no plan. He showed up under the influence and snapped, killing Jade's parents on impulse. But it was Jade who killed her younger brother by slashing his throat. In the book Runaway Devil, the authors Zickafous and Remington note that quote, The most disturbing outcome of the trials is that neither Jade nor Jeremy Steinke ever took responsibility for the death of Jacob Richardson. Only they know for certain what happened in that house, and one of them was not telling the truth. But the overwhelming evidence was enough for both juries.

Jade Richardson and Jeremy Steinke were each found guilty of all three counts of first degree murder. Jeremy reportedly showed no reaction when the verdicts were read. Jade, who is described as looking demure in a white cardigan with her long brown hair and a ponytail, clasped her hand to her mouth and cried as the verdicts were read. She was and still is the youngest person ever convicted of multiple murders in Canada. The Calgary Herald quoted a legal expert and university dean of law who believed second degree murder would have been more appropriate for Jade. The expert said that while she came across in some part as simply a cold-blooded killer,

quote, I think one could have taken the view that she was a pretty screwed up kid. As a young offender under the age of 14, Jade was not eligible to be tried or sentenced as an adult. She would need a special sentence appropriate for both her age and the crimes for which she was found guilty. New pre-sentencing psychiatric reports were tabled. The press applied to view the reports in their entirety, but the judge denied it, citing concerns around privacy in Jade's potential rehabilitation. So only the most high-level conclusions were publicly released. Jade had not shown any remorse

and had not taken any responsibility for her role in the murders. She suffered from dependency issues, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and she was officially diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Oppositional defiant disorder, or ODD, is a behavioral condition identified in children who show a persistent pattern of angry outbursts, argumentativeness and refusal to follow rules beyond ordinary misbehaviour, particularly with parents, teachers or other authority figures. Conduct disorder is a mental health diagnosis considered more serious, involving repeated behaviour that violates social norms or the rights of

others like aggression, lying, stealing or destruction of property. Conduct disorder is also considered a risk factor for more severe mental health issues in adulthood, especially if it begins at an early age and isn't addressed. If a youth reaches the age of 18 and the symptoms of conduct disorder have persisted, the diagnosis is often converted to antisocial personality disorder. ASPD is the clinical diagnosis

for what is often casually referred to as sociopathy and psychopathy. A major point to note, the reason why youths can't be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder is because their brains are still developing and their symptoms can be treated if it's caught early and there is consistent therapy and long term support. And because Jade was so young when the murders were carried out, she has a greater chance of recovery. With this in mind, Justice Scott Brooker sentenced Jade to the maximum for a young offender for

her age – 10 years. But this was a special sentence, a relatively new option at the time for serious violent offenders who may have a mental or psychological disorder or an emotional disturbance. It's called an intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision order. Instead of a youth facility, Jade

would spend four years in a psychiatric hospital with the best mental health therapies available for her needs. The following four and a half years would be spent under conditional community supervision. The remaining 18 months of the sentence would be credit for time served while awaiting trial. Jade would be 22 years old by that point and if she stayed on the straight and narrow for an

additional five years after that, her criminal record would be neatly expunged. She would also need to provide DNA samples and would not be permitted to own firearms. Just as Brooker stated quote, life to becoming the woman they would have been proud of. Jade declined to say anything to the court in response. The news of Jade Richardson's sentence was met with understandable concern from the community. Many questioned how someone involved in such a horrific crime could ever be rehabilitated, let alone returned to society. Only time would tell.

Amanda C. Riley is a wife, a mother, a blogger, a teacher, a Christian, and Amanda C. Reilly is dying. She became an inspiration in her community. Her devoted followers showered her with donations to help her get better, until she caught the attention of an investigative producer. I'm reading it over and over and things aren't adding up. Something's just not right. I'm Charli Webster. At Jeremy Steinke's sentencing hearing, seven victim impact statements were read, describing the Richardson family's pain as unbearable, heartbreaking and horrifying, leaving a big

hole in their hearts. Mark Richardson's stepmother wrote about the family constantly reliving the immense fight that Mark and Debra must have put up, and Jacob's terror when he realised his big sister would not help him. Debra Richardson's brother wrote that he will never understand why she was taken, but quote, I do understand about forgiveness. She taught me that I about forgiveness. She taught me that. I extend forgiveness."

Deborah's sister wrote directly to Jeremy, quote, You're nothing but a punk with evil tendencies, you coward. Your choices hurt us all, Jeremy. For what the judge described as the horrific, unspeakable violence Jeremy Steinke committed against the victims, he was given the automatic sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. He was technically given three life sentences to be served concurrently or at the same time. The judge encouraged Jeremy to seek therapy. Jeremy chose not to speak,

but his lawyer stated on his behalf, quote, if I could take it all back, I would. Jeremy's mother, Jacqueline May, sat in court and cried. Her lung disorder had reportedly worsened, and she was hooked up to an oxygen tank. Three years later, in 2011, Jeremy filed an appeal of his conviction. By this point, 28 years old, he said the reason it took so long was because he couldn't find a lawyer who would take his case. He called his verdict unreasonable, although didn't provide any reasons as to why. The following year, he abandoned his appeal. The only other update about Jeremy Steinke is

that he changed his name to Jackson May, taking on his mother's last name. She reportedly passed away of terminal lung disease in 2016. Today, Jeremy Steinke is still in prison and won't be eligible to apply for parole until 2031. He'll be in his late 40s. As for Jade Richardson, by 2011, she had made significant progress in her rehabilitation.

She'd successfully completed her stay at the psychiatric hospital and transitioned into a group home at a secret location. She changed her name. The press now referred to her by the initials J.R. By this point almost 18 years of age, Jade began taking college courses and was back to earning straight A's, the same as she used to in school. After that, she started regular sentence reviews with Justice Brooker, the same judge who sentenced her.

For the first time, the court heard that she had shown genuine remorse, something she hadn't expressed in earlier stages of her sentence. By 2013, she was living with a roommate. She was almost 20 by this point, was continuing with her studies and had a job. She was given a glowing review. Jade was described as a poster child for the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision Order. She never breached the rules and did everything that was asked of her. Her curfew was gradually lifted, first on weekends, then entirely. While her reviews were initially held every six months, they were soon reduced to once a year.

By 2015, she was living independently in Alberta and enrolled in university full-time. Justice Brooker praised her record, stating that every report he'd received about her was positive and that her risk for reoffending sat at the very lowest end of the scale. Jade Richardson thanked the court and her support team for helping her through the process. In May of 2016 at age 22 Jade's sentence was finished and she was released with no court ordered conditions, restrictions or supervision.

Her final review noted that she had met every goal successfully and without exception. Her probation officer reported no concerns about her peer group or lifestyle and noted that she had shown maturity and insight beyond her years. Justice Brooker noted her desire to atone for her actions. He told her, I think your parents and brother would be proud of you. Clearly, cannot undo the past, you can only live each day with the knowledge that you can control how you behave and what you do each day. If Jade committed no criminal acts over the following five years, her youth court records would be permanently sealed. At the time, Jade's defense lawyer told the press that she'd made huge gains and rehabilitative progress, especially

compared to where she used to be, and society should be satisfied with the fact that the system has worked in this case. The Crown prosecutor noted Jade has traveled a long road towards rehabilitation and had benefited from a lot of support and resources. But as for worries about her having no conditions, restrictions or supervision, quote, So what she'll do on her own, again, time will tell. And time has told. Well, the Wikipedia page for this case states that Jade's criminal record

was expunged in 2020, there's no actual source for that piece of information. But the absence of any further news about her indicates it's likely true. This case remains one of the most closely watched and most successful youth rehabilitation outcomes in Canadian legal history. And it seems unlikely that the public will ever receive more information about who was ultimately responsible for the murder of little Jacob Richardson. But as far as the criminal justice system is concerned, it's a moot point. The publication ban and limits on what could be reported has largely contributed to the case of the Richardson family murders carrying a sense of mystery. And when key details are missing or hazy, public speculation tends to fill the gaps. Some elements of the case were already sensational on their own. Others have been exaggerated or taken out of context.

And perhaps because Jeremy Steinke was never charged with sexual interference, the media largely avoided addressing the disturbing nature of his relationship with Jade Richardson. As a result, several persisting and often conflicting public narratives have taken shape. One frames Jade as a precocious 12-year-old who somehow exerted sexual control over a much older, cognitively impaired man who was easily influenced. That's where the claims about Jeremy having fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and a much lower mental age come in. And about Jade, columnist Christy Blatchford wrote that she quote wielded her adolescent sexual power like a pro to manipulate Jeremy into committing murder. This framing reflects a long-standing and harmful cultural

trope, one that shifts moral responsibility away from adult men and onto young girls, even if they're below the legal age of consent. Framing Jade as the manipulator ignores that and minimises the choices Jeremy made as an adult. But at the other end of the spectrum is the framing that labels Jeremy Steinke a rapist, a pedophile, a predator and a groomer. And the relationship was predatory. Even if Jeremy initially believed Jade was older, he was willfully ignorant to evidence of her true age, including warnings from his own friends. There are also signs of grooming behavior. Jeremy helped Jade isolate from her parents, reinforce the idea that only he understood her and expressed sexual interest in her.

He also normalized violent fantasies as part of their bond. Under Canadian law, Jade could not legally consent to a sexual relationship with Jeremy. That makes his actions sexual assault, whether or not those charges were ever laid. As for being a pedophile, the legal definition refers to a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children, which Jade was not. The term hebofelia refers to sexual interest in pubescent children, typically age 11 to 14. But it also requires a pattern of attraction to that age group. And while Jeremy's girlfriends appear to be getting younger,

there's no clear evidence of a persistent preference. It could just be that he gravitated towards younger teenagers because no one his own age would give him the time of day, combined with his immaturity and the apparent moral failings in his childhood that contributed to his poor judgment. Regardless of how Jeremy or Jade claimed they felt about each other at the time, there's no doubt that it was an abusive dynamic. But there is a lot of nuance to it. On a final note, the intrigue got to me and I decided to watch Natural Born Killers, the

film that apparently inspired Jeremy Steinke. I was shocked as the similarities stacked up and were far more specific than the reporting on this case suggested. In the film, we're not told the ages of the two leads, but Mallory, played by Juliette Lewis, appears to be a rebellious older teenager in a relationship with Mickey, an older man played by Woody Harrelson. And Mallory is fighting with her parents,

who in the film are extremely abusive towards her. The pair break into Mallory's house, and Mickey attacks her father, who yells about jamming Mickey in the eye as they struggle. It's eerie. He is drowned with his head in a fishbowl. Mallory's mother is set on fire in bed. Finally, as they're leaving the house, they see Mallory's much younger brother,

who appears to be a huge fan of the band Kiss. Mallory tells him, you're free, and they leave him unharmed. Mickey and Mallory then go on a violent killing spree across America and become pop culture icons thanks to a media frenzy, led by a chaotic Nancy Grace type TV journalist character who happens to be Australian and played by Robert Downey Jr. in his train wreck era. His character's accent is one of the most disturbing things about the film. It was fate. Ah yes, fate it was. And you saw it right here. What American are you next? You believe in reincarnation, won't you?

Ah yes, I believe we've all lived many times. So what's next for the boxes? Well... They kill him later. By the time they're captured, Mickey and Mallory have killed about 50 people. Jeremy Steinke was heard saying that Natural Born Killers was the greatest love story of all time, and he wanted to do what the legendary couple did. First, kill Jade's family, then start a killing spree across Canada. But the fantasy collapsed fast.

Mickey and Mallory were outlaw legends, glorified by the media as they cut a path of destruction across the country. Jeremy and Jade were captured the next morning, shivering under a tarp in the back of a pickup truck in small town Saskatchewan next to a bag of bloody clothes. No killing spree, no legend. Just an immense tragedy that has left Medicine Hat grieving, questioning and still trying

to make sense of what happened and why. Thanks for listening. This series has been pieced together from court documents, the news archives and daily trial reporting, as well as the book Runaway Devil by Sherry Zickafoose and Robert Remington. For the full list of resources and anything else you want to know about the podcast, visit CanadianTrueCrime.ca and follow us on the Canadian True Crime Facebook and Instagram pages to see photos and clippings from this series. Canadian True Crime donates monthly to those facing injustice.

This month we have donated to the Calgary Homicide Support Society, who provide ongoing group support, assistance and education to families and those close to victims of homicide in Calgary and across Alberta. Learn more at calgaryhss.ca. Audio editing was by Crosby Audio and Eric Crosby voiced the disclaimer. Our senior producer is Lindsay Eldridge and Carol Weinberg is our script consultant. Research was by Hayley Gray. Writing, additional research, narration and sound design was by me, and the theme songs were composed by We Talk of Dreams. I'll be back soon with another Canadian True Crime episode.

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