Canadian True Crime - The Rivera and Regier Murders

Episode Date: November 15, 2021

In 2007, residents of Southwest Ontario were gripped by panic as police worked to capture 22 year old Jesse Imeson—an armed, dangerous and unpredictable fugitive.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 everyone. Well, I have made it to episode 100 and I feel like I should say a few words. If you just want to skip straight to the episode, just fast forward about three minutes. Firstly, thank you so much for listening and for your support and messages and ratings and reviews over the past few years. I never thought that I would make it this far and I certainly wouldn't have if I hadn't had you tuning in for each episode. When I look back, I can't believe how far I've come. This podcast was a creative project just for me. But with luck and timing on my side, it took off, and now, almost five years later, Canadian true crime episodes have been downloaded around 45 million times. The podcast is still my passion project, but I still struggle with it immensely. In many ways,

I was naive when I started this podcast, and there were a lot of things that I didn't prepare for or even think about. The biggest is the great weight of responsibility I feel to tell true crime stories in a way that's empathetic and informative and minimizes negative impact. It's not something that I take lightly or for granted. I also struggle with always being in my own head. I have perfectionist tendencies. I have imposter syndrome where I feel like I'm a fraud and I shouldn't be in this space. And because I'm highly introverted and pretty easily overstimulated, I've become quite reclimate. I've become quite reclimate. because of the attention, whether it be positive or negative, I'm uncomfortable with it. And let's not even talk about depression and burnout and the general disillusionment with this world that we've all experienced during the pandemic. So why am I telling you all of this? Well, we're in a culture where we're supposed to project success. And right now, we're getting some freedoms back that we lost during the pandemic and we're supposed to act like everything is fine and normal. and you know, we're all settling in well to this new world and society that we've found ourselves in.

But I don't think anybody really is fine and normal. I'm certainly not. Everyone is struggling with something behind the scenes and we're all just doing our best, trying to make it work, trying to keep our house of cards from falling down. Sadly, I don't have a solution for you, but that's kind of the point of this message. I'm learning too and the biggest thing that I've had to learn in my almost 18 months of therapy and something that I have to keep reminding myself of over and over again is the lesson of self-compassion. We have to stop being hard on ourselves and stop comparing ourselves to others. Show ourselves some kindness and compassion because take it from me, we're all wandering around

this thing called life feeling discombobulated, not knowing what we're doing, but feeling the need to pretend like we do. So commiserations, friends, you are not alone. We really are all in this together. And with that, it's on with the show. Thanks again. Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production, funded mainly through advertising. The podcast often has course language and disturbing content, and it's not for everyone. An additional content warning, while not the focus of this case, there is mention of the sexual

assault of a minor. Please also note that some names have been changed to protect privacy. It was the summer of 2007. year old Carlos Rivera had a lot to look forward to. His birthday was coming up the next month, and to celebrate he'd booked flights to travel from the small town of LaSalle, Ontario, where he lived, to visit his mother in Florida. Feeling sentimental, Carlos started flicking through a family photo album and decided to call his mother Maria just to tell her how much he missed her. See, Carlos and his family first immigrated to Canada from El Salvador when he was a teenager, but they were refugees for quite a few years before that.

Carlos had been born soon after the start of the Salvadoran Civil War, a violent, bloody conflict that resulted in mass human rights violations and loss of life. For 12 years, ordinary civilians like Carlos and his family were targeted and terrorized by military groups. People were being tortured. There were death squad lineups, villagers were bombed and children were being forcibly recruited to be child soldiers. Their home had become too dangerous to live, so they had to flee. Carlos and his family were among hundreds of thousands of El Salvadoran refugees who sought asylum in other countries. First, they were taken to Guatemala and then to Uruguay, where they lived for a few years.

During this time, Carlos started working in a shoe factory to help support his family. He was just 12 years old. It was a hard time, but the family were determined to make it through this hardship and succeed. After years of instability, the Rivera family arrived in Canada in 1996, when Carlos was 15. This would be their final destination. He encouraged his younger brothers to work hard at school so they could make the most of living in Canada and all the opportunities it offered.

But the marriage between the parents, Carlos Sr. and Maria didn't last, and Maria would remarry and move to Florida. So in Canada, it was just Carlos Sr. and the four boys. He would tell the Windsor Star that Carlos, his oldest son, always stepped up to the plate when he needed to work, taking good care of his three younger brothers. Carlos Sr. came to consider his son as more than that. Quote, he was my best friend, my protector, someone I could always count on.

By 1999, 18-year-old Carlos was looking for work in Windsor, Ontario. He was determined to make something of himself and was often known to be working two or more retail and hospitality jobs at a time. Carlos was also a gifted artist. He loved to sketch and paint and write, and he eventually wanted to study something in that field, but he needed to get some savings together to pay for his education. Thanks to his reliability and hard work,

he was promoted to supervisory and managerial roles in retail, including bartending at local gay bars. Carlos had been open with his family about his sexuality from early adulthood. Fast forward to 2007 and 25-year-old Carlos was achieving his dreams. He was living in LaSalle, a small town not far from Windsor, Ontario, and was about to finish his first year of an architecture course at St. Clair College. His artwork had also flourished. He was working on a collection of poems which he hoped to have published,

one day, but when it came to his sketches and paintings, he didn't like to sell his pieces, instead giving them away as thoughtful mementos to those he knew would appreciate it. Even though the Rivera family had scattered, they remained close. Carlos spoke with his brother, Javier every day and always had family photos on display. When he called his mother Maria that day to let her know he missed her, she reminded him that they'd soon. be seeing each other to celebrate his 26th birthday. The mother and son started talking about their day to day and Carlos told his mother about a new part-time job he'd started as a bartender and DJ at a gay bar called The Tap, which boasted nude male dancers. But he told his mom he wasn't

really enjoying working there and planned to look for another job as soon as he returned from Florida. But until then, he had to keep working, and that's where he was on July 17, 2007. It was a Tuesday night, so not known to be busy at the tap, but there was a patron there that night who the staff had noticed, a tall athletic man in his early 20s with heavily tattooed arms, who had been boasting about being a soldier in the military. Everyone was surprised when he asked if there were any jobs available as a male nude dancer. He was given a job application but didn't have the required identification to submit it, so he promised he'd be back the next morning. But the owner of the tap had already decided no, this guy just gave him a bad feeling. After that,

bar staff saw him making conversation with Carlos behind the bar, at some point seeming to hit on him. When Carlos had finished his shift, the patron was still there, and staff saw the two men leaving together driving off in Carlos' silver Honda. But the next day, Carlos did not show up for his evening shift and wasn't answering his phone. The owner of the tap called one of Carlos's close friends to see if he'd seen him. No luck, so after a few hours, the owner of the bar contacted the local La Salle police. police to report Carlos as missing. The case was soon referred to the Windsor Police, since that was where the tap was, the last place that Carlos had been seen. The police asked around at the

bar and learned about that patron that Carlos had last been seen with. He was described as 6'1, about 200 pounds with closely shaved brown hair, brown eyes, and numerous tattoos on his arms. As it turns out, the man was already known to Windsor Police. He was 22-year-old Jesse Imerson, a local troublemaker. He wasn't known to be gay, though, so the circumstances of him being in a gay bar looking for work as a male nude dancer and then leaving with the bartender was unusual. In any event, to find Jesse, the police spoke to some of his known associates

and soon discovered he had been living in a local boarding house for the last few weeks. When police arrived there, Jesse Imerson was nowhere to be found. Officers gained access to the room he'd been renting, and there they found the partially naked body of Carlos Rivera on Jesse's bed covered by a blanket. He'd been strangled to death. A belt was wrapped around his neck twice, and he'd also sustained. a facial injury. The front page of the Windsor Star urged residents to be on the lookout for Jesse

Imerson, who was a suspect in the murder of Carlos Rivera. Police believed that he was on the run in Carlos's car, that 1996 Silver Honda Civic. But the last time Carlos had been seen was almost two days before his body was discovered, and by that time, Jesse Imerson was long gone. And sadly, the murder of Carlos Rivera was just the beginning of a series of events that would shock the nation. Jesse Imerson was born in 1985 and lived with his family in Amherstburg, south of Windsor, Ontario. He was the oldest of three children with a father who worked in construction. His former babysitter would describe him to journalist Jennifer O'Brien for the London Free Press as a jokester.

who would chase her through the house with a water gun. Quote, he was a happy kid. He had these huge eyes and he was always smiling, trying to have fun. But Jesse reportedly had a very troubled childhood, with significant family instability and behavioural problems that his parents just didn't have the capacity to deal with. By June of 1995, the family situation had reached crisis mode when his father, 27 years old, died by suicide.

Jesse was reportedly the one who discovered his body. His babysitter would later tell the London Free Press that his father was his hero, and his reaction to his father's suicide was to act out even more. Jesse's already difficult relationship with his mother worsened, and in the following year, she handed his care over to children's aid. His younger brother and sister stayed at home, but according to a cousin, they eventually ended up living with other relatives. Jesse entered the foster care system and was sent to live with a family in Leamington, a 45-minute drive away from Amherstburg. His friends at school there knew him as being a little rough.

He'd clearly had a troubled upbringing, but he seemed like a decent kid. But his foster family couldn't cope with him either. and when Jesse was 11 years old, he became a ward of the state and was sent to live at a centre for troubled teenagers at Maryvale, adolescent and family services. According to court documents, Jesse became involved in a culture of hazardous sexual activity and substance use. He was also known to use violence and the threat of violence to gain fear-based respect

at the centre. Jesse lived there for six months and then bounced through the fold. system again, including a stint living with relatives. The behavioural issues that he had as a child had only escalated as a teenager. At high school, he was known as someone who walked and talked tough, a hothead who liked to party and his drug use increased until he dropped out of school in grade 11. By the time Jesse turned 18, he had a serious problem with anger and an explosive of temper which saw him banned from a local drinking establishment near his grandparents' house. He bounced in and out of jail in Windsor for petty crimes, including robbery and possession of

stolen goods. When he was out of jail, Jesse earned money by working casual jobs like construction, roofing and car detailing. Despite his own issues with operating inside the law, he always wanted to be a police officer, so he enrolled in a law and security course at a local college, the same college that Carlos Rivera attended, although they didn't know each other. During this time, Jesse was known to party hard at the casino and also played pool at the local hotel.

Jesse collected tattoos, including his own surname tattooed across his stomach, but he was not well-liked at the Wednesday a tattoo shop he would show up to every so often. The artist told the London Free Press that Jesse was horrible to work on. He was hyper and high-strung, couldn't sit still and often came straight from the casino. Jesse ended up being kicked out because of the way he was acting. While Jesse was known as a bad boy, he sure could charm the women. He started a relationship with a woman who will call Belinda, and she soon ended up pregnant.

Jesse knew he would need to be providing for a baby and worked hard to graduate from his course, but his criminal record made it difficult to find a job. Desperate, he relocated to Whistler, British Columbia, temporarily to find work. He did find a job there, but he also developed a serious cocaine problem and didn't return to Ontario until after his child had been born. Things went downhill from there. In November of 2006, the 21-year-old was convicted of breaking and entering and robbery and returned to jail for six months.

Despite all of Jesse's troubles, he continued an on and off relationship with his child's mother and was able to keep a close group of friends. After he was released on parole, his hazardous alcohol and drug use continued, and in the first part of 2007, he entered a 40-day rehab program in Windsor. On the day he finished that program, he was seen at a bar downtown, drinking pictures of beer with a friend. By the summer of 2007, Jesse had moved into a boarding house in Windsor, that same room that Carlos Rivera's boss,

body would be found just a few weeks later. The next part of the story has been pieced together by the people Jesse interacted with over this period. His landlord reported that he maintained his relationship with Belinda, on and off still, and had pictures of his child in his room. But two weeks after he'd moved in, he reportedly had an argument with Belinda and threatened to take their child away from her, the relationship. was off again.

The next day, a friend of Jesse's called Nick reported that they went to a party where there was heavy drinking and drugs. Nick would say he'd never seen Jesse sober and that night was no different. And then, three days later, Jesse came to Nick saying he had a brilliant idea to make some money. He was going to become a nude dancer at a gay bar. Now, of course, Jesse wasn't known to be gay, but he told Nick. Nick, it was his belief that men, quote, were perverts and he could make a lot of money by

stripping for them. And that was exactly what he was going to do. The night of Tuesday, July 17th, 2007, Nick dropped Jesse off at the gay bar called The Tap, a bar that he'd never been to before. Bar staff saw him trying to apply for a job before staying on at the bar striking up a conversation with the bartender, who was, of course, Carlos Rivera. At 1am, Nick received a call from Jesse, boasting that he'd made $80 that night from dancing at the gay bar. Obviously, it wasn't true. The owner of the bar said that Jesse had made a show of dancing around on one of the polls briefly, but he made no money from it, nor was he offered a job. In any event, it was clear that Jesse hoped this would entice Nick to come to the

bar with some cocaine so they could continue partying together. Nick declined and Jesse continued to hang around at the bar until Carlos closed up for the night. Staff saw Jesse hitting on Carlos before the two drove off in Carlos's Honda. The next part of the account comes from Carlos's close friend, a man called Douglas, who welcomed the pair into his home in the early morning hours to continue partying. The three men had more drinks together, socialised, and Douglas took some happy snaps. In one photo, Jesse had his arm around Carlos and his tongue was out, pointed suggestively at Carlos's nipple. By about 6am, the party was over and Jesse suggested Carlos go back to his room at the boarding house.

According to Douglas, both Jesse and Carlos were drunk, but Jesse was less so and he was the one. who drove Carlos's silver Honda. That was the last time that Douglas would see Carlos. Later that morning, one of Jesse's cousins received a phone call from him. He was in tears and he said he needed someone to talk to. He picked her up in Carlos's Honda and drove her to the cemetery where his father was buried. There, he told his cousin, quote, I did something really bad. I killed a guy last night.

That same day, Jesse also tried to call Belinda, the mother of his child, but she didn't answer. He left her a voicemail saying he was sorry, she'll hear about the big mistake that he made, and there was something he had to do. Quote, it's not how it sounds, the media makes things look one way, whatever. He told her he loved her and to look after their child. At that point, Belinda would have had no idea what he was talking about. Jesse was now officially on the run. He drove over 200 kilometres northeast to the South Huron area of Ontario,

stopping at a bar in the community of Grand Bend for a drink. By that point, Carlos' body hadn't yet been found, but Jesse would have known it was only a matter of time before the discovery was made and the police would be on his tail. But until then, he would be enjoying his freedom. He ended up at a different bar where he got to chatting with two young women and spent the rest of the night partying with them. Jesse was heard boasting about his car,

that silver Honda that belonged to Carlos. He also made sure that everyone knew he was in the US Army and had served in the military in Afghanistan. Jesse had hit it off with one of the young women who will call Lucy, and when the bar closed for the night, he confided in her that he had nowhere to stay. While not a minor, Lucy was a teenager who still lived with her parents in the nearby city of Exeter, and she generously offered to drive the 22-year-old man she'd only just met back there to stay the night. Carlos's Silver Honda remained where Jesse left.

it. He stayed the night at Lucy's family home without incident, and the next day the pair spent the day at the beach. That night, at the exact same time as police were discovering the body of Carlos Rivera back in Windsor, about two and a half hours drive away, Jesse and Lucy were walking into a bar in Exeter to have some drinks. The clock was now ticking. The bartender would later tell the Globe and Mail that Jessie was wearing a black shirt and jeans and seemed like a normal guy who had manners. He had successfully charmed Lucy, and that night he stayed with Lucy in her family's home yet again.

But the next morning the news was out about Carlos, and Lucy's mother happened to catch a news report about the man who was wanted for his murder. The public had been advised to be on the lookout and call 911 if anyone saw. him. When the picture of Jesse Imerson flashed up, Lucy's mother immediately recognized him as the stranger who had stayed two nights at their home. But instead of contacting the police, she dealt with it by ordering Jesse to leave immediately. Lucy drove him to a nearby field in the rural area and dropped him off there. She would say that he told her he knew he was a wanted man, but insisted he was only present for the murder. He was not the one responsible.

Had Lucy or her family called 911 immediately to report that they had the fugitive in their house the last two nights, they may have prevented what happened next, but they didn't. After Lucy dropped Jesse off at the field, he ran on foot for several kilometres before breaking into a shed at a random farm. There, he managed to find a 22-caliber semi-automatic rifle, 200 rounds of ammunition and a coat, all of which he stole. Jesse Imerson was now an armed fugitive on foot. He'd murdered one person and he now had nothing to lose.

His name was all over the news that day, but Lucy and her family remained tight-lipped about their fugitive house guest. But the next day they must have changed their minds, because Lucy reportedly put in a report to crime stoppers to say that he'd been seen in the area. The police acted quickly with Lucy's help to search the field where she dropped him off, as well as nearby cornfields, but of course Jesse was long gone by that time. It didn't take police long to find Carlos Rivera's silver Honda that Jesse had abandoned in Grand Bend. The police warned the public to still be on hire.

alert for him because he was believed to be still in the general area. And he was. About a 15-minute drive from the area where he was last seen is the township of Mount Carmel. Bill and Helene Riggia were a retired couple in their early 70s who were known as pillars of the local community in Mount Carmel. They'd been married for over half a century and lived in Bill's childhood home, a farmhouse on 50 hectares of land where they kept a chicken and a sheep farm. Bill and Helene enjoyed a simple country life, filled with family, church and involvement in their local community. They had six children, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and were highly regarded as reliable, kind and generous people. Bill had been a custodian for the local

Catholic Church and school, but remained active after he retired and was one of the people leading a church roof restoration project. Helene played the organ at local funerals. They lived for their family. In fact, on the night of July 22nd, as the manhunt for Jesse Imerson continued, Bill and Helene were enjoying a family dinner in the nearby city of London, Ontario. Their son, Dan, was coming to the farm the next morning, so when they arrived home, they started preparing for his visit. They had no idea that Jesse Imerson had been hiding in their barn for a few days, and he had decided that that was the night he was going to enter their house. And now he was outside, armed with that gun that he stole from the other farm. According to court documents,

he smashed a window, climbed inside, and then came across Bill and Helene. He ordered them into the basement at gunpoint, and the terrified couple waited while he looked around for something to tie them up with. He tied Helene's hands in front of her with the home phone line, and then Helene had to watch, as Jessie cut an iron cord and basically strung her husband Bill up, binding his arms to the rafters and pipes. similar to a crucifixion pose. Jesse shot 73-year-old Helene Regia four times in the chin, shoulder, neck and chest, leaving her to bleed to death on the ground.

He then turned the gun on 72-year-old Bill Regia, shooting him two times in the chest and once in the temple. He left Bill in the position to hang there, held up by his restraints. Bill and Helene Regge's last moments were spent in absolute terror for no reason. All Jesse wanted was money, supplies and a getaway vehicle. He stole Bill's wallet, as well as food, clothes and knives he found in their house, chucked it all in a suitcase, and then stole the Regia's 2006 Grey GMC Sierra pickup truck. Jesse Imerson was on the run again.

The next day at a weekend, Around lunchtime, Dan Regia arrived at his parents' farmhouse for his visit as scheduled. He noticed that something was amiss. A window had been smashed and his parents' pickup truck was missing from the property. It wasn't long before the bodies of his parents were discovered in the basement. Jesse Imerson was soon linked to the murders. In fact, the public learned he was the suspect in the double murder before they even learned the identities of Bill and Helene Regia.

Size 12 men's Nike shoe prints were found at the scene, which would later be matched to the exact same size and shoe that Jesse wore. After this, the Ontario Provincial Police or OPP urged the local public to lock their doors at home and when they were in the car, and also to be on the lookout for Jesse Imerson and the Regia's grey stolen pickup truck. Everyone was terrified. CBC News reported that some families stayed together in the one house for safety temporarily and there was an increase in security systems installation and gun license applications.

By that point, Jessie again was already long gone from the area. It wasn't long before the news about Jessie's stay with Lucy and her family came to light, and locals and the media started hounding them to find out why they let Jesse go and didn't tell the police until the next day. The family wouldn't talk to the public and anyone who came on the property were ordered off. In the meantime, a person came forward after communicating with Lucy in a Facebook group that had been set up to find Jesse Imerson. Copies of posts were provided to the police where Lucy said she gave Jesse a ride that first night, not knowing he was wanted for murder. And if she knew, she said she definitely wouldn't even be associating with him.

But, quote, he didn't tell me he was wanted until the third day, which is when I got rid of him. But I can't really go into detail for safety reasons, but yeah, if only you knew. She added, quote, he's trying to get up north, that's all I can tell you. The other person then asked her why she didn't call the cops. but Lucy was coy in her response. Quote, LOL wouldn't say that,

but yeah, it's pretty bad I know. She added that she was far enough away that no one knows where she was, although it's not known what she meant by that. A police spokesperson told the Windsor Star that he had no doubt that Jesse would have been apprehended had Lucy's family called 911 when they realized who he was. After all, it was them that ordered him out of the house.

house. But the police also stressed that the family were cooperative with them after that. They asked the public to stop hounding the family. One senseless murder had turned into a murder spree and there was no apparent reason why. The police had been unable to find any connection between Carlos Rivera and the Riggias and now Jesse Imerson could be anywhere, armed, dangerous and unpredictable. It was now imperative that he be found as soon as possible before any other loss of life was incurred. An extensive manhunt was launched and there was a nationwide warrant put out for Jesse Imerson's arrest. A 24-hour hotline was set up and the public were encouraged to call in any possible sightings or suspicious activity.

Tips started to flood in steadily but there were no solid leads. Investigators told CBC news that they had spoken with Jesse's friends and family who believed Jesse was likely headed west. This made sense as he had lived in Whistler, British Columbia, and reportedly had connections in the Calgary, Alberta area. America's Most Wanted joined in the Manhunt by profiling Jesse as a top fugitive on its website and started making plans to air a segment on the case. Back in Windsor and Mount Carmel, though, the loved ones of Carlos Rivera and Bill and Helene Regia were shattered.

They were left to pick up the pieces after Jesse Imerson trampled through their lives and fled without a second thought. Carlos Rivera's funeral was held in Windsor, where he was described as a shining example of all that is good in humans. They spoke about how, in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina decimated. New Orleans in the U.S., Carlos had gone there with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes for survivors. And when a Windsor local was shot outside a gay nightclub over the river in Detroit, Carlos had organized a benefit to help pay for his medical care. His family described him as a compassionate, loving, generous person with a giant heart, who drew people in with his positive attitude, kindness and wit. His obituary included one of his favorite quotes by William James,

something that he tried to live his life by. Quote, the great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. That same day, the Regia family released a statement about Bill and Helene, describing them as pillars of the community who had strong family values. So many people attended their funeral that there was overflow with people sitting on lawn chairs outside the church, a testament to the respect the community had for the couple. Tributes were given by three of their grandchildren, who described them as inseparable, quote, Their love was so strong that not even death could tear them away from each other.

Another grandchild told the congregation that Bill and Helene taught everyone faith, strength, family values and forgiveness. But it was forgiveness that was most important at this time. The priest told the congregation, quote, as Bill and Helene would say, there is only one response to evil like this, and that is love. So while there had been reports that Jesse Imerson was headed west and also north,

he was actually mainly headed east. By the time the police discovered Bill and Helen Regia's bodies, Jesse Imerson had driven their pickup truck almost 600 kilometres away to the Renfrew area in the Ottawa Valley. And just over the border in Quebec was a small, picturesque village called Portage DuFour. On July 28th, the 10th day that Jesse Imerson had been on the run, local resident Doug Young arrived at his cottage there to discover it had been broken into. His beers and cigarettes had been stolen and there was a half-drunked.

beer left on the counter. Doug was a retired police officer and took the initiative to speak to his neighbours, learning that he was not the only one who had been broken into. But nothing had really been stolen. It was similar to Doug's situation. The intruder had raided the fridge and taken food, alcohol and cigarettes. Regardless, they couldn't do much about it except report it to police and wait. Two days after Doug and his neighbours in the village of Portage Dufort had been broken into,

a local bushwalker was just across the border in the Renfrew area of Ontario, when he saw an object hidden in the bushes. It was the Regia's grey pickup truck, and inside was the long-sleeved black T-shirt Jesse Imerson had worn when he murdered Bill and Helene. It would be found to have gun residue on it. The discovery was reported to the Ontario Provincial Police, but for some reason they did not tell the nearby Quebec police until the next day,

not to mention the local public. So at that point, no one had publicly linked the string of break-ins in Quebec with the fugitive on the run from Ontario. It wasn't until the next day that the locals received a flyer from the Quebec police with a picture and description of Jesse Imerson, and from then they were on the lookout. That night, back in the village of Portage DuFour, Doug the retired police officer was on his deck barbecuing

when his neighbour, a man called Dale, alerted him to a burglar and a cottage two doors down. According to the Windsor Star, Dale's neighbours weren't home and he was watering their plants for them when he heard their TV blaring. When he looked into a window, a figure jumped behind a post in the living room. He didn't connect it to Jesse Imerson, but he did think it was the person responsible for the string of break-ins in the area.

So he warned his family to lock the doors and stay inside and ran down the road to tell his neighbor Doug. As Doug called 911, Dale went to the road to watch the property from a distance. He saw a young man wearing a baseball cap, long-sleeved fleece sweater and dark pants, calmly walk away from the cottage. He appeared to be holding a rifle as he walked down the road a bit before turning into a gravel laneway

that led to a wooded area. The Quebec police arrived on scene and scowled the bushes looking for Jessie. They had a brief confrontation with the 22-year-old, but they wanted to wait until the OPP arrived. This was potentially a very dangerous situation, given the armed fugitive had already murdered three people. The OPP soon descended upon the area with helicopters,

thermal imaging devices and police dogs, and by 845 Jesse Imerson was surrounded. After a tense standoff, he was unpredictable yet again, this time laying down on the ground next to his rifle. Jesse Imerson surrendered to police without incident. Soon after his capture, he started complaining that he had stomach pain and was transported to hospital for medical attention. In the van with him was an undercover agent posing as a convict

and Jesse told him he had no regrets about killing Carlos Rivera. Quote, The gay guy, if I had to do it again, I would do it. After a two-week manhunt that led to the capture of Jesse Imerson, the OPP acting commissioner told a media conference, quote, I'm pleased to say that the people of Windsor, Mount Carmel and Grand Bend, in fact all the people of Ontario can go to bed tonight confident that we have taken a dangerous person off the streets of our communities.

But Quebec police saw it a little differently, telling CBC news that they wish they'd been told the day earlier that the pickup truck belonging to the regiars had been found, and that Jesse was suspected to be on the run close to the Ontario-Cabec border. In any event, with Jesse captured, the big question on everyone's minds was why. Why did he kill Carlos? Why did he go on the run? And why did he have to kill Bill and Helene Regia?

Jesse was flown back to Ontario for questioning, where he was observed to be completely without remorse. When asked to provide details about why, happened after he startled Bill and Helene Regia in their house. He told officers about hiding in the barn for a few days and said when he was sure no one was home, he gained entry to the farmhouse via an unlocked door. There was no mention of the broken window. He said he quickly set to work stealing food and clothing to take with him, but Bill interrupted him. He was asked to go into detail about what happened next, but he refused. The only thing he would say was, quote,

What's to know, shots were fired, people died. In the meantime, the investigation continued into Jesse's murder spree in Ontario, and he was now the prime suspect for breaking into at least nine cottages in Quebec. Police concluded that Jesse had most likely been hiding out in the loft of one of the cottages he'd broken into, via the roof. Investigators found a flashlight there, an unopened bottle of wine, several beer bottles, dirty clothes and traces of cannabis. He'd also ordered adult movies on a cable channel. Jesse Imerson was charged with the first-degree murder of Carlos Rivera, and later, two more counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Bill and Helene Regia.

As he was transported from his first court appearance, undercover officers were in the vehicle with him, and he bragged to them as he spoke about the damage that a 22-caliber rifle can do. Quote, It'll kill you, I kill people with it, one shot will kill you. An interesting perspective given he used that same rifle,

but shot Helene four times and Bill three times, way overboard. Jesse did not seek bail, and rejected a deal to plead guilty to first-degree murder. In the lead-up to the trial, the Crown dropped theft charges to focus on the murder charges. But on Jesse's side, the chaos continued, and by May of 2008, he had fired his third lawyer. The trial was due to begin that September, but just beforehand, Jesse took a plea deal to plead guilty to three counts of second-degree murder.

reactions were mixed. Many were angered, as it seemed the murders of Bill and Helene Regia in particular met the criteria for first-degree murder, which involves planning and intent. But on the other side, it saved on the cost of a full trial and spared the families of having to relive all the events in detail. The sentencing hearing was held in Goderick, Ontario. The court was presented with an agreed statement of facts in which Jesse told his side of the story, as well as a presentation of the evidence. When it came to what happened to Carlos Rivera, Jesse's side of the story was this. After the bar closed that night, the pair partied with Douglas until about 6 a.m. when they left for the boarding house where Jesse had rented the room. Now Douglas maintained that it was Jesse who

drove the silver Honda because he was the one who was less intoxicated of the two. But Jesse's story was that he was so drunk that he passed out soon after they arrived at his room. And when he woke up, he said he found Carlos performing oral sex on him without consent. This made him so outraged that he strangled Carlos with his belt, just like that. When these details were read out at the sentencing hearing, Jesse snickered shifted in his seat and said, That's right. Extra magazine quoted the Windsor Law School queer group president at the time, Matthew McDonald,

who said Jesse's statement of facts appeared to be setting up a provocation defense, which in cases like this is better known as gay panic. The defense is that a person is so offended by unrequited sexual advances, from a member of the same gender that they feel they are justified in retaliating with violence and murder. Gay panic is widely considered a ridiculous defense, and the applicable section in the Canadian Criminal Code was finally reformed in 2015. These days, a person can only claim provocation as a defense for their actions if the other person was doing something illegal that was punishable by more than five years in prison.

But Jesse Imerson's murder spree happened eight years before that reform, and his lawyer may very well have used provocation as a defense tactic had the case gone to trial. But the court also heard evidence from the crime scene that suggested Jesse's gay panic story may be more fiction than fact. Jesse's seaman was found in Carlos's mouth and on his shirt, which did not seem to line up with Jesse's story that he woke up during the act and was outraged. In the book Rampage, Canadian mass murder and spree killing, author and criminologist Lee Meller argues that the more probable scenario was that Jesse was unstable and sexually confused

and willingly allowed Carlos Rivera to give him oral sex. Meller writes, quote, Rather than feeling good about the experience, he realized that his masculine heterosexual self-image had been compromised. He was unable to accept responsibility for his own choice to engage in the act, so projected his anger and self-hatred onto Carlos Rivera and strangled him. After that, Jesse, of course, drove Carlos' car 200 kilometres to Grand Bend, Ontario, abandoned the car, stayed for two nights with Lucy and her parents, and set off on foot.

When it came to the murders of Bill and Helene Regia, Jesse maintained he did not go to their farm intending to kill anyone, but, quote, things unfortunately unfolded and led to the deaths of two people. There was much outrage over this passive statement. In a column written in the Windsor Star, author Gord Henderson described what Jesse did as a cold-blooded, calculated home invasion,

a slaughter of the helpless. Quote, If it isn't first-degree murder, what the hell is? He didn't have to kill them. He could have left them tied up to be found by relatives, but he chose in an act of pure evil to butcher them. Before sentencing, the loved ones of Carlos Rivera and Bill and Helene Regia gathered to deliver their victim impact statements.

Some read by their lawyers. Bill and Helene's daughter Carol told the court that their lives were forever changed. Quote, Our conversations with mum and dad kept us stable and rooted, always reminding us of what was important in life. We will never forget this deep sorrow. She said violence is foreign to their family and the pain was sharp, raw and intense. Quote, breaking into the sanctuary of one's home is a bizarre and barbaric act.

We carry on our lives because that is what our parents would have wanted us to do. Two of the couple's granddaughters, Nicole and Kelly, read a statement that described their fear of being safe in their own homes. Quote, It is ironic that two selfless people who lived their entire lives for everyone around them were taken at the expense of one person's incredible selfishness. Grandma and Grandpa would have given him a chance, If only he had done the same for them.

There is no reason that this had to happen. Carlos Rivera's mother, Maria, wrote in her victim impact statement that she is a different person now. She feels dead inside and she cries constantly. Quote, Carlos was everything to me. This murderer killed Carlos's dreams and my dreams as well. One of his brothers, Alvaro, wrote about how Carlos took him under him. his wing and made him a man. Quote, Carlos loved taking care of me. Another brother, Hugo,

lamented the loss of his brother in a different way, quote, Carlos, in a way, helped take a demon out of society. Twenty-three-year-old Jesse Imerson smirked as these statements were read and did not show any remorse during the sentencing hearing. When asked if he had anything to say, he declined to speak. but his lawyer read a brief statement which said, quote, I will be an old man before I am released if I ever am. I am truly sorry, please forgive me. The families described his apology as hollow.

Now, when it came to sentencing, another issue arose. If Jesse had of pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, he would have had to serve 25 years before being eligible for parole. With second-degree murder, degree murder, the judge can choose the parole eligibility period starting from 10 years. But the condition on Jesse being allowed to plead guilty to that charge is if he also agreed to a 25-year parole eligibility, the same as what he would have received for first-degree murder. But at the

hearing, many learned that this condition was only for the second-degree murders of Bill and Helene Regia. For the second-degree murder of Carlos Rivera, Jesse would be eligible for parole after 15 years. It was all a moot point because the sentences were to be served concurrently at the same time, so even after the parole eligibility for Carlos Rivera has passed, Jesse would still need to wait until 25 years. But the disparity between these two sentences was pointed out, because it implied that Carlos's murder was somehow slightly less heinous than the murders of Bill and Helene Regia. On the other side of defence, it was pointed out

that the longer parole eligibility period for Bill and Helene Regia may have been because Jesse broke into their home and terrorised them. Still, food for thought. In sentencing, Justice Roland Haynes described the murders as savage and senseless and the deaths of Carlos Rivera and Bill and Helene Regia represented an enormous loss to their communities. Jesse Imerson was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole for 25 years.

He will be in his late 40s when he's eligible for parole in 2032. Outside court, the Riggia's daughter Carol told the Windsor star that, quote, no sentence will ever be adequate for the lives that have been taken. Carlos's book of poems was finally published, called Breaking Down the Wall of Silence. The book is still for sale on websites, including Barnes and Noble. St. Clair College had previously held a tree planting ceremony in his honour that was attended by his family, and the Architecture School established a scholarship in his name for incoming students.

In the years that followed, Jesse Imerson hit the news again, but for a different reason. He launched a civil court action, alleging that he'd been sexually abused by a former child and youth worker at Maryvale. The facility for troubled youths where he lived for six months when he was 11. He said that the alleged incidents left him with lasting harm and damage. And that wasn't all. Jesse also alleged that after his experience in Maryvale, when he was back in foster care, he was sexually abused for months by a Catholic priest. Jesse Imerson took Maryvale and the Archdiocese of London to civil court seeking damages.

In 2016, it went to a jury trial, and the court heard from four witnesses. There was Jesse himself, the former Maryvale employee who he alleged sexually assaulted him, who denied the charges. And when it came to the Catholic priest, by the time of the trial he had passed away, so another priest testified on behalf of the Archdiocese. There were no witnesses to the alleged sexual assaults, but key testimony was provided by Dr. Kerry Smith, a psychologist who treated Jesse in prison for three years until Jesse ended their sessions. The next part is a little complicated, but essentially Dr. Kerry Smith was there as what's called a participant witness to give testimony about what he observed as a participant during the three years

he treated Jesse and what his treatment would have entailed had Jesse not ended their sessions. It was not in Dr. Smith's scope to give his personal opinion on whether he believed the sexual assaults occurred or whether Jesse suffered any lasting harm as a result. That decision was the role of the jury. But Dr. Smith's testimony was going to be based on his written report, which was also admitted into evidence. Lawyers for Merrival tried to block this evidence on the grounds that Dr Smith's report went beyond the scope of his expertise. The judge allowed it saying the doctor was qualified to provide certain ex-exemptive. expert opinions with respect to certain issues.

On the stand, Dr. Smith read out excerpts from his written reports. He spoke about the common characteristics of childhood sexual abuse and then drew a causal link between Jesse's sexual assault allegations and the murders of Carlos Rivera and Bill and Helene Regia. According to court documents, Dr. Smith expressed the opinion that it was, quote, entirely possible that Jesse's first murder occurred when he woke up from a blackout to discover Carlos Rivera performing oral sex on him. End quote, while re-experiencing the sense of betrayal and rage he felt towards his earlier

abuser, Jesse acted with disinhibited lethal violence. So basically, Jesse was so triggered by the sexual abuse he'd allegedly suffered that he wasn't able to regulate his response to Carlos. This led to a release of aggression which resulted in him strangling Carlos. This was Dr. Smith's opinion, and under cross-examination, he confirmed that in forming his opinion he only had the information he'd been given by Jesse Imerson himself. He did not speak with Jesse's family, nor did he access any of Jesse's records from schools he had attended, group homes, Maryvale, children's aid files or medical records. And when it came to whether what Jesse was telling him was the truth, the doctor said that in

his role as Jesse's therapist, he was willing to believe that Jesse was being truthful, so it was on those assumptions that he formed his opinions. The jury found that Jesse was sexually assaulted by the former Maryvale employee and ordered them to pay Jesse $225,000 in damages, as well as $175,000 in costs. And when it came to the Catholic priest, the jury did not accept Jesse's allegations and dismissed that particular complaint. Jesse was ordered to pay the church's court costs, which amounted to $125,000. In 2018, Maryvale appealed that verdict regarding their former employee. essentially saying that the judge allowed Dr Smith's evidence to go way outside the scope of his expertise

and provide opinions that he didn't have the skills, training or experience to provide. The Ontario Court of Appeal agreed, saying that although Dr Smith may have treated patients who reported experiencing childhood sexual abuse, he had conducted no research into that field himself. and the jury relied on his testimony in reaching a verdict that Jesse Imerson was sexually assaulted by the former Merrivale employee, and of course that he did suffer harm as a result. The Court of Appeal ordered a new trial, but just for Jesse's allegations against the Merrival employee, not the Catholic priest. Jesse Imerson appealed that decision, and in 2019 the Supreme Court of Canada, rejected his appeal, giving no reason for its decision, which is standard practice.

There have been no further announcements made about a new trial. It's not for us to say whether or not Jesse Imerson was sexually assaulted as a child, but he certainly did suffer other confirmed traumas outside of that, traumas that no child should have to experience. And while it's important to explore how experiences like childhood abuse, abuse, tragic incidents, intergenerational trauma or mental illness may impact a person's later actions, these factors should never be an excuse, especially when it comes to violent crimes. Healing the harm and injuries we may have suffered during childhood so that it doesn't affect our

adulthood is a difficult thing to face and it's one of the hardest things we can do. But to get over the past and create a better, healthier life for us and those around us, we have to start by facing that trauma one step at a time. While having to experience it might not have been our fault, healing from it is our responsibility. Thanks for listening. If this episode has brought up feelings for you, see the show notes for helpful resources.

Special thanks to Gemma Harris for researching this case and also to 2S LGBTQIA content advisor, Elliot Newton of Gender Bandit.com. As well as court documents, News Archives, this episode relied on the journalism of Trevor Wilhelm, Delson Chen, Sonia Pusick, and Craig Pearson for the Windsor Star, Casey Lassard for Grand Ben Strip, and Jennifer O'Brien for the London Free Press. For the full list of resources and anything else you want to know about the podcast,

including how to access ad-free episodes, visit canadian truecrime.ca. Well, that's it for this week. Thank you so much. much for your kind ratings, reviews, messages and support. And thanks also to the host of True for voicing the disclaimer and We Talk of Dreams who compose the theme song. I'll be back soon with a new Canadian true crime story. See you then.