Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Beast of British Columbia” - Clifford Robert Olson Jr.

Episode Date: October 8, 2018

After his release from prison, Olson Jr. would go on a vicious killing spree and ultimately be convicted of eleven murders. Why would somebody who didn’t have a violent past suddenly turn into a monster? Sponsors! Ring - Save up to $150 off a Ring of Security Kit when you go to Ring.com/SERIALKILLERS Shudder - To try Shudder free for 30 days, go to Shudder.com/podcast and use promo code  SERIALKILLERS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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This episode includes discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Helplessness. Powerlessness. We fear that which we cannot control. We fear being struck by lightning, sucked into a tornado, crushed in an avalanche, swept away by a tidal wave. We fear being trapped in unescapable and unpredictable tragedy. But man-made tragedies are infinitely more terrifying.

The man down the street could break into your home. The woman down the block could hit your child. The charming man in your apartment complex could spend his free time drugging and killing vulnerable teenagers. Clifford Olson was one such man. He reveled in making his parents, his wife, and even the full force of Canadian law enforcement feel helpless against him. Nobody was safe from his masterful manipulation. And when he got truly violent, British Columbia was flooded with the blood of the innocent. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson, and this is serial killers.

Today we're going to take a deep dive into the life of Clifford Robert Olson Jr., also known as the Beast of British Columbia. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. Many of you have been asking us how you can support the podcast. If you enjoy the show, one of the best ways to help us is to leave a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. While you're there, you can listen to previous episodes of serial killers, as well as Parcast's other podcasts. A new episode comes out every Monday. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast and on Twitter at Parcast Network or in our website, parcast.com.

Clifford Olson killed his first victim on November 17, 1980. And he proceeded to go on a vicious killing spree until his capture on August 12, 1981. He was convicted of 11 murders in total. Clifford Olson killed in the suburbs and on the country back roads surrounding his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He abducted teenagers of both sexes, drugged them, and killed them by stabbing, bludgeoning, and strangling. He was Canada's first famous serial killer, and he became most known for a controversial, an unprecedented cash for bodies deal that he made with Vancouver law enforcement. Clifford Robert Olson Jr. was born on January 1, 1940,

to Clifford Olson Sr. and Leona Olson at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His life started as a celebration. The hospital gave his parents a baby book and a gift from a local drugstore in honor of the adorable New Year's baby. He was also his parents' first-born child. To Leona and Clifford Sr., Clifford Jr. was a special little boy. When the Olson celebrated in Vancouver, the world was embroiled in chaotic and brutal armed conflict. World War II raged across the Atlantic, and Canada's troops fought alongside British, American, and French armies against the Nazi scourge. Clifford Olson Sr. was a servicemen who enlisted in the Canadian military.

There are no records to show that he fought in the United States. the conflict in Europe, but he did spend long periods of time away from home, assisting the war effort. While Clifford Sr. was away, Leona raised Clifford Jr. alone. Leona worked as a housekeeper, and she would bring Clifford Jr. with her to work, giving him as much attention as possible. Clifford Jr. was the apple of her eye and the center of her world. Leona coddled Clifford, Jr., giving him everything he wanted. He learned quickly that she was his to control, and his earliest years were a primer. course and manipulation. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the

episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but she's done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Clifford Olson Jr. had plenty of narcissistic tendencies. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, or DSM-5, for short, people with narcissistic personality disorder have several key symptoms. Narcissists lack empathy and only care about other people's feelings insofar as other people's feelings relate to themselves. Their relationships are superficial and self-interested. They have an inflated sense of self-worth and constantly seek attention to validate that self-worth. It's possible that for Clifford Olson Jr., his ego became inflated at a young age.

He was the most important thing to his parents, so he might naturally think that he was the most important thing in the world. It's tempting to think that this can explain Clifford Jr.'s later violence, but the truth is much more frightening. Clifford Olson Jr. is an exception to the serial killer rule. Most serial killers have traumatic or stressful childhoods. Their parents were abusive or neglectful. They often suffered from sexual abuse, witnessed violence, or suffered from some other horrific incident. These incidents often condition these killers to dehumanize others from a young age. For most killers, their psychological problems are caused by problematic childhoods.

That's not the case for Clifford Olson Jr. Clifford Olson Jr. claimed to have suffered from childhood abuse, but he was a compulsive liar who changed his stories on multiple occasions. Most sources indicate that Clifford Olson Jr. never suffered from childhood abuse, physical, sexual, psychological, or otherwise. His parents did not suffer from psychological disorders, nor were they alcoholics or drug users. They even had three more children,

none of whom displayed the same misbehaviors as Clifford Olson Jr. While his mother coddled Clifford Olson Jr. in his infancy, the arrival of his other siblings began to demand a great deal of Leona's attention. His mother could no longer give Clifford everything he ever wanted, and the coddling came to an end. This early codling could hardly explain his later murderous behavior. After all, many firstborn children. are coddled by their parents, but most don't turn out to be serial killers.

We like to think we can understand what causes someone to become a serial killer. If we can understand the circumstances that produce these abhorrent individuals, we can understand how to avoid making more of them, or at least learn to spot them before they start killing. Unfortunately, the complexity of the human psyche means psychological malfunctions rarely have a single cause. In the case of Clifford Olson Jr., we can't find any external cause for his behavior. The idea that the average parent can have a child,

and that child could grow up to be a serial killer due to no fault of the parent, that is a truly terrifying idea. In 1945, World War II finally ended. Clifford Olson Jr. was five years old, and his father moved their family to Richmond, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. They moved into a neighborhood that was built by the Canadian government to help house its veterans. Clifford Olson Sr. got a job as a milkman, and he drove one of the last horse-drawn wagons in the area. Leona Olson started working at a local fish cannery.

The Olson home was stable and supportive. Clifford Olson, Jr. began attending elementary school, but despite his stable home life, his poor behavior soon began to show. Clifford Olson Jr. acted out in class. A former teacher of Clifford said he deliberately misbehaved to be the center of attention. Sometimes it was almost as if he wanted to be caught. The DSM-5 lists attention-seeking behaviors like these as one of the symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder. In elementary school, Clifford Olson Jr. was already showing these signs. Other people who knew Clifford as a child described him as a smart aleck, a loudmouth, and a bully at heart.

his father Clifford Senior remembered that Clifford Jr. was always getting into fights at school and getting beaten up. Clifford Jr. was small as a child and his narcissism meant that losing these fights only served to make him angrier towards the others around him. He blamed other people for his own failings

and continued to repeat the same mistakes. When Clifford Jr. was 10 years old, he began skipping school. While he was out of class, he engaged in criminal behaviors and practiced conning people. He would go door to door selling out-of-date lottery tickets.

He picked berries from people's backyards and then sold them back to the growers. He also stole milk money left out on porches. His father was the milkman, so Clifford Jr. felt the milk money belonged to his father. If the money belonged to his father, then that money belonged to Clifford Jr. too. This inflated sense of entitlement

is also an aspect of the narcissism that was present in Clifford from an early age. Beyond petty theft and small con jobs, Clifford Jr.'s behavior started to escalate. He tormented the neighborhood dogs and cats for his own amusement. Rumors began to spread that Clifford Jr. had smothered two pet rabbits as well. According to a study published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development by Douglas Wax and Victor Haddocks, childhood cruelty towards animals is strongly associated with psychopathy. When Clifford Jr. began mistreating animals, it was the first sign that his psychology was more dangerous than simple narcissism.

Clifford grew tired of losing the fights that he'd been starting. He began to study boxing at a young age. Once he became a more competent fighter, his father said Clifford began making the rounds of the boys who had beaten him up and evening the score. Clifford took vengeance on people who had beat him up. Even though he was the one who had started the fights in the first place, he had a truly distorted sense of self-righteousness. Clifford was first arrested at the young age of 13 for petty theft. He was let go after paying a small fine and focused more of his free time on boxing. In 1954, when Clifford was 14, he was runner-up in a bronze gloves boxing tournament.

His boxing coach, Tommy Yule, had only positive memories of Clifford, saying Clifford was a good boy. Clifford was learning how to make good impressions on people. He began to read the expressions of those around him and react in manipulative ways. He built himself a superficially charming persona that he would use throughout his life. In 1955, when Clifford was 15, his five years of skipping class and misbehaving resulted in him flunking the eighth grade. His teachers knew he was a clever kid, but he simply did not care to acquire an education. In 1956, he graduated eighth grade at 16 years old.

Then he dropped out of school and got a job at the Lansdowne racetrack while still living at his parents' home. Clifford had already spent a large portion of his free time gambling at the track. He felt getting a job at the track might help him increase his winnings. The job also made it easier to pick people's pockets and steal from the till. He continued committing petty theft and pulling cons in his free time. Clifford Sr. and Leona Olson loved their son. But they had grown tired of his constant. misbehavior. They gave him food, shelter, love, and discipline, but they felt like he was

completely out of their control. In 1957, Clifford broke into a woodworking factory after business hours. He rifled through the building, looking for valuable items he could sell on the street or pocket for personal use. A couple on their nightly walk noticed Clifford through the window. No lights were on, and they knew most of the people who worked there, so they contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The police urged Clifford to come out quietly. Instead, Clifford fled out the back door. The Mounties caught him easily.

Clifford was convicted of breaking and entering, and he was sent to prison for the first time at the age of 17. This arrest marked a new chapter in Clifford Olson's life. His family gave up on hopes of rehabilitation, and his behavior only got worse after being put behind bars. Even the prisons of the Canadian justice system had a hard time keeping Clifford Olson's evil contained. Now a quick break for something lighter. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much.

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Now, back to the story. In 1957, 17-year-old Clifford Olson was sent to the New Haven Borstal Institution for breaking and entering. This was the first time Clifford was imprisoned, but his first prison was a minimum security establishment intended to rehabilitate problem youths. Having raised Clifford Olson, his parents held little hope that the correctional system could change him. What they didn't know was that the prison system

would have a tough time holding him at all. New Haven was minimum security. They didn't expect many escapees, and Clifford Olson did not want to be contained. He convinced two other young men to flee the institution with him. They waited and watched for an opportunity. When the guards weren't looking, they left the building and ran a mile south to the Fraser River.

They dashed along the riverbank until they found a boat that wasn't securely tied down. They climbed aboard the boat and started the engine. The trio sped down the river, only to run out of gas near Vancouver. Another boat saw that they were stranded and helped the boys get to shore. But the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, for short, were already looking for them. Clifford Olson managed to avoid being recaptured and made his way back home. His parents were not pleased to see him. They urged Clifford to turn himself into the police.

They knew if he was free, he would only cause more trouble. For once, Clifford listened to his parents. He turned himself in shortly after breaking out. His parents believed at the time that he listened to them for their sake. But Clifford would only act when he believed that he could benefit in some way. He decided to turn himself in because he thought it would be less work than going on the run. He had already proven to himself that the prison system could not hold him, and that knowledge was enough to boost his ego.

To Clifford, going to prison was his choice, not the governments. Clifford Olson was sentenced to an additional year in prison for escaping custody. Instead of being placed back in New Haven, he was imprisoned at Ocala Prison, a place where the inmates were taught how to farm in an effort to give them productive life skills. Clifford enjoyed his time in Ocala. He used his congenial persona to make friends with the guards and his fellow prisoners. He was led out on parole due to good behavior in 1958. Clifford's release would not last long. After only two months of being free, Clifford was caught

breaking into a person's home. He was sentenced to serve several more years in prison. His sentences were lengthening, along with his rap sheet. After three years in prison, Clifford was released. from Ocala in 1961. He went right back to thievery and fraud. After only three months out of prison, he was captured by police for defrauding a grocery store and sentenced to another year in prison. He returned to Ocala, which was beginning to feel more like home than the outside world. But soon after landing in Ocala, he made his second escape attempt. In broad daylight, Clifford sprinted to the prison's fence and climbed over it. He managed to run a couple of yards before being tackled by prison guards, and he was brought back inside the confines of the prison.

Clifford began gaining mild notoriety for his escape attempts and cons. He enjoyed seeing his name and face in the paper, and soon began making increasingly extravagant escape attempts that served more as bids for media attention than actual attempts at freedom. After his second escape attempt, the authorities moved Clifford to a higher security prison in Prince Albert Saskatchewan. Almost immediately upon arrival at his new prison, Clifford managed to steal civilian clothing and walk right out the front door. The Mounties recaptured Clifford after only a few hours, but Clifford taunted them for their inability to stop him from escaping in the first place.

Clifford was enjoying his identity as an escape artist, but he was released again before he could think up more complicated methods of escape. In 1962, at 22 years old, Clifford was released from prison. and he returned to Vancouver. Back in Vancouver, Clifford returned to thieving and conning people. He was arrested for stealing from a convenience store and was imprisoned in Ocala once again. He was released two years later in 1964

and went on vacation in the United States. While in the U.S., Clifford got into a hidden run and was captured by American police only a few hours later. In 1964, the Internet did not exist, and police forces around the world were much less connected than they are today. American cops had no immediate access to Clifford's criminal record, and their security standards were overly lax as a consequence.

Clifford easily took advantage of that. While in police custody, Clifford convinced his lawyer to allow him to pick up his bail money on his own. Instead of returning to police, he fled back to Canada. Along the way, he picked up a teenage girl whose name is not known. We don't know much about this girl's personal story, but we do know that she went with Clifford willingly. She wasn't with him long enough to see much of Clifford's dark side, but this would be the first indication of Clifford's sexual penchant for underage girls. After a few months of searching, the RCMP found Clifford, hiding out at his parents' house with the underage girl. Olson was returned to a Calip Prison for the hidden run, and the girl was returned to her home by authorities.

Clifford's parents felt obligated to house their son. They had given up on improving his behavior, but he was still their child. Leona Olson lied to herself, looking for positive things about the boy she loved. For instance, she often remarked on his cleverness, while leaving out the fact that he often used said cleverness to deceive and prey on others. Clifford Olson, Sr. felt trapped by his son. He made no excuses for his kid's behavior. Both parents preferred it when Clifford did.

Jr. was in prison because it made their lives easier. But anytime Clifford Jr. was out of prison, they did not turn him away. In 1965, Clifford researched kidney disease in the prison library. Over the course of a few months, he visited the prison doctor and reported the symptoms, gradually increasing their severity. This was perhaps his most clever escape attempt. He did weeks of research and preparation while getting a good sense of the prison doctor's personality. With extensive knowledge on the subject, Clifford made a strong bid towards tricking a professional doctor. Of course, the doctor would not have been convinced by Clifford's words alone. When Clifford's reported symptoms grew severe, the doctor asked Clifford to supply him with a urine

sample. Clifford entered the bathroom, cut himself, and mixed his blood in with the urine. noticing the blood, the doctor ordered that Clifford be brought to an outside hospital for further testing. Everything was going according to Clifford's plan, and Clifford was exhilarated. Once he arrived at the hospital, Clifford waited for his opening. As soon as his surveillance detail left him unattended, Clifford climbed out the window and ran to freedom. Clifford was pleased with his own ingenuity, and he wasn't going to miss this chance to have some fun in the free world. Clifford joined up with a fellow former convict named Dave. Clifford and Dave decided to wreak some havoc,

and they went around breaking into people's homes. At one home, Clifford found a gun and got a bright idea. Clifford had learned that a nearby Safeway supermarket kept thousands of dollars in their store safe. He convinced a store employee to let him into the manager's office. Once in the office, Clifford pulled the gun on the manager and urged him to open the safe. Knowing that the police were still looking for him, Clifford got skittish.

The manager opened the safe and pointed to the bags of cash that laid inside. Clifford didn't look closely. He just grabbed a single, mostly empty bag and ran to the car where Dave was waiting. Dave peeled away while Clifford counted the cash. He had only managed to steal $89. Clifford's ego took a hit, which for a narcissist is a grave blow. He was frothing with rage when they returned to death. Dave's home. The next day, Clifford looked out Dave's front window and noticed a glint of metal

on the neighbor's roof. Clifford looked closely to realize that it was a policeman's rifle. The cops had found him. Clifford was not one to be easily beaten. He knew the police had arrived long before they wanted to make themselves known. He saw his opportunity to escape and took it. Clifford and Dave slipped out a side entrance and snuck to Dave's car, which was parked on a different street. They drove away without the police noticing their absence. Clifford's damaged ego had been repaired. He may have only managed to steal $89 from the Safeway, but he had outsmarted and evaded the police for the second time in only a few days. His ego grew even bigger when he checked into a motel and found that his escapades had made the nightly news. His own mother told the media, quote,

this is the seventh time he's gotten away from the police. You've got to admit he's quick on his feet, end quote. At 25 years old in 1965, Clifford was recaptured breaking into another home a few days after escaping Dave's house. He was sentenced to four additional years in prison and transferred to Saskatchewan's Prince Albert Penitentiary. While there, Clifford began studying the law in an effort to escape prison through legal means. He studied intensely and petitioned the parole board for a hearing before his previously scheduled parole date. Some of his petitions for parole were successful. He once got a parole hearing moved to a date months earlier than its originally scheduled date. But only a few days before his parole hearing, Clifford was caught participating in a gang rape of a younger inmate.

His parole was rightfully denied. The prison environment only fostered Clifford's sexual depravity. He had pursued underage girls out of prison, and in prison he became accustomed to raping others. That improper behavior would only escalate in following years. Clifford took any opportunity he could to increase his wealth and position. He became an informant for the guards, telling them which of the other inmates had contraband, like drugs or pornography. The guards began treating him preferentially, and he gained a reputation in the prison for being a rat. Olsen not only enjoyed the preferential treatment he would get from the guards,

he also enjoyed betraying fellow prisoners for the sake of betrayal. He gained infamy within the prison walls, and his fellow prisoners started plotting to hurt him. Before anything could happen to Clifford, he completed his sentence and was released from jail in August of 1972 at 32 years old. At this point, Clifford had spent almost half of his life in prison. Clifford had grown accustomed to prison life. He wasn't afraid of returning to jail, and he didn't want to work for his money.

He returned to his usual lifestyle of grifting and robbery with no regard for the consequences. By 1973, he had taken his crime on the road, driving all across Canada. He eventually picked up a 14-year-old homeless boy named Glenn. Clifford was 33 years old at the time, and he took advantage of the boy. Clifford was Glenn's only support, and Clifford leveraged that power to convince Glenn to have sex with him. While the relationship between Clifford and Glenn was definitely predatory, it's possible that Glenn didn't realize that he was prey. It's even possible that Glenn thought he was in a consensual relationship with Clifford.

This indicates that Clifford was less overtly abusive at the time. He was likely still in the wooing phase with Glenn. Relationships with psychopaths often follow a similar pattern, but we'll get more in depth with another example later on. In August of 1973, Clifford and Glenn picked up a 20-year-old hitchhiker named Evelyn Gagnon at a bus station. Evelyn wanted to go on an adventure and see the world. She had just quit her job and left her hometown. She assumed Glenn was Clifford's son,

and Clifford's charming personality convinced her that Clifford was trustworthy. Evelyn gleefully joined Clifford and Glenn in a cross-country road trip. Evelyn remembered Clifford being incredibly generous with his money. He gave her anything she wanted, and if she wanted more money, she remembered him going out to do business. She didn't know that his business was burglary, but she didn't care where he got the money anyway. Clifford wooed Evelyn with his charm and his money, and the two had sex on multiple occasions.

Eventually, Evelyn noticed that Clifford was also having sex with Glenn. She now knew that Glenn wasn't Clifford's son, but she didn't find the relationship particularly disturbing, which says a lot about Evelyn, but also serves as another indication that Clifford had yet to get outwardly abusive. Evelyn wanted some stability, so she eventually moved in with Clifford's sister, Sharon Olson. in Vancouver. Clifford didn't want to stay put at the time, so he and Glenn left town together. After only a few weeks, Clifford and Glenn returned to Vancouver. Clifford claimed he wanted to see Evelyn again, but in reality he was fleeing from an arrest

warrant that had been issued for indecent assault. Clifford and Glenn had been moving throughout the countryside making a living through robbery and con jobs, and they stayed at roadside motels. A motel owner noticed that Clifford was taking sexual advantage of Glenn. and the police were searching for Clifford to put a stop to it. In order to stay on the move, Clifford asked Evelyn to go on the road with him, leaving Glenn behind. Evelyn agreed, and they found their way to Hudson Bay.

Evelyn and Clifford started officially dating, and they moved in with Evelyn's family. Evelyn's family initially found Clifford as charming as Evelyn had. He convinced them that he was a good person, but that facade did not last long. Evelyn's mother informed Evelyn that Clifford had been rooting around in her grandmother's home and stole a large sum of money from its special hiding place. Evelyn wasn't convinced, but she agreed to keep an eye on Clifford. The pair left town on a bus. Clifford gave Evelyn $1,000, and she realized that it had been stolen from her grandmother.

It became clear to her that Clifford was not a good guy, even though she had gotten used to accepting stolen money from him, when the money came from her own family, she had had enough. Clifford denied stealing anything from Evelyn's family. Evelyn eventually believed Clifford's denial. But at the next bus stop, Clifford ditched her. Evelyn was convinced that Clifford would only leave her if he was guilty. She told her family, and they reported the theft to the police.

In early 1974, the police caught 34-year-old Clifford trying to hop a ferry across the Canada-US border in Victoria, British Columbia. He was sentenced to four more years in prison for stealing from Evelyn's family. Clifford returned to Ocala Prison, and he felt like he had returned home. He jumped right back into his old prison behaviors. Clifford began ratting on his fellow inmates. He also had gotten used to having sex with young boys. Clifford singled out a good-looking 17-year-old inmate and raped him repeatedly,

turning the 17-year-old into his prison sex slave, according to his own words. While Clifford felt like he had returned home, his fellow inmates were growing tired of his abhorrent behavior. They were sick of his ratting and his pedophilia, and they wanted Clifford to pay for his transgressions with blood. It's time for a short break. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th. The powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th.

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and the warden decided they needed to place Clifford, their snitch, under greater protection. In 1976, they transferred Clifford back to Saskatchewan's Prince Albert Penitentiary, a facility he had been placed in four years prior. Prince Albert was built with monitoring capabilities, meant to ensure a safety for prison informants, unlike Ocala. Unfortunately for Clifford, his reputation had preceded him. He was not only a snitch, but a pedophile, two things that prisoners absolutely despise.

The resentment the prison population had for Clifford reached a breaking point when Clifford overheard two convicts discuss a prison drug smuggling operation. Clifford told the guards about the drugs, and a gang of prisoners decided to put an end to Clifford Olson. A convicted bank robber named Gordon Lucere had a friend smuggle him a pair of scissors from the prison tailor shop. He and a group of inmates planned to kill Clifford during a prison poker game. On February 13, 1976, when Clifford was 36 years old, he was invited to join a game of poker in the prison game room.

Clifford enjoyed gambling, so he took the men up on their offer. Clifford noticed that as the game went on, inmates started entering the room one by one. His fellow poker players acted like they thought nothing of it, so Clifford withheld his own suspicions. After a few hands, one of the spectators asked if he could join the game. Clifford's paranoia had peaked. He snapped at the man. Go start your own game. The man yelled back at Clifford and accused Clifford of being a rat.

Clifford vehemently denied the allegation. He claimed that he was no rat and that the other poker players could back him up on that claim. Clifford looked to his other fellow poker players for assistance, only to be stonewalled by blank faces. He stood up to run. The group of spectators blocked the exit with a ping pong table. Clifford bolted towards the door anyway. He only made it a few steps before Gordon Lucier cracked him in the head with a hammer he had taken from his job in the prison workshop.

Lucier brought out the scissors and proceeded to stab Clifford seven times. The rest of the gang stepped in to kick and beat Clifford, fully intending to kill him. Before Clifford could die, the guards broke back into the room, putting a stop to the attempted murder. The guards rushed Clifford to the Prince Albert Hospital. Doctors worked tirelessly to save his life, and after several hours of surgery, Clifford survived. Failing to kill Clifford became one of Gordon Lucier's greatest regrets. The entire nation of Canada later shared those regrets. Clifford, on the other hand, did not miss a beat.

He used the attempted murder as leverage for his own benefit. Clifford argued that the attempt on his life was due to his work as an informant. As such, Clifford argued that the incident. was responsible for his pain. The Saskatchewan Criminal Compensation Board agreed, saying Clifford's conduct was above reproach and indicated an unusual degree of moral and physical courage. Clifford was paid $3,500 as compensation for the attempt on his life

and as a commendation for his bravery. Instead of being frightened, Clifford's ego only grew after he survived his murder attempt. For his own protection, Clifford was moved to the super maximum unit in the Prince Albert Penitentiary. While here, Clifford continued his informant work. He met a man named Gary Francis Marcou. Gary was being investigated for the rape and murder

of a nine-year-old girl named Gene Dove. The police were convinced Gary Markoo had killed the little girl, but they didn't have enough evidence to prove Gary's guilt in a court of law. Clifford saw Gary as the perfect opportunity to practice his manipulation skills and to get more praise for his informant work. Clifford approached Gary and quickly befriended him.

Gary asked Clifford if Clifford could tell the police that they had been smoking marijuana on the night of the murder, which would provide him with an alibi. Gary was sure that Clifford could use the goodwill he had fostered with the guards to convince the courts that Gary was innocent. Clifford was such a convincing liar that he could literally brag about the ability to someone and have them believe that he would only tell them the truth.

Clifford told Gary that he would love to provide an alibi without telling Gary that he had been imprisoned on the night of the murder. He said he wanted to be absolutely sure that he didn't mix up any of the details. He asked Gary to write down the alibi in as much detail as possible. Gary took the bait and he wrote out his false alibi. Clifford gave the false alibi to the police. He told the police that if they let him keep talking to Gary, he could convince Gary to write down a confession.

The police believed Clifford. They kept Clifford safe and allowed Clifford extra time to speak with Gary Marku. Over the next several months, Cliverd took extensive notes on his interactions with Gary. Many of these notes were about Gary's pedophilic rapist fantasies. Clifford had already raped underage inmates in prison, and hearing Gary's stories helped Clifford realize that he could take his actions a step further. He could achieve greater control, greater deceit, greater pleasure. Everything Clifford enjoyed doing could be escalated to help him achieve a higher high.

Authorities never suspected that Clifford would begin to internalize those fantasies. As Clifford talked to Gary, he learned from Gary's mistakes and began to dream about getting the opportunity to kill children and outdo Gary. Eventually, Clifford convinced Gary to tell him everything about Gene Dove. Gary wrote a step-by-step description of how he abducted, raped, and murdered. the poor nine-year-old girl. Gary thought Clifford wanted the confession written out so that Clifford could masturbate to the story.

The authorities thought Clifford got the confession to help convict Gary in a court of law. Both parties were right about Clifford's motivations. Gary was taken to court, and it was revealed that Clifford had betrayed him. Gary pled guilty and confessed to the murder. He was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole. While one child killer had been kept

behind bars, Clifford Olson was determined to become a child killer the next time he was let out. He kept his inner desires hidden, and he maintained the law's perception of him as a hardened conman and helpful informant. Clifford was released from prison once again in January of 1980. He was 40 years old, and had spent only four years of his adult life outside a prison. He went back to his conman ways, but this time his bad behavior escalated in some. severity. In February of 1980, he met a woman named Joan Hale at a bar. Clifford found Joan to be attractive and vulnerable. He wanted to claim her. Joan was about to fall prey to a psychopath. According to a study called forensic uses of clinical assessment instruments, psychopaths are,

quote, grandiose, deceptive, dominant, superficial, manipulative, effectively shallow, unable to form strong emotional bonds with others and lacking in empathy, guilt, or remorse. They're also irresponsible and impulsive and tend to ignore or violate social conventions and moors." Many of these traits are shared by narcissists. Prior to Clifford's killing spree, prison psychologists thought Clifford was simply a narcissist. Narcissists tend to be less dangerous than psychopaths, so while they thought Clifford would likely return to stealing upon his release from prison, they did not expect his behavior to become so atrocious it would forever scar British Columbia.

That misdiagnosis allowed for Clifford's release. This did not help Joan Hale. She would accidentally find herself in a relationship with one of the most objectively psychopathic men who has ever existed. Psychopathy can be measured by a clinical tool called the Hair Psychopathy Checklist. Qualified clinicians can use the checklist to measure 20 different personality traits associated with psychopathy. The end result is scored and measured on a scale of 0 to 40. A person with a score of 0 shows no psychopathic traits.

A person with a score of 40 exhibits every psychopathic trait. In the United States, a person who scores over 30 on the psychopathic checklist can be diagnosed as a psychopathic. Upon extensive clinical examination, Clifford Olson scored 38 out of 40. That was one of the highest scores any person had ever achieved. He was only beaten by Ted Bundy, who scored a whopping 39 out of 40. Clifford Olson was extremely psychopathic, and Joan Hale fell victim to his charm. According to a documentary made by the CBC or Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, titled The Psychopath Next Door,

Clifford Olson's dating behavior followed a specific psychopathic pattern. Psychopaths choose their romantic partners, aka victims, very selectively. They search for people who display high levels of empathy, which the psychopath views as naivete. Their victims are often in a vulnerable position that the psychopath promises to help them out of. Joan had just gotten a divorce from an abusive ex-husband. She was scared that her ex would find her and kill her. She was looking for somebody who could protect her. This charming and loving ex-con seemed like the perfect man.

She didn't realize that Clifford only saw her as prey. Once psychopaths get their first indication that their victim is receptive to them, they make their victim fall in love with them as quickly as possible. Clifford showered her with attention and affection through February and March of 1980. He made sure that she thought she was the center of his world. They had sex frequently and passionately. Jones said that for the first month of their relationship, Clifford was the most charming, loving, adoring, sexual, and passionate man she had ever met.

She fell deeply in love in a short period of time. Once the psychopath feels like they've successfully trapped their partner, the psychopath begins to test their partner's boundaries for bad behaviors. Clifford would con and steal for money, and when he needed a little extra spending cash, he would ask Joan to help him out. Joan had received a substantial settlement in her divorce, and Clifford manipulated her to get as much of that money as he could.

Clifford's true nature slowly seeped into Joan's life. She noticed that he was drinking a lot, and she found out that he took excessive amounts of sleeping pills. She knew it was a problem, but he was still being kind to her, so she allowed it to go on. After a while, his behavior started to change. He started to get a little more aggressive. and a little less affectionate.

Joan decided to confront him about his use of pills and alcohol. Clifford lashed out. He screamed for hours, backing Joan into a corner. He made her feel helpless and scared, but she didn't leave. He had been so charming for so long that she thought she must have touched on an extremely sensitive nerve. She didn't realize that she was actually meeting the real Clifford for the first time. Joan decided to avoid confronting Clifford on his poor behavior. But as time went on, he only got worse.

Whenever she made a negative comment about him, he blew up, terrifying her. Things began to escalate. Once the psychopath feels satisfied that their prey is trapped, they unleash their inner beasts. They become physically abusive, and their behavior becomes erratic and unpredictable. One hour they'll act passionate and caring in bed. The next, they'll be hitting their partner with fists and baseball bats.

By the time Joan realized she was in another abusive relationship, it was too late. She was terrified of Clifford and followed his every command. She thought her relationship with her previous husband was the worst it could get, but then she found Clifford Olson. And to make matters worse, Clifford's horrific killing spree was just about to begin. Next week we'll cover Clifford Olson's murders. Eleven teenagers would fall prey to Clifford's. violence, and British Columbia would never be the same.

We'll also cover Clifford's controversial manipulation of the legal system and how Clifford continue to torment the families of his victims for 30 years after his brutal and bloody murders. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. You can find more episodes of serial killers as well as all of podcasts, other podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Castbox, tune in or your favorite podcast directory. Several of you have asked how to help the show. And if you enjoy the show, the best way to help is to leave a five-star review. We'll see you next time.

Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler, is a production of Cutler Media and is part of the Parcast Network. It is produced by Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Carrie Murphy, with production assistants by Ron Shapiro and Paul Mahler. Additional production assistance by Carly Madden and Maggie Admeier. Serial Killers is written by Giles Hoveseth and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence.

I've seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bag, and there was a full of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something. I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again.

I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of. a lot of true crime podcast this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.