Uncover - S32 E7: Plausible, Intelligent and Ruthless | Sea of Lies

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

The trial attracts media coverage across the globe. Sheena finally has her moment on the stand, with Albert’s fate resting in her hands. Nearly 30 years on, Sam explores what’s happened to Albert Walker and the victims he left behind.Your guide to Uncover: Where to go next

In Scarborough, there's this fire behind our eyes. A passion in our bellies. It's in the hearts of our neighbors. The eyes of our nurses. And the hands of our doctors. It's what makes Scarborough, Scarborough. In our hospitals, we do more than anyone thought possible. We've less than anyone could imagine.

But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Donate at lovescarborough.ca. This is a CBC Podcast. Our barrister made the decision that he wanted to open the trial with Sheena. My Lord, the first witness I'm going to call is Sheena Walker. There was an audible gasp as everyone looked to the back door in disbelief.

Most of the reporters weren't expecting Sheena Walker to be on the witness stand at all, let alone be first. And she was all alone, because even though Officer Brian Slade had been with her every step preparing her for this moment, he was not there in the courtroom to see it. I didn't go into court because they were worried that she might keep staring at me for reassurance and the defense might pick her up and think, well, who is this person and try to get a little chink in the armor Yeah, I was asked not to As she moved toward the witness box all eyes were on her none more intently than those of her father

His eyes seemed to be reaching out determined to meet hers, but he was boxed out by the body of a support worker. Sheena stumbled as she went up the step, was sworn in, and then when the clerk whispered something that only she could hear, she took the hard candy out of her mouth and wrapped it tightly in a napkin. Your full name is Sheena Elizabeth Walker? Correct. And you were born in Canada? Correct. Was it your choice to accompany your father to England? Yes. You used fake names. Why? My mother was after custody of my siblings and after my father for financial support.

As prosecutor Charles Barton steered her through, Sheena answered every question with conviction. Detective Ian Clenahan was there in the courtroom. She was very, very calm, very determined and stood there and gave it like it was. We knew what she could say. We knew what she'd already told us. And it was a matter of her getting that out in court. Sheena was only on the stand for a short period of time that day, but she was able to cover a lot of ground. Meeting Elaine and Ron, taking their names. She and her father posing as

a married couple. Ron moving back to England. And then the key timeline detail. Sheena said that the last time she ever saw Ron Platt was at Christmas 1995. About six months later, in June 96, Walker told her that Ron had quote, given up and had traveled across to France, to the Bordeaux region. Sheena told detectives that on July 20th, during their holiday in Devon, Walker went for a solo sail for the entire day. A month after that was when Officer Peter Redman called Walker to inform him that Platt's body was found in the channel. Sheena was in the room when he called him and described her father as seeming

shocked. And what happened then, after the police first called your dad? We made plans to move. But the most important detail Barton wanted Sheena to tell the jury, the reason the police were so keen to have her on the stand that they worked with the RAF to make it possible, that of course was saved for last. When was the last time you talked to your father? He asked me to change my testimony. He asked me to say that I knew Ron was in Devon, and that I was supposed to know that Ron had been on the boat as well. And with that, the first day was done. It had been a gutsy move to

open with Sheena, but the guts Sheena showed on the stand were all anyone was talking about. On the first day of his murder trial, the key witness against him was his daughter. Albert Walker's eyes were fixed on his daughter throughout her testimony, but the young woman who once masqueraded as her father's wife never even looked in his direction. She was very poised, very composed, very mature if I may say so. Tomorrow Sheena Walker will take the stand once more, this time to answer questions put by her father's defence team. We're going to see Richard Ferguson, who is among the best criminal lawyers in the United Kingdom, do his thing, if you will. I'm Sam Mullins, and this is Sea of Lies from CBC's Uncover, Episode 7. Plausible, Intelligent, and Ruthless.

As Sheena took the witness stand on the second day of her cross-examination, one reporter noted that she seemed even more grounded than the day before. She glanced in her father's direction, but his eyes were no longer on her. Whether he had resigned himself to the realization that he no longer had any sway over her, or his attorney Richard Ferguson had coached him to stop eyeballing her so intensely, his eyes were elsewhere as Ferguson took the floor. The defense began by getting Sheena to reconfirm something that came up the day before, that it was indeed her idea to accompany her father to Britain, and that she left Canada of her own free will. It was. He then led her to confirm that she knew Platt to be a depressive,

and someone who had become disenchanted with England, and that she knew Platt to be a depressive and someone who had become disenchanted with England, and that she had heard there was a plan in place for Ron to move to France to start a new life. That was right. But the point Ferguson seemed most determined to amend from her testimony was the same one her father had called her from prison to amend. Ferguson posited that her father had called her in Essex from Devon on July 9th and told her about the best day of sailing in his life and that he had told her that Ron was with

him on the boat. She said, no, that call never happened. And then she said, Ron was impartial to water. Ferguson then turned to paint the phone call from prison in a new light. He said that her father wasn't telling her to make up a story for his benefit. He was merely helping her to more accurately remember the truth. But Sheena's story was solid as a rock. After Albert told her Ron had gone to France in June, there was not another mention of him and certainly no time where her father had said he was hanging out in Devon with Ron. When Ferguson was done with his questioning, before the judge let her go, he turned to Sheena for clarification on her

comment about Ron being impartial to water. She said, he didn't like water, he didn't swim, he didn't like getting on a boat, even a large boat. With that, Sheena's testimony was done. But the judge needed one more thing before they moved on. He turned to both attorneys to address the elephant that had entered the courtroom ever since Sheena had said that she was posing as her father's wife and had become pregnant. Yes, because you're going to ask as a jury member what is the relationship. He said, it is obvious that there were matters raised that were not explored in

detail. Are you absolutely comfortable that all the matters relevant to the jury's case have been heard? Both agreed they had nothing further. He's on trial for murder, not for anything else. The paternity of Sheena's two children was information that never entered the public record. In the center of the storm, she had been credible and poised. While it was obvious that Ferguson had been coached by his client to poke holes in her testimony, Sheena's clear-eyed denial of knowing that Ron had been in Devon painted a damning picture of Albert Walker. He had intentionally left Sheena, the person he was most honest with, in the dark about Ron Platt's final movements. And there's really only one reason he would do that.

Sheena was free to step down, as the detectives who had been on the case for two years were left in awe of her. I think she'd seen the light, hadn't she? She'd been under his spell for so many years. Once that spell was broken and he was taken away from her, I think then she became aware of how wrong everything was and how manipulative he was. And yeah, I think she made that conscious decision to step out from him and say, look, this is it. This is the end of me being ruled by him.

We were all delighted with how she managed to stand up to it. Just the fact that she had the courage to stand up and fight against their father after what he put her through. I thought it was fabulous. Sheena had delivered the prosecution an undeniably strong start. How severely damaged, maybe even reduced to tatters to some extent, do you think the defense is right now? They are badly hurt at the outset. I think if you're on the prosecution side, you're really, I think, sending a message to the jury. What you're saying is, if this man is capable of this, he's probably capable of anything.

Anything you hear from him may not be true. And there were still 35 witnesses to go. One after the other, the jury heard from everyone related to the case. Fisherman John Kopek, who discovered Ron's body, the coroner, Detective Redman, Klenahan, the residents of Little London Lane, his colleagues at his therapy business. And then finally, it was Elaine's turn. I'd actually gone for counseling beforehand and I was explained what to wear and how to ground myself. Naturally, Elaine was riddled with anxiety until a police officer told her, no need to worry, just be Elaine. So when she got into the witness box,

I actually did okay, yeah. I actually went in there feeling quite powerful. If that's the right word, it's not the right word really powerful but yeah it'll do. She was able to really display to the court the motive behind it, the fact that he saw this as an opportunity. She kind of explained to the jury, the court, how they benefited him and the jury I think were able to see and form yeah that is a good motive to kind of to get them out the country and Ron couldn't explain to the court. And Elaine, she was able to speak on Ron's behalf and explain to the court exactly why Ron had to be disposed of, if you like. And it was quite compelling, yeah.

The jury were then presented by admitted relevant facts, agreed to by both sides. Namely, this little detail. That Walker ran a financial company in Canada and is being sought by authorities for stealing over $4 million from his friends, clients, and partners. over $4 million from his friends, clients, and partners. The prosecution then ended with a focus on the forensics. A title expert explained that the body could only have been found where it was if it had entered the water out at sea. Next, the jury were told that there were microscopic bits of metal from the anchor walkerbot that were found in the fibers of Platt's belt. Platt's fingerprints and hair were discovered in the cabin of Walker's boat, the Lady

Jane, and that the GPS had been turned off on the evening of July 20th, when the Lady Jane's coordinates were virtually exactly where the fisherman discovered Ron's body one week later. Mic drop. And with that, everyone turned to the defense and to Albert Walker. He's listening to this scenario all coming together and he's probably thinking at that point, I really am in trouble here. Most attorneys would advise their client in the situation, even when you're perceived

to be losing, not to take the witness stand. Exposing yourself to cross-examination is no joke, and most defendants will wilt under the pressure of a talented prosecutor like Barton. But most defendants are not Albert Walker. Oh, high drama this morning. Richard Ferguson, the defense QC, had quite a considered preamble where he looked directly at the jury and he told them, you will hear very shortly from Albert Walker, but what I want to say to you is that the prosecution case is really a list of maybes. The prosecution have propounded a load of theories and speculation.

Albert Walker had sat for days biting his tongue as Sheena and Elaine and neighbors and colleagues one after the other effectively painted him in the least flattering and most incriminating of lights. According to them, he was a liar, a ruthless, duplicitous villain. If he is guilty, this is a man throwing a gigantic dice. This is a huge gamble. Everything he'd gotten in life, earned or not, was by persuading people that he was an honest and caring man.

It didn't matter what people in his Canadian past or what his daughter or police or what the press or barristers thought of him. All that mattered was the jury and he was determined to change their minds. These mere eight women and four men, regular citizens, held the rest of his life in their hands. Walker knew that no reasonable person would have thought that he was innocent after what they'd heard thus far, but he also knew that he possessed a gift and therefore a puncher's chance. Ferguson called his client to the stand. So then he goes into the witness box.

Smart, dark suit, red and blue striped tie. This is a distinguished looking man, gray hair, full beard, crossed his legs, cradled his chin between thumb and forefinger and looked very at ease, I'm bound to say. And so for the next several hours, he had the opportunity, with strategic prompts from his attorney, to present his version of his time in England, beginning in December 1990. He told the jury that he didn't want Sheena to join him in the UK, but she pleaded. He bought Elaine and Ron the tickets to Canada not because he needed to steal their identities, but simply because he couldn't afford to pay Elaine's salary anymore. And Canada was his dear friend Ron's dream. And it was Sheena's idea for them to first pose as husband and wife. Ron knew that I was posing as him.

He had willingly given me his ID to do just that. And yes, yes, I am on the run from Canada for financial crimes, it's true. But I never would have done anything to hurt my friend Ron. At intermittent breaks, all the reporters would run outside to do a quick hit for television. Walker talked without any obvious embarrassment about the process of taking Platt's identity. What he said in essence in the first hour or so

of presenting his version of events is, I am a crook, but I'm not a killer. His story was a meandering hairy one, filled with tangents. Ferguson tried to keep him on track, but Albert seemed to relish finally having the stage to himself. He smiled often, tried to keep it light, and it was obvious to those in the courtroom, like Elaine watching from the gallery, like Elaine watching from the gallery, that his confidence was growing as he went. And there was a point in his evidence when they stopped for a break. And in that break,

he sat there in his suit looking like a perfect gentleman, businessman, And he scans and he's looking around the court, cool as a cucumber, and he catches my eye. And I actually think, I'm going to beat you. I'm going to beat you, mate. And I tried to stare him out, and I stared and I stared and he stared as well. And I couldn't do it any longer, he just had to turn away. So he beat me, he beat me. But when he reached the part of the story of most consequence, everyone in the courtroom leaned forward because this is where the prosecution and defense's stories were most at odds. The prosecution had alleged that Walker killed Ron

on July 20th, but Walker claimed that the last full day he spent with Ron was 10 days before that. Walker's story was that he'd enlisted Ron to help him sail the Lady Jane all the way from Devon to Essex, but when they set out on July 9th, they immediately had trouble. Their plan was to sail the first 60 miles to a place called Portland Bill. But Ron Platt got seasick, and then in the choppy waters had hurt himself. They had to abort the trip and turn the Lady Jane around. The next day, Walker had said, maybe it's best that you just go to France, and gave Ron enough money to be on his way. And he alleges that

he never saw him again after that. He claimed that he told all of this over the phone to Sheena that night, but he said that Sheena tends to forget things. Ferguson ended his time with Albert in the witness box by asking him to describe the nature of his relationship with Ron when he became overcome with emotion. Walker said he was a friend, somebody I felt a responsibility to, to take care of. I have never hit anyone in my life, nor have I ever been hit by anyone in my life. I am a very passive person.

I had no reason in the world to kill him or ever harm him." He began sobbing and saying, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Klinehen watched from a seat. I do remember him crying when he started to shed some tears over the fact that how could anyone possibly think that he could hurt anyone, let alone his best friend, Ron Platt. His version drew to a close, and the general impression was that he'd done what he'd set out to do. He offered a clear and plausible version of events.

He's giving the performance of his life, and he's certainly a smooth-talking, charming man. If indeed he is guilty of all those fraud offences back in Canada, I can quite understand why because he's a very believable man. But whether the jury will believe him, well, we shall know hopefully early or in the middle of next week. The easy part for Walker was done. But all the while he was regaling the jury with the whirlwind tale of the six years in question, Barton the prosecutor's pen never stopped moving.

He got his crack at Walker the next afternoon, which happened to be July 1st, Canada Day. Barton began his cross-examination by honing in on Walker's story about this aborted sailing trip he claimed to have had with Ron. He asked, "...did you call the Coast Guard about the sailing trip you took on July 9, 1996?" "...Yes," Walker said. "...You were sailing from the River Dart to Portland Bill was the plan."

"...Do you know the distance from Dartmouth to Portland Bill? Walker said, I don't know. Barton asked, for a ballpark. Walker said, I haven't the faintest idea. Interesting. Also interesting, Barton pointed out, was that there was no record of him calling the Coast Guard on the 8th, 9th, or 10th. Barton pivoted to the fact that Ron's three suitcases were filled with clothes and personal

belongings and were found in Walker's storage unit. How could Platt exist in his new life in France without his clothes? He was emigrating, claimed Walker. The prosecution's cross-examination of Albert Walker was relentless. grading, claimed Walker. Barton demolished the supposed sailing trip to Essex just in the first 20 minutes and posed to the jury that July 9th wasn't about moving a boat. It was, he argued, Walker's first botched attempt at killing Platt. From there, things only got worse for Walker. When Barton asked if Walker's adoption of Ron Platt's name was

intended to be permanent, he hesitated for a moment before answering yes. When Barton pointed out that he seemed unsure, Walker said, Some things aren't permanent, to which Barton bellowed, Sir names often are. Barton posited a simple idea of motive, that Ron Platt returning from Canada was a problem for Walker. In a highly charged exchange this afternoon, Barton pressed right to the heart of his argument. Did you not foresee the risk that he might expose you in this country, Barton asked Walker? No, Walker said. And jeopardize your money and your liberty? No. Then Barton snapped Walker. No, Walker said. And jeopardize your money and your liberty? No.

Then Barton snapped. You took the opportunity on the boat to render him unconscious, didn't you? No, I didn't, Walker said. Then quietly, Barton said. The plan took longer, but it was the work of a moment to consign him to the deep.

Walker replied, I did not murder Ron Platt. He was a friend of mine. The only thing you forgot, said Barton, was the Rolex. Barton's cross-examination of Walker was a complete disaster for the defense. In Barton's final words to the jury, he chose to praise Sheena. He said, what a job for a daughter. She came over to nail the fundamental lie that he knew where Ronald Platt was at all material times. He knew Ron was down on the dart. Just imagine the scope of the story that he could have constructed had Sheena not come

to testify. Barton then put to the jury one final thing that he thought warranted their consideration. There had been a series of unmistakable strikes of luck that had led them all here to this courtroom. The killer had forgot the Rolex. The Coppix miraculous discovery of the body. The police knocking on the wrong door. The anchor not selling at the boot sale.

Each of these carried meaning by virtue of their unlikelihood. It was as if someone or something was watching over them, guiding them to be the ones to bring this man to justice. In Scarborough, there's this fire behind our eyes. A passion in our bellies. It's in the hearts of our neighbors. The eyes of our nurses. in the hearts of our neighbors. The eyes of our nurses. And the hands of our doctors.

It's what makes Scarborough, Scarborough. In our hospitals, we do more than anyone thought possible. We've less than anyone could imagine. But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Donate at lovescarborough.ca Before sending them to deliberate, Judge Butterfield addressed the jury. He said that while the prosecution had presented a case nearly solely of circumstantial evidence,

that they should consider all these factors not in isolation, but in combination. He said, Now take your notebooks and pencils into the jury room with you, but above all, take with you your common sense and your knowledge of the world. And then for all involved, it was nail biting time. It had to be unanimous, a unanimous verdict. And I thought, oh gosh, this is going to be hard. What if one person, what if that little old deer in that corner decides that he might be innocent? The general rule in cases like this is the longer the deliberations, the better the outcome for the defense. Everybody went to the local cafe in the

courtyard there and we're all waiting and speculating. Normally in a murder case you would anticipate them being out for maybe a day, maybe a couple of days. But in this case it just took them the lunch break. And then the red light had gone on. So when they announced that the jury were returning to court, nobody was prepared for that because it was literally so quick. And we all rushed back up to the court. And I remember thinking to myself, there's only one person in the public gallery that this really, really affects.

And I thought, that's me. I said, I now really hope and pray that it's unanimous. Walker was led back upstairs from his holding cell. The tension is just, you cannot believe. Electric, absolutely electric. With everyone in their places, Walker was ordered to rise. The foreman stands up and the clerk asks, you know, have you got to a verdict that you're all agreed on? Yes, we have.

And the clerk asks, how did you find the defendant, Albert Johnson Walker, guilty or not guilty? Guilty. And there's just audible gasps all around the room. You can physically feel the intakes of breath around the room and a wave of just huge relief. Two years of diligent police work, two hours of deliberation. It was the biggest victory some of these officers would ever be a part of. And then it's like kind of evidence crossed and then the foreman says guilty and that's it.

Yeah. You can't whoop and holler can you? But you can inside. They all British stiff upper lip and all, isn't it? But yeah, we didn't get a party that night. We weren't going to let that go without a party. At the end of everything, Judge Butterfield addressed Walker directly. You are convicted of murder.

It was in my judgment a callous premeditated killing designed to have eliminated a man you used for your own selfish means. He became an inconvenience and then a threat to your continued freedom. He was expendable and a danger to you, and he had to die. The killing was carefully planned and cunningly executed with chilling efficiency. You covered your tracks so effectively that only the merest chance led to any suspicion falling upon you. You are plausible, intelligent, and ruthless,

posing a considerable threat to anyone who stands in your way. You may go down. I remember looking at him and thought, he just looked like a lost little boy. He looked like a naughty little boy that was in the corner being told off. He didn't look as arrogant as he had done through the trial. So that was that was a good moment. Yeah. Yeah, it was.

What a relief. Can you imagine what it would have felt like if he'd have got away with it? The Platt's former girlfriend, Elaine Boyce, could not contain her delight at the verdict. I feel really happy that the juries come to the correct decision. And they really have. Elaine strode out of the courthouse toward the cameras, a caricature of joy. Sheena left the trial and country the same way she had entered them, undetected. She was whisked away, and thus her public life had concluded. There's no trace of Sheena Walker for those trying to find her.

And her ability to remove herself and her children from the public eye so thoroughly is something I consider to be a success story. In her teenage years, she was untraceable, thoroughly erased and reinvented by her father. And when she came out the other side, it seems, she was able to fly under the radar just as effectively, but this time perhaps, to protect her own children. And I have a great deal of respect for that. How poetic that in the end, it was the women in his life. The women he had targeted, bullied,

manipulated, coerced and taken advantage of in every way possible. It was them and the courage of their testimony that undid him. Nothing prepares you then for the next part, which is the enormity of the media coverage. Soon as that guilty verdict comes in, then the story just goes huge. The following morning, it was front page of every national newspaper. For the police in Devon and Essex who had lived and breathed this case, it was a career defining win. And it was justice for Ronald Platt. When you think about it logically, how we've got from there to there is unbelievable, unbelievable.

And it truly is. If you really think about it, you just think, how did we do that? And I keep going on about luck, but you know, yeah, everything we touch turns to gold. I'm not someone who believes in things like luck or fate or the hand of God, but maybe I just needed to hear the right story. I genuinely think Walker could have literally got away with murder. There was an element of luck on our side. I've always said that you create your own luck. Mike Curie, Author, The New York Times Albert Walker was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for the first 25 years, the most severe possible punishment.

It was unequivocal justice for Ron Platt and those who knew and loved him. How do I want him to be remembered? As the kind and compassionate person that he was, he was very kind and very compassionate. And he was the perfect gentleman, unlike Albert Walker, of course, he was the perfect gentleman and he was always a gentleman. A very gentle soul, didn't deserve to have his life taken like this.

Yeah. I don't know why, but quite often the people that get murdered are the good, the kind, the generous, the... And yet I just don't understand it. I can't get my head around it. I can't get my head why people kill other people when they're gentle souls. Just can't get my head around it. I don't suppose they ever will really.

So in 2023, when we embarked on making this series and we began our research, we learned that Walker was not only still alive, but that a couple months earlier, he was granted day parole somewhere in Canada. We tried to arrange an interview with him, but were rejected every which way, and I get why. He once gave a CTV journalist an interview from behind bars in 1998, one that didn't end well for him. It's also the only recording of his voice that we have. The victims of his crimes were so appalled by his apparent lack of remorse in the interview that they mobilized to write victim impact letters to the parole board pointing to his ongoing lack of accountability.

So he wouldn't talk to us. But when someone applies for parole, whether they're granted it or not, all board decisions are publicly accessible. And in the case of Albert Walker, I was shocked by how much one can glean through reading them. After serving his first eight years in England, Albert was transferred to the Canadian Penitentiary System in 2005, where the paperwork describes him mostly

as an exemplary inmate. He was transferred to minimum security in 2017, where he participates in a seniors group and Bible study. He was once written up for contraband for having a pack of cigarettes, and one time he was reprimanded for helping his peers fill out their tax forms, which he is not allowed to do for obvious reasons. Walker is described as being an active participant in the rehabilitative programming on the inside,

where he was taught to recognize his possible risk factors of re-offense. Things like having access to large sums of money, bad. Or losing his religious faith, bad. In these programs, Walker was also taught to watch out for quote, thinking errors that had plagued him in the past. Namely, these three. Everyone does it. I won't get caught. And I deserve this. All in all, though, reading through the details

of his engagement and good behavior, it's not surprising that he was granted day parole in June 2023. A fact that we relayed to Ron Platts, one surviving family member, his little brother, Jeff. Where is he now? Because I've lost track of him. So he, as of August last year, is now on day parole in Canada. Wow. So yeah, so that's coming to an unsatisfactory end. Many of the folks we talked to were disappointed to hear about Walker's day-per-all. But then, a few months later, we learned that his day-per-all was revoked for a very simple

reason. The man cannot stop lying. Of great concern to the board, reads the decision, is that you continue to misrepresent your criminal behavior. Walker was caught downplaying the severity of his fraud offenses. In conversation, he'd characterize Walker Financial mainly as a legitimate business venture that simply didn't work out. But that wasn't all.

He was also caught trying to lead a church service while the chaplain was on leave. And concerningly, the decision goes on to say, your case management team noted concerns that you were asking others to refer to you as David, one of your aliases you used in the UK. You also continue to claim that contrary to the evidence presented at your trial, that the victim of the murder first attacked you. Even 26 years after his conviction, for the man who could convince anyone of anything, when it comes to convincing a parole board that he takes accountability for his actions, he can't. He cannot. And there's a reason why. The language in the parole decision says that he has,

quote, long longstanding personality features that are unlikely to ever completely go away. Personality features like a marked lack of empathy and a propensity to be manipulative. But to really understand why, after all these years, Walker still can't own what he did. I turn to the person who perhaps knew him best, Sheena. In the only TV interview she ever gave to CTV News in 2005, Sheena said this of her father. I think that he's evil. And I know a lot of people would describe him as a sociopath or

a cult artist, but for me personally, I think he's evil. Albert Walker is 79 years old. He is still behind bars. Behind Bars. Sea of Lies is produced by What's the Story Sounds for CBC. It's hosted and written by me, Sam Mullins, and produced and reported by Alex Gaettenby. Mixing and sound design is by Ivan Eastley. From What's the Story Sounds, our executive producers are David Waters and Darryl Brown. At CBC Podcasts, Emily Kanell is our digital coordinating producer.

Eunice Kim is our story editor. Our senior producers are Andrew Friesen and Damon Fairless. Our cross-promo producer is Amanda Cox. Our video producers are Evan Agard, Tamina Aziz, and John Lee. Our podcast artwork was designed by Good Tape Studio. Special thanks to the CBC Reference Library. And special thanks to Rachel Heinrichs. The executive producers are Cecil Fernandez and Chris Oak.

Senior manager is Tanya Springer, Arif Nurani is the director, and Leslie Merklinger is the executive director of CBC podcasts. Uncover will be back with an all-new season next month. Between now and then, consider listening to one of the many excellent seasons that came before Sea of Lies. My personal favourite is The Village, which is season three. In it, host Justin Ling explores the numerous cases of missing and murdered men in Toronto's gay community

dating back to the 1970s. I've asked other former Uncover hosts about their favorite seasons. Click on the link in this episode's show notes to see what they have to say and to find your next listen.