True Cases

Tough Crimes is a collection of thoughtful and insightful stories by twenty of Canada's most prominent criminal lawyers. In the book, they write about cases that had surprising turns, or that presented personal or ethical challenges. We've all heard the media's take on notorious criminals, but when have we had a chance to hear directly from the lawyers who defended or prosecuted them? We've all lamented the fate of a person who we think was wrongfully accused, but who better to explain what happened than his or her counsel who was there for the client every step of the way. In Tough Crimes, Edward Greenspan writes on a miscarriage of justice; Richard Wolson and Marilyn Sandford on the wrongfully convicted; Earl Levy on the Toronto Shoeshine Boy murder; Peter Martin on a study of evil; John Rosen on defending Paul Bernardo; Fred Ferguson on child abuse; William Smart on a "Mr. Big" sting; Richard Peck on Air India; Noel O'Brien on corpora delict; Joel Pink on the Antigonish Beech Hill murders; Brian Beresh and Patrick Fagan on reasonable doubt; Mark Brayford on Robert Latimer; Marie Henein on the wrongfully charged; C.D. Evans on weighing moralities; William Trudell on the Walkerton water treatment disaster; forensic psychologist Thomas Dalby on the Taber school shootings; John Vertes on aboriginal justice; and Hersh Wolch on a young prosecutor's trial by fire.

SHRUNK: Crime and Disorders of the Mind is a collection of powerful stories by international forensic psychologists and psychiatrists who write about the many complex mental health issues they face and the care involved in dealing with them. Unlike any other book within the genre of True Crime, Shrunk forms a unique bridge between mental health and law. Chapters focus on cases where judges and juries call upon the opinions of forensic experts when dealing with the mentally disordered criminally accused. Edited by scholar Dr. Lorene Shyba and psychologist Dr. J. Thomas Dalby, with a foreword by Dr. Lisa Ramshaw, Shrunk is, written and edited, to appeal to medical and legal professionals, students of medicine, psychology, and law, and the interested general-public.

“More Tough Crimes” provides a unique window into the world of criminal justice. These stories are 'tough crimes' because of the emotional demands put on the judges and lawyers involved. Many cases in the book are recent, but some from the past were so disturbing that even decades later, they resonate in the public consciousness.

Women in Criminal Justice is Book Four in the Durvile True Cases Series and in it, Canadian women judges and criminal lawyers tell of cases that they have found particularly challenging. Some were disquieting/perplexing or had surprising turns, many are high-profile, and many continue to have interesting social or personal effect. Unique to this book, are distinctly women's perspectives, and many chapters deal with sexual assault, Indigenous, child protection and motherhood, mental health, LGBTQ+, immigration, terrorism, and other vitally pertinent issues of the decade. Royalties go to Indigenous youth writing and filmmaking workshops through the NWT Literacy Council.

The two murder trials held in Toronto in the spring of 1962 only nineteen days apart made Canadian social and legal history. The accused man in each trial, one a pimp who stabbed to death a fellow pimp, the other a thief who killed a policeman in a shootout, were the last two men to be hanged in Canada. In personal terms, for a Toronto criminal lawyer named Ross Mackay, the trials represented just two more episodes in a tumultuous life story. Mackay was the counsel for the accused in both trials, a mere thirty years old when he lost two clients to the gallows. But the trials were far from the last times that Mackay defended accused murderers in the most horrendous circumstances. It's the story of Mackay's dedication to the maxim that every man is entitled to a defence that Jack Batten tells in this book, a story that emerges in all its colour, drama and tragedy, a story of Mackay's courage and the harsh penalties he paid for the often daring and controversial choices he made in life and in the courtroom.

Go Ahead and Shoot Me is a collection of stories written and edited by former probation officer Doug Heckbert about real people who have been convicted of real crimes and who have been on probation, on parole, or in prison. The title story is of a woman who shot her husband upon his insistence and who, like many other subjects in the book, have come to see their offences as being "pretty stupid." Some stories might be described as ordinary crimes and some are stunningly extraordinary, but all stories show the human side of criminals that Heckbert worked with and came to know, not just the nature of the crimes they committed. By getting inside glimpses of offender's backstories, motivations, and personalities, Go Ahead and Shoot Me shows there is much more to an offender than their criminal behavior. Says Heckbert, "I have always been guided by the mantra, "The criminal is not the crime."

Acts of Darkness exposes the many faces of crime, and the many faces of injustice. Some acts of darkness are brutal and unmistakable: murder, drug wars, and violence behind prison walls. Others are more calculated: fraud, betrayal, corruption, and abuse of power. And some unfold quietly, in courtrooms, in boardrooms, or deep inside Canada?s justice system, where wrongful convictions, systemic neglect, and indifference can be just as devastating. From the chilling crimes of Paul Bernardo and the unrepentant violence of Michael McGray, to the calculated schemes of Edwin Alonzo Boyd, Helmuth Buxbaum, and Gilbert Galvan, this collection unravels the lives of some of Canada?s most notorious offenders. With unflinching detail, Acts of Darkness exposes the cracks in our legal and correctional systems, forcing readers to confront unsettling questions about justice, morality, and the true cost of punishment. A must-read for true crime enthusiasts seeking chilling insights into justice and morality. "Thoughtful and provocative. John Hill lifts the veil on the world inside the walls of Canada's Prison and Justice systems based on his knowledge and personal experience. As a journalist who covered this area for almost 20 years, I can says that this book paints an accurate picture of the brutality of life on the inside. It also shows the legal and systemic barriers many prisoners face in trying to "do their time" and return to society. An important read for Canadians who pay billions of dollars for a system that often lacks true accountability." -Maureen Brosnahan Senior National Correspondent CBC News "Hill has practiced and taught criminal and correctional law for forty years, and the book is divided into some of his standout cases – the bulk of them from the 1990s, which include stories of notorious criminals, wrongful convictions, and oft precedent-setting decisions. Hill is a measured, straightforward writer who includes a lot of legal details and mentions of paperwork, perhaps an honest reflection of the bulk of a rel attorney's job (versus the network TV version)." -Eve Thomas, Montreal Review of Books Foreword, Salvatore Caramanna Velvet-Glove Persuasion ix Preface Examining the Underbelly 1 1. Vito Buffone and Jeffrey Kompon Collateral Damage in the Pursuit of Justice 5 2. Ray Rueger Twist of the Knife 57 3. Matthew Michel, Johnny Stavrou, and Dennis Edgar Torturous Treatment 73 4. Bogiatzis, Christoldolou, Cusato, and Churchill Satan's Choice 83 5. Jason Cofell Stark Acts of Vigilante Justice 91 6. Mary Dawson Dubious Tenure at Kingston Penitentiary 111 7. David Miclash Con Code and Tyranny of Silence 127 8. Michael McGray Serial Killer in Plain View 139 9. Brian Donald Hickey Losing Control 151 10. Buxbaum, Greenspan, and Martin Pharoahs 159 11. Edwin Alonzo Boyd and Gilbert Galvan Bandits 179 12. Martin, Simpson, LaKing, and Carriere Gladiators 193 13. Paul Bernardo Open and Honest Inmate Expression 221 14. Robert Wilson (Rosie) Rowbotham Cheech and Chong Moments 237 15. George Lovie Nothing But Fear Itself 259 Epilogue 265 Acknowledgement In Memorium 269

Rough & Messy Justice vividly portrays Alberta's Crowsnest Pass of 1920, a rugged Rocky Mountain region shaped by its mining economy and diverse culture. An armed CPR train robbery spirals into a deadly shootout at the Bellevue Café, where police clash with Russian outlaws fresh from Montana's mines. A surviving bandit escapes, triggering a relentless manhunt. When captured, his trial becomes a spectacle marred by overt racism in the press, law enforcement cover-ups, and a judge and jury riddled with bias. With a weak defence lawyer, unreliable witnesses, and critical legal missteps, the proceedings lead to a tragic execution. This gripping true crime account exposes systemic corruption, racial prejudice, and the fatal flaws in Canada's early justice system. By confronting these injustices, Rough & Messy Justice challenges assumptions about fairness and equality under the law, offering an exploration of historical crime and consequence. "The Wild West, reminiscent of a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid escapade....Thoroughly researched and well-written, Rough & Messy Justice is an engaging and intriguing read about a judicial system vastly different from today's criminal justice." Hon. Peter W.L. Martin, Justice (Ret.) Alberta Court of Appeal