- Mark Twitchell
-
Mark Twitchell 
Arrest photograph of Mark Twitchell taken by Edmonton police on Oct. 31, 2008.Born July 4, 1979
Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaConviction(s) First degree murder Penalty 25 years to life imprisonment Status Imprisoned Mark Twitchell (born 4 July 1979 in Edmonton, Alberta[1]), is a Canadian who was convicted of first degree murder in the death of Johnny Altinger.[2] His trial attracted substantial media attention due to the fact that Twitchell was inspired by the character Dexter Morgan,[3] of the Dexter television series, a forensic bloodstain pattern analyst for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer.
Contents
Background
Twitchell was an aspiring filmmaker in the fall of 2008.[1] In September 2008 he shot a short horror film at a garage he rented in the south end of Edmonton.
Murder
Johnny Altinger was a 38 year old male who worked at an oilfield equipment manufacturer at the time of his disappearance.[4] He informed his friends that he was meeting a woman he had met on the online dating website plentyoffish.com. His friends became concerned when they received strange emails from Altinger, explaining that he had met a woman who was taking him on a long vacation to Costa Rica.[5] Altinger's boss received a resignation letter by email, but never got a response to his request for a forwarding address for Altinger's final paycheque.[6] After growing more and more suspicious, several of Altinger's friends broke into his condo only to find his passport and luggage.[7] A homicide investigation was soon launched by the Edmonton Police Service.
Trial
The key piece of evidence presented by the Crown at Twitchell's first degree murder trial was a document, entitled "SKConfessions" [8] where the SK stood for Serial Killer, which was recovered from Twitchell's laptop despite being deleted. The document begins with the passage:
"This story is based on true events. The names and events were altered slightly to protect the guilty. This is the story of my progression into becoming a serial killer."[8]
It goes on to describe in detail the author's extensive planning, failed first attempt, and successful second attempt at murdering a man by luring him to his garage using fake online dating profiles. It also describes the process of dismembering the victim's body and his numerous attempts to dispose of the remains. During his trial, Twitchell admitted to killing Altinger and authoring the document. However, he contended that he acted in self defense and that much of the document was a fictionalization of the events. He claimed that the mindset of the author, which portrayed the killing as deliberate and intentional, was sensationalized in an attempt to make a more compelling novel.[7]
Attempted Murder
Twitchell, convicted of first degree murder in the online luring death of Johnny Altinger, still faced an attempted murder charge for his alleged attack on Gilles Tetreault.[9] Tetreault testified that he was lured off the website plentyoffish.com expecting a date with a woman, only to be attacked by a man in a mask with a stun baton when he arrived at a garage rented by Twitchell. Crown prosecutors had not immediately decided if they would pursue the charge of attempted murder upon securing a conviction of first degree murder. But a conviction of attempted murder would not add to the life sentence Twitchell had already received.[10]
On June 17, 2011, an attempted murder charge against convicted killer Mark Twitchell was stayed in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta. Crown prosecutors have one year to resurrect the charge, which was laid for an alleged attack by Twitchell on Edmontonian Gilles Tetreault almost three years ago.[11]
Media Controversy
Extensive media coverage of the case created debate both inside and outside of the courtroom with observers arguing in favour and against the media reporting on "sensational" details of the crime.[12]
Prior to the criminal trial taking place, Crown prosecutors and the defence also sought vast publication bans and sealing orders over the police evidence, preventing the media from reporting on the details of the case until the jury would hear it during the future trial.[13] The media fought the application, but the judge eventually agreed to both a sealing order and publication ban, stating in his ruling that "there is a real risk that pre-trial publicity will undermine the accused's constitutionally protected right to a fair trial."[13]
The jury pool was then polled through a "challenge for cause" procedure to determine if a potential juror had been influenced by extensive media coverage prior to the publication bans taking effect.[13] When the bans were lifted, a substantial media presence attended and reported on the trial, including American television programs Dateline NBC and CBS 48 Hours Mystery.[12] A forthcoming true crime book is also in the works by journalist and author Steve Lillebuen.[14][15]
After his first degree murder conviction, Twitchell used the extensive media coverage of his case as grounds for an appeal. He argued in his notice of appeal that "the media attention surrounding my case was so extensive, so blatant and so overtly sensationalized that it is unreasonable to expect any unsequestered jury to have remained uninfluenced by it, regardless of judges instructions in the charge."[16] The result of his appeal has not yet been decided.
References
- ^ a b Bennett, Dean (2011-03-27). "Accused killer Mark Twitchell had big dreams of making blockbuster movies". The Canadian Press. http://www.680news.com/news/national/article/203540--accused-killer-mark-twitchell-had-big-dreams-of-making-blockbuster-movies. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ Wingrove, Josh (2011-04-12). "Jury finds Edmonton filmmaker guilty of murder". Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/mark-twitchell-convicted-of-murder/article1982267/. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ "Family of dismembered victim of Mark Twitchell says trial evidence hard to bear". The Canadian Press. 2011-04-08. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/family-of-dismembered-victim-of-mark-twitchell-says-trial-evidence-hard-to-bear-119460659.html. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ "Bio - Johnny Brian Altinger". Edmonton Journal. 2011-03-16. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/Johnny+Brian+Altinger/4450724/story.html. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ Blais, Tony (2011-03-23). "http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/2011/03/22/17719841.html". Edmonton Sun. http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/2011/03/22/17719841.html. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ "Read: Altinger’s e-mails before and after his disappearance". Edmonton Journal. 2011-03-23. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Read+Altinger+mails+before+after+disappearance/4487086/story.html. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ a b Zabjek, Alexandra (2011-03-23). "Victim's friend uneasy about mysterious blind date". Edmonton Journal. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/story_print.html?id=4488431&sponsor=. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ a b "Read: Document from Mark Twitchell's laptop". Edmonton Journal. 2011-03-29. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Deleted+file+Twitchell+laptop/4518062/story.html. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ^ "Bio - Gilles Tetreault". Edmonton Journal. 2011-04-02. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Gilles+Tetreault/4549715/story.html. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ "Twitchell in prison but may be back in court". Edmonton Journal. 2011-04-14. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Twitchell+prison+back+court/4612696/story.html. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ "Killer Mark Twitchell won’t face trial on attempted-murder charge". Edmonton Journal. 2011-06-17. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Killer+Mark+Twitchell+face+trial+attempted+murder+charge/4964749/story.html. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
- ^ a b McConnell, Rick. "Sensationalism stirs up storm of debate". Edmonton Journal. http://www2.canada.com/news/sensationalism+stirs+storm+debate/4552039/story.html?id=4552039. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ a b c Justice Clackson, T D. "Reasons for Judgment, Application for a Ban on Publication and Sealing Order". R. v. Twitchell. Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. http://canlii.ca/s/6k5c4. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Cummings, Jeff. "More shocking details in Twitchell book: Author". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/04/14/17988601.html. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Morrison, Keith (2011-09-30). "Deadly House of Cards". Dateline NBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/vp/44557423#44557423. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Convicted murderer Twitchell files appeal". CBC Edmonton. 2011-05-10. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2011/05/10/edmonton-twitchell-appeals-murder.html. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
Categories:- People from Edmonton
- 1979 births
- Living people
- Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Canada
- Canadian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
- Canadian people convicted of murder
- People convicted of murder by Canada
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
