12x05 - Quite a Spectacle

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: it was one of the

Strangest cases in canadian

History.

A squashed piece of fruit and a

Tiny, pinpoint reflection in a

Picture was the only evidence.

But was it enough to catch a

But was it enough to catch a k*ller?

k*ller?

On june , , there was a

Thunderstorm in

Collingwood, ontario.

But the rain didn't stop

-Year-old debbie timlock from

Venturing out that night.

She was a pretty, vivacious

Woman that loved to ski.

And I had a sailboat in the

Harbor.

She liked to sail and she liked

People.

Narrator: debbie, a single

Mother, left her -year-old

Daughter, lacey, at her parents'

Home for the night.

Debbie and a few of her

Friends went to a local

Restaurant where they visited

With each other, and it was

Later in the evening when debbie

And her friends said goodbye to

Each other in the parking lot.

Narrator: her friends said

Debbie left alone and,

Presumably, went straight home.

At : in the morning, however,

She phoned police to report she

Had been att*cked.

She indicated she had been

Assaulted.

I don't believe she was in total

Understanding of what had

Occurred.

She was struggling to stay

Conscious.

Narrator: but by the time

Police arrived, it was too late.

When I entered through the

Door of the apartment, I could

See that there was an unclothed,

Female body laying on her back

Next to the couch.

Beside her left arm, which

Was outstretched, was the

Handset of a telephone.

There was a great deal of blood

On the floor.

It was, like, something like

This couldn't happen, you know?

It's just a small town.

And why, you know?

Narrator: investigators

Followed the trail of blood

Through the hallway and found a

Pair of metal-frame eyeglasses

And a woman's shoe...

Both covered in blood.

Upon entering

Debbie timlock's bedroom, we

Noticed blood on the water bed,

Blood on different articles of

Clothing and sheets, as well as

A comforter, that were either on

The bed or on the floor.

There was also bloodstains and

Some bloodspatter on a headboard

Of the bed.

Narrator: investigators also

Found evidence of activity in

The kitchen.

The kitchen was disheveled.

It appeared the entry was

Through the kitchen window,

Which was a ground-level

Apartment.

There had been some disturbing

Of dishes, and that type of

Thing, that had been in the

Kitchen sink.

Narrator: outside the kitchen

Window was an area partially

Hidden behind some greenery.

On the ground, investigators

Noticed a tomato.

Debbie timlock had a tomato

On her windowsill, ripening.

And the tomato had likely been

Dragged out onto the ground when

The suspect had pulled the

Blinds over the window.

When we noticed the tomato,

It was quite obvious there was a

Partial footwear impression on

The tomato itself.

Narrator: they photographed

The tomato, then put it in

Debbie's refrigerator to

Preserve it.

Police found no foreign

Fingerprints in the apartment,

And there were no valuables

Missing.

So investigators had to ask --

Who would have wanted debbie

Dead?

That question produced a few

Troubling answers.

Narrator: at debbie timlock's

Autopsy, the medical examiner

Found she had been sexually

Assaulted and stabbed to death.

She d*ed of a s*ab wound to

The heart.

He also found that there was a

s*ab wound to the back, which

Penetrated her spinal cord.

Narrator: the pathologist

Concluded that debbie was

Paralyzed from the waist down

When she crawled to the

Telephone to call police.

I believe when debbie is told

By the ambulance, "help is on

The way," she responds, "thank

You," and I believe at that

Point, she d*ed.

Narrator: in a search for

Debbie's k*ller, investigators

Found a possible lead.

Fours years earlier, debbie

Lived with a man named

Ron osbourne, who had been

Involved in a drug-smuggling

Ring.

In , persons were

Investigated for attempting to

Smuggle dr*gs from the

United states into canada.

Narrator: authorities had

Evidence that osbourne

Transported illegal dr*gs in a

Boat from jamaica to florida.

At osbourne's trial, debbie

Reluctantly testified against

Him.

Debbie testified that

Ron osbourne had told her that

He had been on a boat for a

Two-month period.

This boat is the one that was

Subsequently found to have

Storage compartments where the

dr*gs had been stored.

Narrator: osbourne was in

Prison at the time of debbie's

m*rder, but investigators

Checked to see whether any of

The other defendants might have

k*lled her.

Transcripts of the

Drug-smuggling case were

Reviewed, along with interviews

Of the investigating officers,

To determine where all the

Players actually were and how

The entire investigation

Unfolded.

Narrator: detectives

Concluded there was no

Connection to debbie's m*rder.

To us, it made no sense that

A small player like

Debbie timlock would be m*rder*d

In this drug investigation

Because she really had very

Little to do with it.

Narrator: as a matter of

Routine, police also interviewed

Debbie's ex-husband.

The couple had been divorced for

Four years and shared custody of

-Year-old lacey.

He was a good guy, and it

Just happens that they don't --

You know, some people just don't

Get along together.

It was an amiable divorce.

Both parties had got on with

Their lives and gone in

Different directions.

And the ex-husband of debbie was

Alibied up -- he wasn't home

That night.

Narrator: so investigators

Focused on the evidence left at

The scene -- the pair of

Eyeglasses and the tomato with

The foot impression.

We knew right away that we

Had a pattern in the tomato, and

We knew right away that it was a

Herringbone pattern.

Narrator: when the film was

Developed and analyzed, the

Flash in the photo created

Distinct shadows.

We could see that, along with

The herringbone pattern, was a

Second pattern or more detail

Than we had first been able to

See, which was an "s" shape that

Came through the herringbone

Pattern.

Narrator: next, investigators

Analyzed the eyeglasses.

They found debbie's blood on the

Glasses, which told a story.

Both of the arms were folded,

Which, to us, we believe, had

Fallen out of someone's pocket.

Debbie had dragged herself to

The phone from the bedroom, and

Had actually dragged herself

Over those glasses.

Narrator: since debbie didn't

Wear glasses, investigators

Assumed they belonged to the

k*ller.

The pair was inexpensive, and

The lenses didn't fit properly

In the frame.

The lens itself didn't

Exactly match the contour of the

Metal piece at the top, so

Creating sort of a gap in the

Appearance of the lenses.

Narrator: it was clear they'd

Been worn for some time.

And there was a size discrepancy

Between the two lenses.

It was as if a portion of the

Lens had been ground off, so

That they just weren't the same

Shape, which is highly unusual.

Narrator: then, investigators

Got an important lead.

They learned that debbie's

Former next-door neighbor was

-Year-old james brown, a

Onetime olympic hopeful.

Brown had had some success in

The sport of wrestling, and had

Actually been to japan, where

He'd hoped to further that and

Maybe have a sh*t at an olympic

Spot on the team.

Narrator: debbie told friends

That brown had made advances

Towards her.

He did have a criminal

Record.

He had been convicted of a

Number of offenses in the past,

Mainly for assaults, thefts, and

Break and enters.

That is why brown came on the

Radar screen quite rapidly.

He had done some time in jail,

But never more than three

Months.

Narrator: when questioned,

Brown denied any involvement in

Debbie's m*rder and said he was

Out of town on the night of the

Crime.

He indicated that he had been

At a hotel, where he was

Assaulted by persons unknown,

And as a result of that, he went

To the ground and he woke up on

The side of the road several

Miles away.

Narrator: brown had scratches

On his face, which he said came

From the as*ault.

Given his size, detectives were

Skeptical of his story.

He was a man some '" in

Height, large structure -- about

-Some pounds -- wide

Shoulders, extremely wide fists.

Narrator: and detectives

Noticed something else.

In his mug sh*ts from a previous

Arrest, brown was wearing

Glasses.

Narrator: the prime suspect

In debbie timlock's m*rder was

Her former next-door neighbor, a

Convicted criminal, jim brown.

During questioning, he wasn't

Wearing glasses, although he

Admitted owning a pair for

Reading, but claimed he lost

Them.

This gave detectives an

Opportunity to tie brown to the

Glasses found at the m*rder

Site.

They removed debbie's blood from

The glasses, and had an officer

Pose as a nurse and offer them

Pose as a nurse and offer them to brown.

To brown.

Jim smelled a rat.

He looked at the glasses, said

They were not his.

It doesn't mean they're not his.

It just means that we haven't

Got that connectivity yet.

Narrator: police searched

Brown's apartment and his car.

We found a pair of

Blue-canvas running shoes on the

Floor of the rear, right

Passenger side of the vehicle.

We believe they were

Manufactured in czechoslovakia

And were actually purchased by

The ontario government and were

Provided to inmates in the

Provincial system, who were

Doing time.

Narrator: they also appeared

To have the same distinctive

Tread pattern as the print on

The tomato outside debbie's

Window.

There was a specific part of

A design, which I'll refer to

Here as either an "s" shape or a

Stylized "", that became very

Apparent in the photograph.

That really piqued my interest.

Narrator: but forensic

Investigator gerry webb had a

Problem.

He needed to know if the weight

Of a -pound man created a

Different kind of shoe

Impression on a tomato, than one

You'd get by copying the shoe

Impression on paper or a

Transparency.

So webb designed an experiment.

I had a person that wore

Size- shoes put on a b*mb

Suit, and I added weights to the

b*mb suit in trying to increase

The weight of this person to be

More close to the weight of the

Suspect in this case, jim brown.

Narrator: webb sprayed water

On tomatoes to simulate the

Rainstorm on the night of the

m*rder, then had his -pound

Model step on each one, wearing

The suspect's shoes.

Webb discovered that the test

Impression on the tomato was

Virtually the same as the one

Taken directly from the shoe and

The photo taken at the crime

Scene.

I was able to take those two

Overlays and put them overtop of

A photograph of the tomato

Itself and be able to

Illustrate that, in fact, the

Pattern matched up on the tomato

Impression.

Narrator: although the size

Of brown's shoe and the tread

Pattern was the same as the shoe

Impression left at the crime

Scene, there was no way to tell

If this was the actual shoe.

The impression on the tomato

Could've been made by the left

Shoe of jim brown, or it

Could've been made by another

Left shoe that had the same

Specific design and size.

Narrator: since the shoes

Were prison-issued, they were

Unusual, although not uncommon.

I feel that we need much more

Evidence to convict the person

Responsible for debbie timlock's

Senseless m*rder.

Narrator: so they turned to

The eyeglasses found at the

Crime scene.

Dr. Graham strong, a professor

Of optometry at

Waterloo university, was asked

To determine whether the

Crime-scene glasses were the

Same as those worn by jim brown

In a police mug sh*t taken

Several years earlier.

The problem that we had with the

Mug sh*ts is that they really

Weren't a frontal mug sh*t.

He was angled relative to the

Plane of the film.

Narrator: to solve the

Problem, dr. Strong mounted the

Glasses on a styrofoam head and

Tried to approximate the angle

In the mug sh*ts.

We didn't get it quite right.

It was compelling, but it didn't

Rise to a level that was

Significant in our mind.

Narrator: then, dr. Strong

Enlarged the mug-sh*t

Photographs and noticed

Something important...

Tiny, white dots -- reflections

From the photographer's flash in

Brown's corneas.

You actually use the

Reflection from the front

Surface of the eye to make a

Very standard measurement when

You make a pair of glasses --

Namely, the distance between the

Two eyes, so that what you do is

You measure the difference

Between the reflection from the

Right eye to the left eye, and

That's the interpupillary

Distance.

Narrator: from medical

Records, dr. Strong knew that

The distance between brown's

Pupils was millimeters.

So now he had a scale by which

He could measure the exact size

Of the frames and the lenses for

Comparison to the glasses from

The crime scene.

We're getting -odd

Identical measurements and

Observations related to the

Glasses, so there's a bit of a

Eureka moment when that happens.

Bottom line was the glasses in

Evidence belonged to the

Accused, and, in fact, were the

Ones that were worn in both of

The mug sh*ts that we analyzed.

We believe we have brown's

Glasses, covered with blood, in

Debbie's apartment.

Narrator: but if that were

True, why were the frames in the

Mug sh*ts gold, and the frames

Analyzed by the expert brown?

Narrator: after thousands of

Hours of police and forensic

Investigation, prosecutors now

Knew what happened in

Debbie timlock's apartment on

The night she was m*rder*d.

[ Thunder crashes ]

It was a very warm night, and

The evidence shows that when

Debbie returned from an evening

With friends, she opened the

Kitchen window to help cool her

Apartment.

Then she went to sleep.

[ Thunder crashes ]

It was a ground-floor apartment.

The kitchen window was low.

The motive was unclear, but the

Evidence shows james brown

Entered debbie's apartment and

Knocked the tomato off the

Windowsill, then stepped on it,

Leaving the impression of his

Prison shoes.

Brown att*cked debbie in the

Bedroom, assaulted her, stabbed

Her twice with a Kn*fe, and left

Her for dead.

On his way out, he dropped his

Glasses in the hallway.

Debbie, most likely paralyzed

From the waist down from the

s*ab wound, crawled over those

Glasses on her way to call

Police.

She d*ed before she could

Identify her attacker...

But her blood on brown's glasses

Did it for her.

[ Thunder crashes ]

I believe debbie d*ed on the

Telephone, knowing she had done

Her job.

I recall the day that

Dr. Strong came to our office in

Berry like it was yesterday.

This was months after the

Initial investigation.

It was a piece of evidence that

Was individual, and it truly was

A high-five, yahoo moment...

Because now we were able to

Speak for debbie timlock.

Yeah, I was surprised at what

They came up with -- so

Involved.

It was so many little clues to

Have it together and put

Together a case.

Narrator: the final hurdle

For prosecutors was to explain

Why jim brown's glasses were

Gold in the mug sh*ts, but dark

Brown when shown to the jury.

A decision had been made by

The investigators to deliver

Jim brown's glasses to him at

The jail.

Prior to doing that, they wanted

Them cleaned of the blood that

Was on them.

The glasses were photographed in

The studio.

They were then cleaned of the

Blood, and in that process of

Cleaning the blood, part of the

Laminate from the temples of the

Glasses was rubbed off.

Narrator: in january of ,

Two and a half years after

Debbie timlock was k*lled,

James brown went on trial for

m*rder.

The trial lasted two and a half

Weeks, and relied on the

Shoeprint left on a tomato, and

Mathematical calculations from

The reflection of a flashbulb.

The jury deliberated for six

Hours and came back with a

Finding of first-degree m*rder.

In canada, a first-degree-m*rder

Conviction carries an a*t*matic

Life sentence, with no chance of

Parole for years.

Narrator: this case ranks

Among the most unusual in

Forensic history.

It was unique, in fact, to

This day, and I've been policing

Now for years and years in

The forensic business.

I've never before or never again

Had an impression in a tomato.

It was amazing how

Dr. Strong, based on a grainy

Mug sh*t of not-great quality,

Was able to determine all the

Nuances of these glasses and

Able to mathematically determine

The chances of being another

Pair like that in this world.

When I first entered into the

Forensics field, I attended

Coroner's court in toronto.

And there is a sign that is on

Their wall that says that "we

Speak for the dead."

I've made that my motto over the

Last years, recognizing that

That crime scene is now the