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
12x05 - Quite a Spectacle
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Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.
Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.