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Wilfred
Hathway | Hathway letter from
remand | Robert Stewart: has
a publication ban helped keep this man in Collins Bay, Kingston
for 9 years after an unfair trial? | July
2005: Press on Hathway prelim
Preliminary hearing set
in Crawford murder
StarPhoenix. Saskatoon,
Sask.: Jun 5, 2004.
A preliminary hearing has been
scheduled in the first-degree murder case of a former city resident
accused of killing his elderly Saskatoon landlord in 1998.
Wilfred Gordon Hathway, 45,
was arrested by Kamloops RCMP in early May.
On May 13, 1998, 84-year-old Denver Bruce Crawford was found
stabbed to death in his suite at 323 Ninth St. East. Crawford
lived on the main floor of the home, and had tenants on the second
and third levels.
Hathway was a tenant and reported
finding Crawford's body. He became a suspect during the investigation
but police only recently determined there was enough evidence
to proceed with charges.
Man appears in court
on murder charge
StarPhoenix Saskatoon,
Sask.:May 14, 2004
A British Columbia man accused
of killing a local senior in 1998 made his first Saskatoon court
appearance on Thursday morning.
Wilfred Gordon Hathway, 45,
was arrested by Kamloops City RCMP last week on a Canadawide
warrant for first-degree murder.
On May 13, 1998, 84-year-old
Denver Bruce Crawford was found stabbed to death in his suite
at 323 Ninth St. East. Crawford lived on the main floor of the
home, and had tenants on the second and third levels.
Hathway was a tenant, and had
found Crawford's body. But during the investigation of the death,
Hathway was identified as a suspect in the murder, according
to police.
Mounting evidence led
to murder charge
Shannon Boklaschuk., StarPhoenix ,
Saskatoon, Sask.:May 8, 2004
A British Columbia man arrested in connection with the six-year-
old murder of a Saskatoon senior is expected to make a court
appearance in the city next week.
Wilfred Gordon Hathway, 45,
was arrested by Kamloops City RCMP around 3 p.m. Thursday on
a Canada-wide warrant for first-degree murder.
He was found at a residence
in North Kamloops, and was arrested without incident.
Hathway will be transported
to Saskatoon, where he will make a court appearance next week
on a first-degree murder charge.
"Ultimately, coming up
with charges against a suspect satisfies the police service,
and equally brings some closure to the family of the victim,"
said Staff Sgt. Kelly Cook of the Saskatoon Police Service major
crime section.
On May 13, 1998, 84-year-old
Denver Bruce Crawford was found stabbed to death in his suite
at 323 Ninth St. East.
According to a 1998 StarPhoenix
story, Crawford lived on the main floor of the home and had tenants
on the second and third levels.
The only catch for potential
renters was that Crawford ran a "dry house" where no
alcohol or drugs were allowed, according to the article.
Hathway was a tenant at the
Ninth Street home, and had found Crawford's body.
But during the investigation of the death, Hathway was identified
as a suspect in the murder, according to police.
Last week, the major crime
section and the Crown reviewed the investigation to date, and
determined that "sufficient evidence existed" to arrest
Hathway, according to police.
"That was decided after
reviewing the entire file," Cook said.
"We were aware he was
in the Kamloops area, and so we issued the warrant for his arrest
in order for him to be picked up on the charge."
When asked why Hathway wasn't
arrested earlier, Cook said it's been a matter of gathering evidence
and talking to people.
According to Kamloops RCMP,
it's not known how long Hathway was in the area, but they say
they've had a "liaison in place" with Saskatoon police
since mid-2000.
"Any unsolved murder is
never forgotten by police," Cook said.
Ralph Gordon, one of Crawford's
neighbours, remembered the senior as a "very quiet"
elderly gentleman who "kept to himself."
Gordon, 77, said he's pleased
a suspect is in custody in connection with Crawford's death,
noting that it provides some closure.
"It's been traumatic for
some of the neighbours," he said.
Unsolved Mysteries: Murder
investigations stymie city police
Leslie Perreaux. StarPhoenix,
Saskatoon, Sask.:Mar 18, 2000
The scenario has become familiar in at least a half-dozen crime
dispatches from Saskatoon in the past 22 months: A person, home
alone, is viciously attacked.
The latest: Jaime Wheeler,
a 20-year-old university student, died mysteriously last weekend
in her basement suite at 521 10th St. East. Wheeler was found
lying on her own floor in a pool of blood.
Since 1998, in attacks that
appear similar to Wheeler's case, two elderly people have been
found dead in their homes, while another was discovered seriously
injured.
Three other violent assaults
took place in homes in the Broadway area, within blocks of Wheeler's
home. In those cases, each victim survived. In only one case
was an arrest made.
Though the crimes sound like
variations on one or two themes, police insist there is no connection
among any of the half-dozen attacks. They won't say how they
know.
"The similarity between
them all is they are individuals who are at home by themselves.
From there, each of them go in different directions," said
Staff Sgt. Glenn Thomson of the Saskatoon city police.
"There's nothing there
that would cause concern that anyone is going around trying to
kill people."
The streak began May 13, 1998,
when Denver Bruce Crawford, an 84- year-old rooming house landlord,
was found murdered, with wounds to his neck and head.
Crawford, who rented out the
second and third floor of his home at 323 Ninth St. East, had
one rule in his house: no drinking or drugs allowed. No arrests
have been made.
On July 25, 1999, a west-side
neighbourhood was shocked by the discovery of the body of 92-year-old
Anna Hein. Blood and water mingled on the floor of her home from
an apparent attempt by her attacker to flood the house at 320
Ave. G South. No one has been arrested for her death.
New clues have slowed to a
trickle in the case.
"I wouldn't say we're
out of fresh leads," Thomson said. "We get new information
every once in a while on it and we follow it through."
Thomson said police are still
in the crucial early part of the week-old investigation into
the death of Jaime Wheeler.
Wheeler, the 20-year-old university
student who was found dead in her Broadway-area suite Sunday,
still doesn't fall into the whodunit category. Tips are pouring
in from friends and acquaintances, assisting police to recreate
her final hours.
Still, it's among the type
of crime that is most difficult to solve -- murders where people
with no history of criminal involvement and no obvious enemies
are at home alone and are attacked for unknown reasons by an
unknown assailant.
"The first few days after
a murder are the key days. That's when it's fresh in the public's
mind, that's when they're calling CrimeStoppers. As time goes
on, it gets harder and harder in these investigations,"
he said.
"That's why we want everyone
with even the smallest piece of information to call us."
Among the string of bloody,
fatal mysteries is a bright spot: Antonia Kinar, an 88-year-old
woman, survived an attack at her home at 414 22nd St. West.
On Oct. 14 Kinar's nephew found
her unconscious and beaten in her bedroom. She recovered, but
she is unable remember much about her attack. Like the other
cases, no arrests have been made.
"She hasn't been able
to give us an awful lot. When an elderly person is beaten, it
can have an effect. There are a combination of factors that can
make it difficult for them to remember," Thomson said.
Although the elderly victims
-- Kinar, Hein and Crawford -- were similar in age and Kinar
and Hein were attacked six blocks apart, Thomson said there is
no evident connection between the cases.
Neither are police using location
to link the Broadway-area attacks: the deaths of Crawford and
Wheeler and three non-fatal attacks in the trendy area last summer,
even though they were all committed upon victims at home within
a few blocks of each other by unknown assailants.
Again, Thomson couldn't say how police know they are not linked.
He wouldn't say if any of the victims were sexually assaulted;
he wouldn't say what weapon, if any, was used in the attacks.
"We don't release an awful lot of information on some of
these crimes. If we put out details of a crime, everyone will
talk about it. If we don't put out a lot of detail and someone
is talking about it, there is a reason for it," Thomson
said.
However, Hein's July death
came in the middle of the series of violent attacks in the Broadway
area, where homes were broken into and assaults on the lone woman
there took place.
Randall Patrick Linklater was
charged with one break-in and aggravated assault at a suite in
the 1700 block of the Broadway Avenue. That assault occurred
the same day police believe Hein died.
In the Linklater case, the female victim suffered serious injuries
when she was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver. Linklater
will be sentenced next month in provincial court. Last fall police
said they were investigating a possible link between him and
other attacks.
Thomson said in some crimes
police have a good idea who is responsible, but they just may
not have enough evidence to go to court. He wouldn't say which
of the current cases, if any, fall into that category.
"Sometimes in very serious,
violent crimes we may have suspects, but not enough to charge
them. Sometime down the road the little piece may come in that
gives us enough to finish off the case. Then boom, in it goes,"
he said.
He maintained that these kinds
of crimes are rare in Saskatoon, where most murders are related
to drugs or alcohol and are the result of disputes between people
who know each other.
Today, Antonia Kinar lives
in a seniors' residence. The nephew who found her after the attack
says she doesn't remember much about the attack.
"She's OK, but she can't
remember much. She talks for a little while, then she changes
the story," he said.
"I think the police are
doing a good job. They're doing their best: You don't get cases
like this very often."
Meanwhile, the investigations
into the murders of Hein, Crawford and Wheeler continue, along
with the attacks on at least two other Broadway-area residents.
"Unsolved murders are
never closed. We're still pursuing the murder of Alexandra Wiwcharuk,"
said Thomson, referring to a nurse whose body was found near
the CP Rail bridge in 1962.
Jaime Wheeler: Found murdered in her basement suite March 12,
2000
Denver Crawford: Found murdered in his home May 13, 1998
Anna Hein: Found murdered in her home July 25, 1999
Break-in suspect released
on bail
Dan Zakreski. StarPhoenix Saskatoon,
Sask.:May 20, 1998
A tenant arrested for allegedly breaking into Denver Bruce Crawford's
suite less than 24 hours after discovering the senior's body
is out on bail.
Gordon Hathway, 40, returns
to provincial court June 3 for a preliminary hearing into the
charge of break and enter. The only condition of his release
Tuesday is that he stay away from Crawford's residence at 323
Ninth St. East.
Crawford, 84, was found by
Hathway early in the morning of May 13 in the main floor suite
of his three-storey house. Crawford had rented out the second
and third floors.
Hathway made the discovery
after returning to the house after an early morning walk. He
told his father that he noticed the front door ajar and, upon
further investigation, discovered Crawford in his suite.
City police arrested Hathway
at the home on May 14, alleging he broke into Crawford's suite.
Police had allowed Hathway back into the home on the evening
of May 13.
Police are investigating Crawford's
death as a homicide. They have not released the cause of death.
Crawford was found in a pool of blood with apparent wounds to
his head and neck. Crawford is survived by a niece and nephew.
The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Elim Tabernacle
Prayer Chapel.
Man charged with breaking
into dead senior's suite
Dan Zakreski. StarPhoenix ,
Saskatoon, Sask.:May 16, 1998
- The tenant who called city
police after discovering the body of 84-year-old Denver Bruce
Crawford is charged with allegedly breaking into the dead man's
suite.
- Wilfred Gordon Hathway, 40,
appeared in provincial court Friday charged with break and enter.
He was remanded in custody with a bail hearing set for Tuesday.
- It's alleged that Hathway
broke into suite No. 1 at 323 Ninth Street East on or about May
14. Crawford died on May 13. The senior citizen owned the three-storey
house and had tenants on the second and third floors. He lived
on the main floor.
- Police arrested Hathway on
Thursday morning at the east-side residence.
- In an earlier interview, Hathway's
father said that his son had gone outside for a cigarette in
the early morning hours of Wednesday and noticed on his return
that the front door to the house was open. Investigating, he
noticed the landlord's door ajar and then discovered Crawford,
suffering from head and neck injuries, in a pool of blood on
the floor.
- Police are considering the
senior citizen's death a homicide.
- Hathway is already facing
a charge of driving while impaired and leaving the scene of an
accident. These matters are scheduled for May 27 in provincial
court.
- Crawford was a longtime area
resident with a history of taking in tenants. The only condition
for renters was that they not drink or take drugs in the house.
Hathway's father said his son had struggled unsuccessfully for
some time to control his drinking.
- Crawford is Saskatoon's third
homicide victim this year.
Elton Dustyhorn, 22, died of stab wounds on April 22. His body
was found on 22nd Street between avenues U and V. Police are
still investigating.
- Edward Rashley, 51, died on
April 16 from massive head injuries sustained after grappling
with an intruder and tumbling down a flight of stairs in his
home. Darcy Clayton Couillonneur, 29, is charged with manslaughter.
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Truth can never be
told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell
