Crime Beat Season 6, Episode 26: Just Steps From Home: The Disappearance of Julie Surprenant

Murder in the Mountains

The popular resort town of Banff was rocked when a young female taxi driver was found murdered in 1990. Investigators worked tirelessly to come up with a viable suspect, but the case went cold.

46 min

He's So Evil

Crime Specialist Catherine McDonald recounts the story about of an obsession so deep it led to the death of an innocent child.

"Make Him Breathe"

It’s one of every new mother’s greatest fears. You put your child down for a nap, only to later notice muffled cries coming from the bedroom. What happened next lands Tammy Wynne Marquardt in jail for nearly 14 years and will haunt her for the rest of her life. Reporter Mark Carcasole shares Tammy’s harrowing story and learns more about the man whose testimony, she says, destroyed her life.

46 min

Mad Trapper

When series of cabins are raided in northern B.C., and then a reclusive trapper suddenly goes missing, police believe the crimes could be connected; as Jules Knox reports, that triggers a series of events that leaves one Mountie dead.

46 min

Out of the Darkness

Reporter Caryn Lieberman travels to Kingston to hear from the families and survivors reclaiming their voices in order to tell the story of 34-year-old Yvonne Rouleau, tortured and murdered at the Nozzles Gas Bar where she worked at.

46 min

The Investigators

They have been called agents for the silenced. Homicide detectives investigating horrific murders work tireless hours to find answers for grieving families. We interview top detectives about some of their most memorable and impactful cases, including ones that still haunt them to this day. In ‘the Investigators’, we learn what real life is like as a homicide detective on the job and after.

46 min

Deadly Rumours

In the spring of 2006 Calgary Police received an ominous call from someone worried a woman was being held captive in a downtown rooming house. Officers responded but found nothing suspicious. Over the next few days two patrol officers heard similar stories from several other people as details got more and more disturbing– alleging a woman had been held, tortured and killed. How could they solve a crime they weren’t sure had been committed? And without knowing if there was a victim? Follow along with Senior Crime Reporter Nancy Hixt as she shares the details of Deadly Rumours.

46 min

Case Never Closed: Justice for Nicolle

Nicolle Hands was a young Winnipeg mother, brutally attacked and stabbed in her apartment while her children were at home sleeping. Two decades after Nicolle’s murder, reporter Marney Blunt looks into a recent development in the case, information exclusively released to Global News, and learns why the family may still be no closer to achieving justice for their beloved Nicolle.

46 min

24 Shots, 7 seconds

In December 2019, 26-year-old Koshin Yusuf was coming home from a night out with friends when he was cornered at his Scarborough apartment entrance and shot 24 times. But why? All police had to start with was a piece of grainy video surveillance that captured the actual murder. Was it a case of mistaken identity? Did Koshin know his attackers? Crime Beat tracks the investigation and learns why the judge would later call it a 'stunning' piece of police work.

46 min

Die Like the Rest Part 1

When a Winnipeg teenager was found savagely attacked in a donut shop, investigators arrested a B.C. man who was visiting the area. After serving nearly four years behind bars, he was suddenly released, prompting some people to question if a murderer had now walked free. As Jules Knox reports, years later, another slaying of a teenage girl halfway across the country gave fresh light to old evidence that could help convict a killer.

46 min

Die Like the Rest Part 2

Detectives are slowly piecing together chilling clues from a series of brutal sexual assaults and murders across the country. Teenage girls are the target, and police are starting to question if one of their initial suspects was wrongfully convicted. As Jules Knox reports, a Mr. Big sting operation led officers to a second suspect who was hiding in plain sight.

46 min

A Million Dead Ends

On May 14, 1971, just after dinner, six-year-old Ljubica Topic wandered off while playing outside with her older brother and some friends. When her brother gets home, Ljubica isn’t there. Questioned by his mother, he reveals that a stranger had approached them asking for help and Ljubica had gone off to assist. After a frantic search, the young girl is found dead just a kilometre away. Who did this and why remained a mystery for nearly 50 years.

46 min

Face-To-Face With Evil

For more than twenty years, Mark Mariani suffered from Crohn’s disease. In the fall of 2010, he was told about medical advancements that brought renewed hope for a better quality of life. To celebrate he went to his favourite country bar. The following morning his family received a call from the police. Mark had been found dead in a northwest Calgary parking lot. Join senior crime reporter Nancy Hixt as she walks you through the trail of evidence police uncovered to learn how Mark Mariani came Face-to-Face with Evil.

46 min

The Hand Behind the Gun

A teenager is gunned down at a church while attending his best friend's funeral, another is ambushed, shot 7 times while out for pizza, and an innocent child is killed when bullets fly at a birthday party. Illegal firearms flooding across the border and into the hands of Toronto’s most notorious gangs causing a surge in homicides. Join Senior Reporter Caryn Lieberman as she follows a major takedown of a criminal organization, and a historic Toronto Police bust that stops hundreds of weapons from hitting the streets.

46 min

Deadly Retribution

On a sunny spring day, a man walked into an office in midtown Toronto and opened fire. There was panic at the neighbouring daycare and nearby schools, fearing a gunman was still on the loose. When police arrived, they discovered the shooter had killed two people, Arash Missaghi and Samira Yousefi, before turning the gun on himself. Initially officials did not release the motive for the attack, but his wife said her husband, 46-year-old Alan Kats, could not handle 'losing our life’s savings' in an alleged mortgage fraud the two victims were accused of.

46 min

'I Wish I Could Hold You'

When 10-year-old Heather Thomas suddenly vanishes while riding a bike in Surrey, B.C., hundreds of people show up to help search for the missing girl. With few leads to go on, detectives are stymied until an attentive 911 dispatcher, an eagle-eyed security guard and a distinct vehicle offer a trail of clues that lead to a possible suspect. As her grieving mother fights for justice, the prime suspect claims he is not guilty despite a shocking interrogation video detailing a violent crime.

46 min

Death of the Window Dresser

Australian Kevin McBride was known for being fun-loving and outgoing, the life of the party. So, when the 47-year-old window dresser and antiques dealer is found stabbed to death in his Toronto apartment no one can believe it. As police track suspects across Canada and the US, the victim’s diary is found 400 km away. It’s missing the page from the day he was murdered, but it provides a name. The problem for investigators – that name belongs to someone who can’t be found.

46 min

The Strange Disappearance of Marilyn Bergeron

The family of Marilyn Bergeron searches for answers and reveals some startling theories in the mystery of a young Quebec woman who disappeared in 2008.

46 min

Shattered Dreams

A highly respected, executive chef is weeks away from realizing his dream of opening his own restaurant when he is violently killed; the case becomes a true whodunnit as homicide detectives follow a complicated trail of evidence.

46 min

The Melrose Avenue Murder

After a violent gunfight erupts in a quiet Saskatoon neighbourhood, several suspects flee the scene, and nobody wants to talk about what happened. Police follow a trail of blood to an apartment where they find zip ties and duct tape but no murder weapons. Follow along with Crime Beat reporter Jules Knox as detectives discuss the investigative techniques that finally lead them to a key piece of missing evidence – and their prime suspect - one of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.

46 min

Before My Eyes

Driving home from work, Royi Flescher could never have imagined what he was about to encounter. And when Soula Berdoussis pulled over, she thought she was stopping to help at the scene of a car accident. What unfolded next would change them forever – as they found two women brutally stabbed, taking their last breaths lying at the side of a busy Toronto thoroughfare. Reporter Catherine McDonald takes us back to that fateful day in late August 2022 and hears from these eyewitnesses about coming face-to-face with the killer. But it wasn’t until they testified at his trial that they’d learn the full disturbing details of what led up to that day.

46 min

The 'Mr. Big' Playbook

When there is insufficient evidence or cooperation from the suspect - what’s left for authorities to try to get a conviction? The 'Mr. Big' technique is often a last resort for police to solve a murder. But the elaborate tactic to elicit confessions from suspects is under fire. The technique has become so controversial that some countries have gone as far as to ban the practice. Reporter Jayme Doll delves into a number of high profile cases and examines: how far should undercover police go to catch a killer?

46 min

A Recipe for Disaster

In July 2007, a joint birthday celebration for a 6-year-old and two 18-year-old girls draws a crowd of 50 to a Toronto community backyard on a warm summer day. As night falls and the cake is cut, the atmosphere shifts quickly as tensions escalate, leading to a violent gun battle that results in the death of 11-year-old Ephraim Brown. Detectives investigate the tragedy, uncovering that Ephraim, lost in his music, likely didn't hear the warning to run. They also learn that the birthday girls unknowingly invited two rival gangs to the event, setting the stage for the deadly confrontation.

46 min

Code of Silence

Evelyn Fox’s son – a father of four - was shot while trying to help a friend in trouble. Shauna Brown lost her son in a drive-by shooting as he played with his two-year-old daughter on the steps of their family home. Barbara Gill’s son was gunned down when a car pulled alongside the moving vehicle he was in and someone opened fire. It’s a club no one wants to belong to. Mothers of murdered men. What’s harder is knowing the killers are still at large and there isn’t enough evidence for police to make arrests. All they need is a single witness to step up. But what do you do when no one is willing to break the code of silence?

46 min

Uncovering a Serial Killer

In the late 1970’s, there was a series of mysterious deaths. First, two jr. high girls were found in an underpass west of Calgary. Seven months later, another young woman was found in a ditch, beaten and strangled to death, and just months after that, a fourth woman was found strangled to death. For decades, their families searched for answers to no avail. Join senior crime reporter Nancy Hixt as she shares how a team of cold case investigators uncovered shocking evidence nearly 50 years later that led them to a serial killer.

46 min