Mr. Argent
M. Marc Brl
Mr. Thandi
Acknowledgements
Writing a book is a solitary activity, but it is not possible without help from many other people.
This book would not have been possible without support from family members most importantly, my wife, Marilyn Totten, who patiently listened to far more accounts of vicious crimes than she wanted to hear about. My sons assisted both emotionally and practically. Nicholas Stobbe provided guidance on my discussions on legal issues and Jacob Stobbe provided many useful editorial suggestions. My parents, Margaret Munro and the late John Stobbe, helped instill both intellectual curiosity and determination to complete tasks.
Other people also played an important background role. Tim Killeen, Sandra Chapman, and Shannon McNicol provided me with role modelling in a commitment to making the criminal justice system deliver justice. Judge Jim Jacques provided a wise way to operationalize the concept of reasonable doubt. Professors Harley Dickinson and the late Joe Garcia provided me with a similar model for seeking truth in academic research and writing.
The professionalism of the staff at ECW Press made the publishing process a pleasure. Jack David was helpful and insightful in keeping the manuscript focused. Sammy Chin, Cat London, and Adrineh Der-Boghossian edited the manuscript with an eagle eye and a gentle pen. Any mistakes or problems are my responsibility.
This book was written with great respect for the police officers who have conducted Mr. Big operations with integrity in the pursuit of justice. Most of these officers are members of the RCMP. However, the book was written without the cooperation or support of the RCMP as an institution. Not only did the RCMP refuse to assist with allowing officers to share their insights and experiences, it failed to meet its legal obligations in providing basic information about Mr. Big operations in response to Access to Information requests. In November 2020, the Information Commissioner of Canada informed Parliament that the RCMPs inability to meet statutory timeframes under the Act is the norm, not the exception. The RCMP was described as having a culture of secrecy. This is problematic because it undermines accountability mechanisms for Canadas national police force. In the case of Mr. Big, it also has the perverse effect of hindering the ability to tell a positive story about the dedication, imagination, and skill of investigative officers.
Chapter 1
An Introduction to Mr. Big
Susan Roberts was tired but happy on the evening of July 18, 1995. As she drifted off to sleep, her loving husband massaged her back. Her three children were in their cribs. Three-year-old Jonathan was hers from a previous relationship, while the eighteen-month-old twin boys (David and Josiah) were fathered by her husband. Susan did not notice her husband slipping a rope around her neck. Her evening took a turn for the worse as she experienced terror, then pain, then death when he strangled her. Her husband then strangled Josiah and set the house on fire with the expectation that this would kill Jonathan and David. He threw Josiahs corpse into a nearby wood and proceeded to a friends house in order to play the role of the grieving husband and father when the news of his familys death was delivered to him. As it turned out, he was not completely successful in wiping out his family. Neighbours braved the flames to rescue Jonathan. David was scooped from his crib by firefighters but later died of smoke inhalation.
On May 6, 1978, Monica Jack was riding her bicycle. The twelve-year-old was headed to her home on the Quilchena reserve, located northeast of Merritt, British Columbia. It was a beautiful spring evening. As Monica pedalled her bike alongside Nicola Lake, she had no idea that the man urinating in the bushes beside a parked camper truck had been convicted of rape in the past. When Monica attempted to pass by, the man pulled her off the bike. The girl was thrown into the camper and her bike was thrown into the lake. The man drove to an isolated clearing in the forest. He raped Monica, then strangled her. He burned her body and clothing to destroy the evidence. After stuffing her charred remains under a log, the man departed. What was left of Monicas body was not discovered for seventeen years.