Richard Brignall - Real Justice: A Police Mr. Big Sting Goes Wrong: The Story of Kyle Unger

Attending the Woodstick Music Festival was a spur-of-the-moment decision for nineteen-year-old Kyle Unger and his best friend, John Beckett. It was something for them to do on a Saturday night. There wasnt always much going on in rural Manitoba. They lived in the middle of the prairie. It was a large, empty landscape of crop fields criss-crossed by dirt roads and secondary highways. There were no tall buildings or the bright lights and excitement of a city. Most teenagers dreamed of the day when they could leave.

Kyle and John were considered loners. They didnt have many friends in the communities surrounding the town of Carmen, mainly just each other for the past three years. Unger, who wasnt originally from this part of Manitoba, was tall and thin with a scruffy moustache. He found it hard to make new friends. So, he did everything with John.

Some of Kyles problems making friends stemmed from his temper. He was kicked out of one school because of his unpredictable and violent behaviour. He had a reputation for being a troublemaker. Some people were afraid to be alone with him. All of this left a permanent mark on him. The shaggy, long-haired teenager was always an outsider.

On the night of June 23, 1990, they hitchhiked to the festival grounds. They looked like all the other teenagers in the crowd, wearing sneakers, jeans, and T-shirts. Their evening at Woodstick started around 8:30 p.m. Like most teenage boys attending the festival, they had a plan for the evening. It involved fun, getting drunk, and meeting girls.

There was a lot of room at the festival grounds. The main area was a large open field with the music stage at one end. People spread out over the rest of this area to sit, stand, and dance to the music being played on the stage.

The evening started with a game of football. Kyle and John joined in with a group of people they knew from school. For a short while, these loners were just two of the guys. When the game ended, they all sat and had beer together.

While they were playing football, Kyle had noticed Brigitte Grenier walk by. Hed always liked her at school. He had gone to Miami Collegiate with her. She was one of only a few classmates who hadnt thought he was weird. Hed always considered her his friend.

After a few beers with the football players, Kyle and John went out to find Brigitte. They found her with some friends near the front of the festival stage. Kyle was excited to see her. He sat down next to her and they started to talk.

It was a good time to catch up since Kyle had quit school the previous year. Hed gotten a job in Alberta and had only recently returned home to visit. He talked to her about Alberta. She filled him in on what was happening at school. John sat there, silent.

After twenty minutes of conversation, Kyle and John left to see what was happening around the festival. They eventually joined back up with the football crowd. Everybody was drinking heavily. Many were drunk, including Kyle and John.