matou
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GUILTY Canada - Melissa Richmond, 28, stabbed to death, Winchester, Ont, 24 July 2013
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humandoing
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Melissa Richmond and husband faced loan default days before her stabbing death
OTTAWA — In the days before Melissa Richmond went missing, she and her husband Howard were facing serious financial pressures and he had posted numerous messages on an online forum created to help mentally injured soldiers, the Citizen has learned.
The couple were briefly being sued by their bank over the non-payment of a loan. The Bank of Nova Scotia filed a statement of claim against the Richmonds after they allegedly defaulted on a $139,700 line of credit, according to court documents obtained by the Citizen.
The lawsuit was discontinued shortly after it was filed on July 15 and before anything happened to Melissa Richmond, the Bank of Nova Scotia’s lawyer, John Hamilton, said Friday. Hamilton wouldn’t comment further on why the lawsuit was discontinued.
Melissa Richmond was reported missing on July 24 by her husband, who is a warrant officer with the Canadian military. Her car was found two days later in a parking lot at the South Keys Shopping Centre. Richmond’s body, partially clothed and stabbed several times, was discovered on July 27 in a ravine next to the parking lot.
On Friday, Ottawa police arrested Howard Richmond. Police say he is to be charged with murder and is expected to appear in court by video Saturday.
The bank’s lawsuit alleged that the couple had taken out a ScotiaLine Credit loan for $139,700 on Feb. 7.
As of July 12, that amount had grown to $141,412.53 with interest. Interest accrued at a rate of $13.53 per day, according to the statement of claim.
“The plaintiff has demanded payment in full of ScotiaLine Credit number 4538-169-101-412 and the defendants have refused or neglected to pay the amounts due,” read the statement of claim.
The loan was secured by a mortgage on a property on Queen Street in Winchester, not the home the couple had recently purchased and been living in at 2598 Summers Road.
The bank was seeking possession of the Queen Street property, as well as liquidated damages of $141,412.52, pre- and post-judgment interest at a rate of 3.5 per cent per annum and the costs of the legal action.
A statement of defence was never filed.
Meanwhile, Howard Richmond was describing his battle with PTSD to a support group.
Included in the 50-year-old soldier’s postings to the forum is a July 19 message in which he claims to have donned his uniform and a mask that day and marched past Parliament Hill and National Defence headquarters.
“So today I put on my cadpats (uniform), my secret squirrel black balaclava and sunglasses and did a ruck march past NDHQ, the Parliament buildings and CFRA in the market with the ‘PTSD is not FACELESS’ flag on a pole on my ruck. I feel drained but not bat s**t crazy.
“I really needed to prove it to myself that I could. I hope it was noticed. I will let you know when I’m going to do it again.” (A “squirrel” in military jargon is a forces member on a secret mission).
And on July 23, the day before 28-year-old Melissa disappeared, Richmond sent the forum an image of what appears to be a phoenix asking them to consider posting on their site.
Superimposed on the image are the words: “Sometimes you just have to die a little inside in order to be Reborn and Rise again as a Stronger and Wiser version of you.”
In other messages, Richmond speaks of his disdain for the military uniform.
“My cadpat makes me toss my biscuits and **** myself,” he wrote July 16.
But three days later, he said: “Even with the nightmares and crap I am proud of my 24 years in.”
A spokesman for the help group confirmed Richmond had corresponded with them and said “We are co-operating with police and will continue to do so.”
Online helpers responded with supportive comments but attempted to dissuade Richmond from undertaking his masked PTSD protest.
After police found Melissa’s body, the forum offered condolences and the opportunity for him to reach out to them 24-7.
“Thoughts & prayers for you tonight, brother,” they told him.
“I have a good support team with me,” he responded. “Over half of them are CF, one is a buddy I have been on tour with.”
Richmond has told other media that he is receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and his wife had been instrumental in helping with his recovery.
The Petawawa-based combat engineer did six overseas tours with the military including at least one in Afghanistan.
Richmond married Melissa when she was just three years out of high school. They had no children and according to friends, she was anxious for his retirement from the military so they could enjoy a prolonged vacation together.
Police found the young woman’s semi-clad body on Sunday morning in a ravine near the South Keys Shopping Centre in the city’s south end. She had suffered multiple stab wounds.
Her gold-coloured 2004 Chrysler Sebring with the personalized number plate “RPGGIRL’ was found in a nearby Denny’s restaurant parking lot.
Howard Richmond posted a message on Facebook asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Winchester Food Bank where he and his wife had been volunteers.
ccobb@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/chrisicobb
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/...ult+days+before/8743839/story.html?rel=825269
OTTAWA — In the days before Melissa Richmond went missing, she and her husband Howard were facing serious financial pressures and he had posted numerous messages on an online forum created to help mentally injured soldiers, the Citizen has learned.
The couple were briefly being sued by their bank over the non-payment of a loan. The Bank of Nova Scotia filed a statement of claim against the Richmonds after they allegedly defaulted on a $139,700 line of credit, according to court documents obtained by the Citizen.
The lawsuit was discontinued shortly after it was filed on July 15 and before anything happened to Melissa Richmond, the Bank of Nova Scotia’s lawyer, John Hamilton, said Friday. Hamilton wouldn’t comment further on why the lawsuit was discontinued.
Melissa Richmond was reported missing on July 24 by her husband, who is a warrant officer with the Canadian military. Her car was found two days later in a parking lot at the South Keys Shopping Centre. Richmond’s body, partially clothed and stabbed several times, was discovered on July 27 in a ravine next to the parking lot.
On Friday, Ottawa police arrested Howard Richmond. Police say he is to be charged with murder and is expected to appear in court by video Saturday.
The bank’s lawsuit alleged that the couple had taken out a ScotiaLine Credit loan for $139,700 on Feb. 7.
As of July 12, that amount had grown to $141,412.53 with interest. Interest accrued at a rate of $13.53 per day, according to the statement of claim.
“The plaintiff has demanded payment in full of ScotiaLine Credit number 4538-169-101-412 and the defendants have refused or neglected to pay the amounts due,” read the statement of claim.
The loan was secured by a mortgage on a property on Queen Street in Winchester, not the home the couple had recently purchased and been living in at 2598 Summers Road.
The bank was seeking possession of the Queen Street property, as well as liquidated damages of $141,412.52, pre- and post-judgment interest at a rate of 3.5 per cent per annum and the costs of the legal action.
A statement of defence was never filed.
Meanwhile, Howard Richmond was describing his battle with PTSD to a support group.
Included in the 50-year-old soldier’s postings to the forum is a July 19 message in which he claims to have donned his uniform and a mask that day and marched past Parliament Hill and National Defence headquarters.
“So today I put on my cadpats (uniform), my secret squirrel black balaclava and sunglasses and did a ruck march past NDHQ, the Parliament buildings and CFRA in the market with the ‘PTSD is not FACELESS’ flag on a pole on my ruck. I feel drained but not bat s**t crazy.
“I really needed to prove it to myself that I could. I hope it was noticed. I will let you know when I’m going to do it again.” (A “squirrel” in military jargon is a forces member on a secret mission).
And on July 23, the day before 28-year-old Melissa disappeared, Richmond sent the forum an image of what appears to be a phoenix asking them to consider posting on their site.
Superimposed on the image are the words: “Sometimes you just have to die a little inside in order to be Reborn and Rise again as a Stronger and Wiser version of you.”
In other messages, Richmond speaks of his disdain for the military uniform.
“My cadpat makes me toss my biscuits and **** myself,” he wrote July 16.
But three days later, he said: “Even with the nightmares and crap I am proud of my 24 years in.”
A spokesman for the help group confirmed Richmond had corresponded with them and said “We are co-operating with police and will continue to do so.”
Online helpers responded with supportive comments but attempted to dissuade Richmond from undertaking his masked PTSD protest.
After police found Melissa’s body, the forum offered condolences and the opportunity for him to reach out to them 24-7.
“Thoughts & prayers for you tonight, brother,” they told him.
“I have a good support team with me,” he responded. “Over half of them are CF, one is a buddy I have been on tour with.”
Richmond has told other media that he is receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and his wife had been instrumental in helping with his recovery.
The Petawawa-based combat engineer did six overseas tours with the military including at least one in Afghanistan.
Richmond married Melissa when she was just three years out of high school. They had no children and according to friends, she was anxious for his retirement from the military so they could enjoy a prolonged vacation together.
Police found the young woman’s semi-clad body on Sunday morning in a ravine near the South Keys Shopping Centre in the city’s south end. She had suffered multiple stab wounds.
Her gold-coloured 2004 Chrysler Sebring with the personalized number plate “RPGGIRL’ was found in a nearby Denny’s restaurant parking lot.
Howard Richmond posted a message on Facebook asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Winchester Food Bank where he and his wife had been volunteers.
ccobb@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/chrisicobb
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/...ult+days+before/8743839/story.html?rel=825269
matou
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To buy that second home?
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/o...d+loan+default+days+before/8743839/story.html
matou
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Oh brother....really?
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/o...d+loan+default+days+before/8743839/story.html
AzPistonsGirl
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there are just no words. PTSD is real and just like mental illness, we (USA anyway - I can not speak to any other country's programs for veterans) need to take it seriously. So sad for Melissa. just speechless.
This was reported before the news broke that the husband had been arrested.
"Shelley Rabinovitch (spokesperson for the family) who has known Howard for 20 years and Melissa for 10, said the couple were like matched souls.
They were like two halves of one human being, said Rabinovitch, who met Melissa when Howard brought her into their historical group, the Society for Creative Anachronism..."
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/o...ormation+Richmond+homicide/8737622/story.html
Something went terribly wrong somewhere along the way.
"Shelley Rabinovitch (spokesperson for the family) who has known Howard for 20 years and Melissa for 10, said the couple were like matched souls.
They were like two halves of one human being, said Rabinovitch, who met Melissa when Howard brought her into their historical group, the Society for Creative Anachronism..."
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/o...ormation+Richmond+homicide/8737622/story.html
Something went terribly wrong somewhere along the way.
It would make a lot of sense. I wonder if LE have already checked that out. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the first time this happens. There was a similar story in the Readers' Digest not long ago.
That's what I thought. A soldiers salary is modest except for when they are deployed. $469,000 for the house they bought a year ago, plus most likely trying to sell the other property ... it was probably a huge stressor. They miscalculated and he probably resented it.
matou
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I thought they bought it in late Jan or Feb? That's also when they got the loan.
Wondergirl
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I wonder if he really was a secret squirrel. Wow. That is a true term. Follow the $.
A good guess is that living with someone with PTSD is like being on a roller-coaster because of their sudden mood swings and changing behaviour associated with the problem. He said in the interview with the CBC that she had been "his rock" through his ordeal. Could it be that now, with the additionnal stress of the bank going after them for all the money they owed, she simply couldn't take any of it any more, told him she wanted out of the marriage and he snapped?
I also read that "Sources tell the Sun that Melissa Richmonds life was insured for a substantial amount of money"...
I don't know... I'm just thinking out loud.
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/08/02/bank-wanted-one-of-two-richmond-homes-before-homicide
I also read that "Sources tell the Sun that Melissa Richmonds life was insured for a substantial amount of money"...
I don't know... I'm just thinking out loud.
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/08/02/bank-wanted-one-of-two-richmond-homes-before-homicide
matou
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They didn't even have enough money for the second house.
And the insurance on Melissa....there you go. JMO
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/08/02/bank-wanted-one-of-two-richmond-homes-before-homicide
He is charged with first degree murder
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Melissa+Richmond+husband+arrested+death/8742127/story.html
Howard Richmond, 50, is to appear in court on Saturday by video to face a murder charge, on the same day of his wife’s funeral. Richmond will be charged with first-degree murder, police said Friday night.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Melissa+Richmond+husband+arrested+death/8742127/story.html
Howard Richmond, 50, is to appear in court on Saturday by video to face a murder charge, on the same day of his wife’s funeral. Richmond will be charged with first-degree murder, police said Friday night.
Does first-degree murder mean premeditated? If so, then the reason could well be the insurance money as some here suspect, and he didn't snap after all.
Could also mean they have evidence of him taking her against her will into he truck and killed her..
Here it doesn't have to be premeditated to be murder 1
This is the same reason Dellen Millard was charged with murder 1 ..
LurkingSpectator
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I am assuming that the police have some pretty hard evidence to support a First degree murder charge, but as a person who lives daily with someone who has severe combat related PTSD, and a member of the SCA who has had interactions with both Melissa and Howard, I still do not believe that this was a premeditated murder. Innocent people have been convicted in the past on circumstantial evidence, and it is well within the realm of possibility that something happened between Howard and Melissa that Howard isn't telling people which led to her leaving the house, etc.
Tell me Howard had a PTSD episode, became disassociated and killed her, and I might believe it. However, without hard, physical evidence I can not believe that the Warrior Poet I knew would deliberately kill a woman he was so completely in love with, not even for money! Besides, I believe if it was a deliberate kill for financial gain, a soldier of Howard's experience and expertise would have found a much better way to make it look like an accident than this.
As to the separate cars, that is easy. Melissa would probably drive from work to whatever SCA gathering they were attending on whichever night, and Howard would drive there from a different place, either work or home. They would meet up there, and then drive their vehicles to either home, or out for dinner with the group. A lot of SCA couples attend meetings that way.
Tell me Howard had a PTSD episode, became disassociated and killed her, and I might believe it. However, without hard, physical evidence I can not believe that the Warrior Poet I knew would deliberately kill a woman he was so completely in love with, not even for money! Besides, I believe if it was a deliberate kill for financial gain, a soldier of Howard's experience and expertise would have found a much better way to make it look like an accident than this.
As to the separate cars, that is easy. Melissa would probably drive from work to whatever SCA gathering they were attending on whichever night, and Howard would drive there from a different place, either work or home. They would meet up there, and then drive their vehicles to either home, or out for dinner with the group. A lot of SCA couples attend meetings that way.
Then they must have gotten pretty hard evidence -- from the truck they towed away and the search of the house -- to come up with this charge so fast..!!
matou
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Warrant Officer to appear by videocamera in Ottawa court Saturday morning
Maybe there will be more info tomorrow.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Melissa+Richmond+husband+arrested+death/8742127/story.html
Maybe there will be more info tomorrow.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Melissa+Richmond+husband+arrested+death/8742127/story.html