Canada - Beverly Rowbotham, 42, murdered, St Andrews, MB, 24 Oct 2000

[joe jones]

http://www.newstalk1010.com/News/article.aspx?id=325701

more cross examination of defendant

 

[joe jones]

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/03/15/stobbe-trial-continues

more cross examination

 

[joe jones]

defendant finished testifying, either defence cic continues with more witnesses tomorrow or it moves into closing arguments

 

[joe jones]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/stobbe-murder-trial-nears-conclusion-142900305.html

trial nearing the end

 

[Crosby87]

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Stobbe+trial+fraught+with+complications+jury/6232350/story.html

very good article on the case, asks some of the questions I have, such as why wait 12 years to prosecute, the only really good piece of evidence the state has against him is that if some unknown person came into there garden and murdered his wife how did they decide to take her body to the exact place Stobbes said she was going to,

Beverly's vehicle wasn't found in the Safeway parking lot in Selkirk; Police found it parked outside an auto garage in Selkirk. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/03/12/stobbe-trial-continues

Beaton, who was also cycling home from his evening shift job in Selkirk in October 2000, said he spotted a vehicle sitting in a nearby car lot. He knew the owners of the business and initially thought it was one of them working late. Upon closer inspection he realized he didn't recognize the person sitting in the driver's seat of the light-coloured vehicle which had its headlights on.

http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/Circu...e+eyewitness/6173465/story.html#ixzz1pImBgFi3

 

[Crosby87]

I wonder if the couple normally kept the keys to their vehicles in the house or if they left them in the ignition after they arrived home? If they never left the car keys in the ignition and they kept their car keys on a key ring along with their house keys etc., doesn't this support Mark's theory that Bev intended to go shopping since there was a key in the car's ignition?

I ride a bicycle during the summer and store it in the garage during the winter. Every Spring I have to inflate both tires with air because they go flat. Mark Stobbe said he hadn't ridden his bike since the family moved to Manitoba, so I wonder whether there would have been enough air in the tires to ride it for 14 kms if it was stored in his garage for quite sometime? Riding a bicycle with a flat tire compromises handling and increases rolling resistance.

If Mark hadn't ridden his bike for many years, imo he would have had to stop and inflate both tires before he put it in the trunk of the car. Killeen asked if any paint chips found in the car was consistent with placing a bicycle in the trunk and Prange said the bike was not scratched, so I am not 100% sure Mark rode his bike that night.

It's possible whoever killed Beverly covered her mouth or attacked her from behind to prevent her from calling for help and that's why Mark and none of the neighbors heard anything.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/trial-opens-in-rowbotham-killing-138382209.html

 

[joe jones]

the thing to me that points to his guilt over his innocence is that in all those years post the murder he never once contacted the police to ask them what are you doing about the horrendous murder of my wife,

after he was questioned by LE he never made any efforts to assist in the investigation, never made public appeals, never demanded that her murder was not forgotten and that LE was working hard to find her killer

now he may not have been comfortable in dealing with LE as he knew he was a suspect - but if he was innocent then surely the most important thing to him would be to have her killer found

and all the things he said about the bike are what he says, so we either choose to believe him or not, and I choose not to believe him,

it is just absurd to thing a stranger came upon a woman in her own garden, horrifically murdered her and instead of fleeing the scene he/she put her body in her car and drove away with it, the only person who had anything to gain by her murdered body not being found in the garden is her husband

but from the evidence presented that I was able to read about I am not sure I would convict him, for me the crown did nor reach beyond a reasonable doubt, but then there may have been evidence that was not reported that show more evidence of guilt,

 

[Crosby87]

the thing to me that points to his guilt over his innocence is that in all those years post the murder he never once contacted the police to ask them what are you doing about the horrendous murder of my wife,

after he was questioned by LE he never made any efforts to assist in the investigation, never made public appeals, never demanded that her murder was not forgotten and that LE was working hard to find her killer

now he may not have been comfortable in dealing with LE as he knew he was a suspect - but if he was innocent then surely the most important thing to him would be to have her killer found

and all the things he said about the bike are what he says, so we either choose to believe him or not, and I choose not to believe him,

it is just absurd to thing a stranger came upon a woman in her own garden, horrifically murdered her and instead of fleeing the scene he/she put her body in her car and drove away with it, the only person who had anything to gain by her murdered body not being found in the garden is her husband

but from the evidence presented that I was able to read about I am not sure I would convict him, for me the crown did nor reach beyond a reasonable doubt, but then there may have been evidence that was not reported that show more evidence of guilt,

The only explanation I have for why the killer put Bev in the car and drove it to Selkirk after he murdered her is that he knew she intended to use the car when she left the house so by driving it out of the garage shortly after he murdered her he could make it appear like nothing unusual had taken place in the garage and therefore he could avoid alerting her husband or children who might have been waiting to see her leave from one of the windows in the house.

If the killer lives in Selkirk, leaving the car at the auto lot at dusk would allow him to distance himself from the crime scene and dispose of his blood-stained clothing along with the victim's personal items like her watch and wallet alot quicker than if he had to walk 15 kms to his house in Selkirk. He wouldn't drive his vehicle to the Stobbe's house because he wouldn't want it to risk it being seen near their house or leave evidence of the crime in it.

Since the murder weapon hasn't been recovered, he might have placed it in the vehicle along with her body so he could dispose of it later. A picture shown in Court indicates large pieces of her skull were missing and those pieces have never been recovered either, so it's possible the killer placed pieces of her skull in the car and disposed of it too. Selkirk has a large mental institution BTW and that's where Vince Li who beheaded Tim McLean currently resides.

During his trial, Mark told the jury he cooperated fully with investigators because he wanted her killer caught and it bothered him that her killer was still on the loose.

<snipped>
While the Crown described him as "rational" and articulate just hours after Rowbotham's death, Stobbe said he was trying to keep himself together to "provide police with the assistance they were asking for."

"I felt that I needed to be as open and forthcoming and complete as I possibly could be."

He said he was in a state of shock after Rowbotham's body was discovered but did his best to help police catch her killer.

"I was doing the best I could then and I'm doing the best I can now," he told the Crown.

Dawson suggested Thursday Stobbe spent many nights after the killing looking out his window and "wondering if (he) left any evidence."

"No, I was thinking whoever had done that to Bev was still out there," he said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/03/09/mb-stobbe-trial-murder-wife-winnipeg.html

Mark Stobbe works for politicians so the crime may be related to his affiliation with the government; but what raises the most doubt in my mind that Mark killed his wife is the DNA found on Beverly's purse that belongs to an unidentified male. The fact Beverly left with her purse supports her husband&#8217;s theory that Bev intended to go shopping. I checked Safeway&#8217;s website and the Selkirk store is open until 11 pm during the week.

<snipped>
Killeen asked Korkosh about mysterious DNA found on the straps and zippers of Rowbotham's purse, which was found beside her body in the family car.
The DNA was male, but did not come from Stobbe or the couple's two sons, Korkosh testified.

"Could it be that a male could have grabbed her purse strap and pulled?" Killeen asked.

"It's a possibility I can't say no to," Korkosh replied.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/03/07/mb-stobbe-trial-rowbotham-winnipeg.html

Mark has no history of violence or criminal history and neither him or Beverly were addicted to drugs and alcohol which usually creates and leads to domestic violence.

 

[joe jones]

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Stobbe+trial+Closing+arguments+deck/6324951/story.html

closing arguments this week

 

[joe jones]

defence done with its closing, now just crown to close then jury gets to deliberate, I think he is guilty but am not sure he will be convicted

 

[Crosby87]

defence done with its closing, now just crown to close then jury gets to deliberate, I think he is guilty but am not sure he will be convicted

I agree with Mark’s lawyer who said the Crown has failed to prove Mark Stobbe killed his wife and I will be greatly disappointed if the jury finds Mark guilty. The Crown only presented circumstantial evidence which does not link Mark to the crime and the unidentified male DNA found on Bev’s purse convinced me that Mark did not kill his wife.

<snipped>
Killeen spent much of his argument focusing on Rowbotham’s purse, in which unknown male DNA was found on the straps. Tests have ruled Stobbe out as the donor.

Besides, you don’t ride a bike 40 minutes without experiencing some type of physical discomfort over the next couple of days. I’m a cyclist and after I ride my bike for the first time in the Spring, my buttocks and legs are extremely sore for a couple of days and it is evident to anyone who sees me that I am in pain. Ask anyone who is sedentary like Mark who exercises for the first time for 45 minutes and they will tell you their muscles are extremely sore.

Therefore, if Stobbe rode his bike for 40 minutes at high speed on Tuesday evening, his muscles in his legs and buttocks would have been extremely sore especially since he is in such poor physical condition and those who saw him in the days following his wife's murder would have noticed a drastic change in Mark’s physical condition imo, but tmk, none of the witnesses said they saw any difference in his physical condition in the days following his wife’s murder so I don't think Mark rode the bike. Like I said before in my previous post, if you don't ride a bike for awhile, both tires will be flat and I think Mark had more important things on his mind and he wasn't at all concerned about keeping the tires on his bike inflated in October especially since this is when the snow begins to fall in Manitoba and most people stop cycling and put there bikes away for the winter.

I wonder if Mark Stobbe was able to sell his house in St. Andrews where his wife was murdered? Its former occupant was an abortion doctor who received threats of some kind and the house needed a lot of work, so I wonder if anyone bought it?

The Jury begins deliberations next week and I don't think it will take them long to reach a verdict.

http://www.brandonsun.com/national/...wn-has-failed-to-prove-killing-143537326.html

 

[Truth Fan]

defence done with its closing, now just crown to close then jury gets to deliberate, I think he is guilty but am not sure he will be convicted

Agree. I'm quite sure he's guilty. In order to believe that some unknown assailant killed her and relocated the body, you'd have to endorse a whole series of quite improbable events/actions taking place here, imo, in order to accord with the physical evidence that they do have.
I guess we will soon see what the jury returns.

 

[joe jones]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/03/27/mb-stobbe-trial-jury.html

jury begin deliberations today

 

[KMouse]

Here we go.
How long do you think they will deliberate?

 

[Crosby87]

Here we go.
How long do you think they will deliberate?so

Not long, so I want to go down there tomorrow.

 

[Crosby87]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/03/27/mb-stobbe-jury-deliberations.html

Mark Stobbe Jury Deliberations into 2nd Day

Jurors began deliberating on Tuesday afternoon and then adjourned at 9:30 p.m. CT without a verdict.

Shortly after beginning their deliberations, jurors asked if the judge could hand over notes from the testimony of Rowbotham's brother-in-law Ed Bachewich. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Chris Martin said he would arrange for the jury to listen to a recording of that testimony or provide transcripts. Deliberations were to resume Wednesday morning.

 

[joe jones]

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/03/28/stobbe-trial

still no verdict

 

[Crosby87]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/br...-judges-cautions-key-to-appeal-144826845.html

Jurors who began deliberations on Tuesday remain sequestered until they reach a verdict.

 

[joe jones]

found not guilty, a verdict I would probably have given even though I think he did it, not enough evidence for BARD