Canada - Christine Jessop, 9, Queensville, Ont, 3 Oct 1984 *killer identified* #3

[Satchie]

I think it was more like Calvin Hoover needed to be kept away from her. This darling little girl seemed so unprotected in so many ways. MOO.

I guess I grew up in the '60s being allowed, by age 9, to go to the store by myself, go and meet my friend in the park by myself, and go home after school by myself when my mother and siblings were out. It's probably true that now, children are picked up from school in a car and kept home watching videos, rather than being allowed out.

 

[othram]

I guess I grew up in the '60s being allowed, by age 9, to go to the store by myself, go and meet my friend in the park by myself, and go home after school by myself when my mother and siblings were out. It's probably true that now, children are picked up from school in a car and kept home watching videos, rather than being allowed out.

Similar tragedy here in the States, with a five-year-old from Montana in 1974... After 46 years, Siobhan McGuinness's Killer Has Been Identified.

And the perp in the Siobhan McGuinness case has now been linked to other crimes, unfortunately.

 

[Forest_Wood]

I guess I grew up in the '60s being allowed, by age 9, to go to the store by myself, go and meet my friend in the park by myself, and go home after school by myself when my mother and siblings were out. It's probably true that now, children are picked up from school in a car and kept home watching videos, rather than being allowed out.

In Christine’s case, it was not her freedom or roaming around town where tragedy occurred. Her abductor was not the elusive stranger we fear so much. He was the family friend, the co-worker and the person who had access to her family home — so it was reported. And he never once became a suspect even though they had his name. It’s just so bizarre!

 

[Deleted member 275109]

The Toronto Sun has a new article today by Mandel entitled Did Christine Jessop’ s Killer Strike Again. However it is behind the paywall.

 

[Deleted member 275109]

MANDEL: Did Christine Jessop's killer strike again? -
The article can also be found here. No paywall.

 

[Deleted member 275109]

'Just pure evil': The downfall of Christine Jessop's killer, Calvin Hoover
Jeremy Grimaldi writes:
“While the Toronto native's name was mentioned more than once in the Jessop homicide case file — including when his wife, Heather, told investigators he was taking care of their kids and had nothing to add to her statement — he was never actually questioned.”
Does this mean Heather Hoover provided Calvin Hoover with an alibi?!?! Am I understanding this correctly? Did she tell police he was taking care of their kids when Christine was abducted??!!

 

[deugirtni]

Does anybody know what this is actually saying … "That Calvin was with their children” ?

“At this point, Heather Hoover advised that Calvin was with their children, and she had nothing to add to her statement,” reads the summary.

Police were told Calvin Hoover had access to Christine Jessop’s home — but her likely killer was never interviewed, documents reveal

I got from that, that it is part of the officer's summary report when LE was applying for a warrant to obtain DNA from CH's blood sample held at CFS, and that it came from HH's original statement in 1984..ie she had nothing to add and she had to run since her husband had the kids (which might cause one to wonder why she might be concerned about that?????????????)

Yes, I interpreted it to mean: She had nothing else to say. The interview is over. The kids need me. She must go now.

'Just pure evil': The downfall of Christine Jessop's killer, Calvin Hoover
Jeremy Grimaldi writes:
“While the Toronto native's name was mentioned more than once in the Jessop homicide case file — including when his wife, Heather, told investigators he was taking care of their kids and had nothing to add to her statement — he was never actually questioned.”
Does this mean Heather Hoover provided Calvin Hoover with an alibi?!?! Am I understanding this correctly? Did she tell police he was taking care of their kids when Christine was abducted??!!

It was HH that had nothing further to add after being interviewed by investigators, and sounded like she had to get going since her husband (CH) was looking after the kids and she wanted to get home to them. The Grimaldi article kind of twists the words to make it seem like something entirely different, imho.

 

[Forest_Wood]

MANDEL: Did Christine Jessop's killer strike again? -
The article can also be found here. No paywall.

Wow! I wonder if CH had his cable van the day he abducted Christine and was driving it instead of his personal vehicle? Also, I wonder if the cable company maintained records of the apartment building where Nicole Morin lived and if the building used that same cable company, which would have allowed him access to the building.

 

[MistyWaters]

'Just pure evil': The downfall of Christine Jessop's killer, Calvin Hoover
Jeremy Grimaldi writes:
“While the Toronto native's name was mentioned more than once in the Jessop homicide case file — including when his wife, Heather, told investigators he was taking care of their kids and had nothing to add to her statement — he was never actually questioned.”
Does this mean Heather Hoover provided Calvin Hoover with an alibi?!?! Am I understanding this correctly? Did she tell police he was taking care of their kids when Christine was abducted??!!

No it appears HH believed he was working. It was HH who was taking care of the kids. As his job wasn’t 9 to 5, I can see how he could’ve used it as a cover without question by his wife given his apparent irresponsible and manipulative personality in general, as well as alcohol issues.

MANDEL: Did Christine Jessop's killer strike again? -
“I believe Heather,” says Smith. “I don’t think he was around the home a lot. I think she had a lot of kids to look after at the time and I don’t think she questioned what it was he was doing when he said he was at work.

They now know his job took Hoover across the province as well as several cities in the U.S. Police continue to investigate whether he’s connected to any other unsolved murders...”

 

[MistyWaters]

Wow! I wonder if CH had his cable van the day he abducted Christine and was driving it instead of his personal vehicle? Also, I wonder if the cable company maintained records of the apartment building where Nicole Morin lived and if the building used that same cable company, which would have allowed him access to the building.

It’s possible he drove the cable van although so much for the witness who thought they saw Christine in a car.

That’d sure be a great thing if the cable company or apartment building maintained records from the 80’s however back then everything was on paper and companies usually would have no reason to save boxes of records going back almost 50 years. Seven years is the standard retention period for business records in order to defend tax audits, lawsuits or other potential claims.

MANDEL: Did Christine Jessop's killer strike again? -
“It’s a theory investigators have diligently explored, Smith says, but they’ve yet to find any evidence to tie the cable installer to her building at the time...”

 

[Track]

It’s a long shot, but perhaps LE could interview some long time residents of the building Morin was in, to see if they remember what cable company served them, in their unit, or the building. ( Get them to look at CH’s old picture). Tenants might know who was superintendent at the time, and then the super could be interviewed as he/she might remember what company or person dealt with the building. Again, showing them CH’s pic might jog a memory. Should CH be linked to the building, then it would make sense to again search the area where CJ was found

 

[Forest_Wood]

I’d like to know how they determined never to talk to CH as a suspect even though they felt the need to talk with HH. In that CBC article, HH said she thought her husband was working. Why might they interview her but not her husband? I wonder if because Heather thought he was at work, then did she tell the police he was at work during their questioning of her. And they didn’t even bother to check. Considering the Jessops were visiting them just two days previously, they both should have been interviewed. They questoned HH the very next day after Christine disappeared and “asked her every question possible”. I wonder why LE considered it more important to focus on her than on him.

"Sgt. Raymond Bunce of the York Regional Police Service interviewed Heather the day after Christine Jessop disappeared. Heather said police asked her "every question possible."

"I thought they were doing everything they possibly could, and I'm sure Janet did, too," she said.

Police have since confirmed Calvin Hoover was never questioned. The oversight has never been explained.

"Little did we know, he was right under our thumbs," said Heather.

Heather said she believed her husband was at work the afternoon Christine went missing. Now, 37 years later, she wonders why the police didn't probe further.

"Did they not check his alibi? Obviously not," she said.

According to Toronto police, who took over the case in 1995, Calvin Hoover's name came up in passing a couple of times in the cold case files, listed as a family friend of the Jessops' and as Heather's husband. It doesn't appear he was ever a suspect.

"I've thought many times things could be so different. If I had known way back then … if the cops had done their job a little better," said Heather.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/christine-jessop-killer-dna-interview-1.5903381

 

[MistyWaters]

I’d like to know how they determined never to talk to CH as a suspect even though they felt the need to talk with HH. In that CBC article, HH said she thought her husband was working. Why might they interview her but not her husband? I wonder if because Heather thought he was at work, then did she tell the police he was at work during their questioning of her. And they didn’t even bother to check. Considering the Jessops were visiting them just two days previously, they both should have been interviewed. They questoned HH the very next day after Christine disappeared and “asked her every question possible”. I wonder why LE considered it more important to focus on her than on him.

"Sgt. Raymond Bunce of the York Regional Police Service interviewed Heather the day after Christine Jessop disappeared. Heather said police asked her "every question possible."

"I thought they were doing everything they possibly could, and I'm sure Janet did, too," she said.

Police have since confirmed Calvin Hoover was never questioned. The oversight has never been explained.

"Little did we know, he was right under our thumbs," said Heather.

Heather said she believed her husband was at work the afternoon Christine went missing. Now, 37 years later, she wonders why the police didn't probe further.

"Did they not check his alibi? Obviously not," she said.

According to Toronto police, who took over the case in 1995, Calvin Hoover's name came up in passing a couple of times in the cold case files, listed as a family friend of the Jessops' and as Heather's husband. It doesn't appear he was ever a suspect.

"I've thought many times things could be so different. If I had known way back then … if the cops had done their job a little better," said Heather.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/christine-jessop-killer-dna-interview-1.5903381

I’m just thinking back to 1984, when the world was much different than today so I’ll make an attempt at looking back at that era through a lens -

In 1984 there was no such thing as cellphones or cellphone tracking, no GPS, no CCTV cameras, no Google as home computers and the internet had hardly been invented nor had the technological advancements of DNA occurred. People either read the paper, watched TV or listened to the radio to get the local news and news focused mainly on the immediate community.

It appears CHs job involved travel while laying cable. Was he always together with a work crew or did his job involve driving alone from site to site, maybe picking up or delivering cable we don’t know. Regardless, it’s highly doubtful he punched a daily time clock. Nobody he worked with was suspicious over an absence that day since there was no known tip. As a result it may’ve been literally impossible for LE to verify his alibi months after the fact even if they’d tried.

There was no other known evidence at that time to implicate CH and apparently neither the Jessop family, his wife, nor anyone else suspected him in the least. So even if he had been identified a person of interest at the onset, he apparently wasn’t sighted anywhere near Queensville that fateful day. Everyone who knew him in 2021 seemed surprised CH’s DNA was a match. Easy in hindsight to say “well they should’ve known”.

Back then, it was far easier for everyone concerned to zero in on the neighbour.

JMO

 

[Deleted member 275109]

I can’t imagine how that monster “came home from work”, after killing a child, and then kissed his own kids goodnight, and got into bed next to his wife, like nothing happened. Who does that like nothing happened??!!
Were his clothes dirty? How did he explain the messy laundry? Did he have any scratches on him, did anyone notice anything on him the next day? Did he bring a change of clothes with him that day? How cold and calculated was he? How did he remain composed the next day? If he was that good at hiding it, could he have done it again?

 

[deugirtni]

I don't think anyone is suggesting anyone should have known, but rather, that it seems shocking that CH wasn't even interviewed, even once, by police at the time. Who knows if something may have been noticed during an interview (discrepancies, demeanor (particular nervousness?), marks on his hands or face, etc) that may have sparked deeper looking into. Considering she had just visited his home days earlier, he worked with the dad, he knew he was in jail, his wife was friends with the mom, and he did travel for work (and likely not on a strict punch clock), it seems remiss that he was completely ignored. Jmo.

 

[Satchie]

I don't think anyone is suggesting anyone should have known, but rather, that it seems shocking that CH wasn't even interviewed, even once, by police at the time. Who knows if something may have been noticed during an interview (discrepancies, demeanor (particular nervousness?), marks on his hands or face, etc) that may have sparked deeper looking into. Considering she had just visited his home days earlier, he worked with the dad, he knew he was in jail, his wife was friends with the mom, and he did travel for work (and likely not on a strict punch clock), it seems remiss that he was completely ignored. Jmo.

But since there were no witnesses and no useful physical evidence, IMO LE and the prosecutors would have been unable to prove or disprove anything about CH - or anyone else. And that would have just created more uncertainty and confusion and misery.

IMO, the problem was, homicide detectives and prosecutors were not willing to let the case remain unsolved. Someone had to pay, pronto. IMO, the only option for LE to satisfy the family, the community and their own outrage was to pin it on a handy scapegoat and manufacture a case. IMO, they chose someone the family felt suspicious about, and who had no dependents like a wife and children, who would be harmed if the scapegoat was sent to jail for life.

I don't say this was done consciously, everyone managed to convince themselves Morin 'must' have done it, and they were serving the cause of justice. In that circumstance, you don't want to distract and confuse the situation by imagining the thousands of other possible scenarios.

I think this scapegoating process happens whenever there is a bad situation that no one understands. Somebody convenient, or some convenient group, are blamed with great self-righteousness so that, it's believed, everyone can go back to living the normal life they had been living before.

 

[Truth Prevails]

I don't think anyone is suggesting anyone should have known, but rather, that it seems shocking that CH wasn't even interviewed, even once, by police at the time. Who knows if something may have been noticed during an interview (discrepancies, demeanor (particular nervousness?), marks on his hands or face, etc) that may have sparked deeper looking into. Considering she had just visited his home days earlier, he worked with the dad, he knew he was in jail, his wife was friends with the mom, and he did travel for work (and likely not on a strict punch clock), it seems remiss that he was completely ignored. Jmo.

Also, Christine's mom had spoken to his wife that morning putting him in the position of being one of the very few people who would have known it was possible Christine would be home alone after school that day.

Snipped Quote: "My mother called (my father’s) lawyer, his boss and her friend (Heather) Hoover," he said, explaining Janet had been wondering if any information needed to be passed on to Bob during the visit.
'It all fits': Christine Jessop’s brother, Kenney, shares theory on how his sister was abducted by Calvin Hoover

 

[MistyWaters]

I believe the same mistakes that resulted in the wrongful conviction of GPM were the reasons CH was never considered a suspect. Once it was determined GPM was “the one”, the weird neighbour, it became a runaway train IMO involving everyone, not only LE. Still to this day I think it’s quite common to associate weirdness with guilt, unfortunately. It must be near impossible to begin a new investigation ten or more years later when the initial investigation focused on only one (innocent) person.

So as we can’t wind back the clock, for me what is the most fascinating aspect about this case - how almost 50 years after CH’s DNA was proven a match, not one person who knew him at any point in his lifetime has came forward to say “I’m not surprised at all”. To the contrary, somehow he managed to life his entire life without giving himself away.

An excellent summary of the wrongly conviction can be found here -
Guy Paul Morin Case | The Canadian Encyclopedia

 

[deugirtni]

But since there were no witnesses and no useful physical evidence, IMO LE and the prosecutors would have been unable to prove or disprove anything about CH - or anyone else. And that would have just created more uncertainty and confusion and misery.

IMO, the problem was, homicide detectives and prosecutors were not willing to let the case remain unsolved. Someone had to pay, pronto. IMO, the only option for LE to satisfy the family, the community and their own outrage was to pin it on a handy scapegoat and manufacture a case. IMO, they chose someone the family felt suspicious about, and who had no dependents like a wife and children, who would be harmed if the scapegoat was sent to jail for life.

I don't say this was done consciously, everyone managed to convince themselves Morin 'must' have done it, and they were serving the cause of justice. In that circumstance, you don't want to distract and confuse the situation by imagining the thousands of other possible scenarios.

I think this scapegoating process happens whenever there is a bad situation that no one understands. Somebody convenient, or some convenient group, are blamed with great self-righteousness so that, it's believed, everyone can go back to living the normal life they had been living before.

I'm not saying they should've known it was CH, or been able to prove it. I'm simply saying that as far as I have understood how things work, LE starts with the immediate family, and works their way out from there. To me, considering CH's relationship with the Jessops at that time, he should've been included in the first round of interviews, along with his wife. Maybe I'm naive, but it's my belief that police can sometimes get ahead in an investigation, during interviews, seeing as something might be said to put up a red flag or whatever, making it seem the person might be worthy of further looking into. If they had simply interviewed him at the time, and nothing came of it, at least it would be there in the files, as to why he wasn't ever considered any further.

 

[deugirtni]

Also, Christine's mom had spoken to his wife that morning putting him in the position of being one of the very few people who would have known it was possible Christine would be home alone after school that day.

Snipped Quote: "My mother called (my father’s) lawyer, his boss and her friend (Heather) Hoover," he said, explaining Janet had been wondering if any information needed to be passed on to Bob during the visit.
'It all fits': Christine Jessop’s brother, Kenney, shares theory on how his sister was abducted by Calvin Hoover

From what we have heard, I'm not sure why it is even relevant about the mom and brother going to visit the dad in jail that day. It was said that the brother had a dental appointment afterward, and THEN they even went shopping and bought him a watch. So where does the jail visit even come into play here? What is the reason the mom and brother couldn't have been home in time for CJ arriving home from school? (I'm not sure what time they arrived home?) It makes sense that if someone came across CJ and asked where her parents are, she perhaps may have mentioned, visiting my dad in jail, and that person would've had the opportunity to say, well come with me and we'll also go visit him.. but to use the jail visit as a preplanned event knowing CJ would arrive home to an empty house just doesn't make sense. imo.