CANADA Canada - Lindsay Buziak, 24, Victoria, BC, 2 Feb 2008

[Danaya]

Just throwing this out there for discussion. There's a theory out there that doesn't involve drugs/cartels: Lindsay had knowledge about high-level mortgage fraud in real estate. She knew too much and whoever set this up didn't think she could be trusted to keep quiet.

The Dateline episode The Dream House Mystery (first real comprehensive and in-depth coverage) had an expert panel who all agreed the person(s) behind this likely had ties to the real estate industry and possibly even worked in Lindsay's office. Worth a revisit for Dateline fans. I think it's also the only TV interview Jason and his mother Shirley did together. Here's part one of six.

Interesting Points from Dateline:

SZ's Contradictory Statements (Part 4, 1:36)

• Claims Lindsay told her that she was afraid of ex boyfriend MM less than 24 hours before the murder
• According to Dateline, SZ is the ONLY person Lindsay ever said this to
• When asked why Lindsay was afraid, SZ seems caught off guard and replies: "I don't think she really got into the details"
• Dateline interviewer sounds skeptical, noting "SZ is the mother of the man who was once considered the prime suspect" (Part 4, 2:15)
• According to Dateline, Lindsay and MM "had already been apart for two years and both had moved on to new relationships" and hadn't had contact for months prior to her murder

The MM Interview - Major Contradictions

• MM admits that he and Lindsay had a stormy relationship but denies any abuse (Part 4, 2:44)
• Lindsay's close friends said that she was actually thinking of leaving JZ and going back to MM (Part 4, 3:28)
• Lindsay missed MM and considered him to be her "Mr.Big" à la Sex in the City
• This contradicts SZ's statement.
• MM denies any involvement in Lindsay's murder (Part 4, 1:25) and had an alibi

The Dateline episode also featured a panel of highly regarded and experienced professionals:

• Dwayne Stanton - Homicide Detective
• Yolanda McClary - Crime Scene Investigator
• Alan Jackson - Attorney

Expert Analysis (Part 6, 1:58)
All experts agree:

• Killer knew Lindsay
• Same business, possibly same real estate firm
• The actual killers (man and woman) likely have violent criminal histories
• Man/woman team is unusual and makes the case more complex
• NOT professional hit: Crime showed "a level of panic" and "unsophistication"
• One expert: "I call it planned, not necessarily professional, but planned"
• How it gets solved? All agree: someone needs to come forward.
• One expert confidently states: "This case isn't going to be solved on forensic evidence, this case is going to be solved by loose lips" (Part 4, 3:27)

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Just throwing this out there for discussion. There's a theory out there that doesn't involve drugs/cartels: Lindsay had knowledge about high-level mortgage fraud in real estate. She knew too much and whoever set this up didn't think she could be trusted to keep quiet.

The Dateline episode The Dream House Mystery (first real comprehensive and in-depth coverage) had an expert panel who all agreed the person(s) behind this likely had ties to the real estate industry and possibly even worked in Lindsay's office. Worth a revisit for Dateline fans. I think it's also the only TV interview Jason and his mother Shirley did together. Here's part one of six.

Interesting Points from Dateline:

SZ's Contradictory Statements (Part 4, 1:36)

• Claims Lindsay told her that she was afraid of ex boyfriend MM less than 24 hours before the murder
• According to Dateline, SZ is the ONLY person Lindsay ever said this to
• When asked why Lindsay was afraid, SZ seems caught off guard and replies: "I don't think she really got into the details"
• Dateline interviewer sounds skeptical, noting "SZ is the mother of the man who was once considered the prime suspect" (Part 4, 2:15)
• According to Dateline, Lindsay and MM "had already been apart for two years and both had moved on to new relationships" and hadn't had contact for months prior to her murder

The MM Interview - Major Contradictions

• MM admits that he and Lindsay had a stormy relationship but denies any abuse (Part 4, 2:44)
• Lindsay's close friends said that she was actually thinking of leaving JZ and going back to MM (Part 4, 3:28)
• Lindsay missed MM and considered him to be her "Mr.Big" à la Sex in the City
• This contradicts SZ's statement.
• MM denies any involvement in Lindsay's murder (Part 4, 1:25) and had an alibi

The Dateline episode also featured a panel of highly regarded and experienced professionals:

• Dwayne Stanton - Homicide Detective
• Yolanda McClary - Crime Scene Investigator
• Alan Jackson - Attorney

Expert Analysis (Part 6, 1:58)
All experts agree:

• Killer knew Lindsay
• Same business, possibly same real estate firm
• The actual killers (man and woman) likely have violent criminal histories
• Man/woman team is unusual and makes the case more complex
• NOT professional hit: Crime showed "a level of panic" and "unsophistication"
• One expert: "I call it planned, not necessarily professional, but planned"
• How it gets solved? All agree: someone needs to come forward.
• One expert confidently states: "This case isn't going to be solved on forensic evidence, this case is going to be solved by loose lips" (Part 4, 3:27)

ITA, if you take the whole drug/cartel out of it altogether I think it can definitely swing the other way.

I think very possible someone was scamming, skimming, laundering money through that office or tied to someone in it. Friend? Lover? Family?

I can't shake this crime has a woman's touch - in planning and possibly the actual murder. It's over the top. Extremely calculated.

The "Mexican" accents might have been a red herring to make it seem drug/cartel. The reason Lindsay wanted back up with the couple is because she probably instinctually thought the accent sounded fake.

The dress and the wig, not to sound sexist but I seriously think that's details a women would think to do, not cartel or drug dealers.

It does seem personal. Rage, jealousy, someone stewing and having contempt for a long time.

I have super interested in this theory especially when JZ's best friend (who was at Lindsay's birthday) was charged with fraud but he's in another country so they can't prosecute IIRC....

Do you have someone in mind?

 

[Danaya]

Do you have someone in mind?

For the planner or for the killers? I think it's fairly obvious who would've ordered the hit in this theory. It was someone with a lot to lose. In their mind, the perceived benefit of having Lindsay murdered outweighed the risk — and it was very risky.

 

[Sillybilly]

You think he lied about who he suspects? Or other facts?

I've read his blog, but haven't in a few years. I used to read it all the time hoping a break would happen.

I am frustrated this case hasn't been solved. I am foggy on details and can't remember what DNA they got from this crime. Now with familial DNA being used to solve crimes, I wonder if it could happen here.

I'm Canadian but no idea if we are using that technology here or not, I've seen in US but unsure we use it here.

<bbm>

Yes it is used in Canada, and the case of Gerald Derocher is just one example of the many being solved by Othram HERE.

 

[othram]

<bbm>

Yes it is used in Canada, and the case of Gerald Derocher is just one example of the many being solved by Othram HERE.

@Lalalacasbah Lots of cases in Canada:

DNASolves® CA Map

Case updates by province

dnasolves.com

 

[Lalalacasbah]

For the planner or for the killers? I think it's fairly obvious who would've ordered the hit in this theory. It was someone with a lot to lose. In their mind, the perceived benefit of having Lindsay murdered outweighed the risk — and it was very risky.

I am torn if I think the couple did the actual killing or someone was hiding and waiting upstairs in that room. Then that would make 3 people at the scene. I am also torn if the planner was at/inside the house and part of it.

There's kinda two white collar groups I think are capable and had motive. One group is a family, the other thought I had was an actual couple possibly or business partners with ties to real estate and/or the office.

The only reason I think no one has talked is because it's a family bond or a lovers/business partnership bond. But if no longer lovers, maybe someone would've talked by now. I go all over with this case! MOO JMO

 

[Danaya]

Unfortunately, I don't think they have enough viable DNA for genetic genealogy. In 2021 they retested items found at the crime scene but nothing ever came of it.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

<bbm>

Yes it is used in Canada, and the case of Gerald Derocher is just one example of the many being solved by Othram HERE.

Oh that's wonderful! I'm not up to date with the tech news and the crimes. Very wild stuff, so nice for the families.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

@Lalalacasbah Lots of cases in Canada:

DNASolves® CA Map

Case updates by province

dnasolves.com

Thanks so much for this link, I had no idea this was out there! That is amazing.

So many people getting closure for their loved ones and putting the bad guys in prison is good too.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Unfortunately, I don't think they have enough viable DNA for genetic genealogy. In 2021 they retested items found at the crime scene but nothing ever came of it.

That is so frustrating. I still don't get how that was possible.

There must've been so much blood and to think the killer's hand didn't slip on a knife? I think LE know the weapon. Wonder if a hunting type knife or what... I had wondered if the killer wore a hazmat suit, they must've.

 

[Danaya]

I am torn if I think the couple did the actual killing or someone was hiding and waiting upstairs in that room. Then that would make 3 people at the scene. I am also torn if the planner was at/inside the house and part of it.

There's kinda two white collar groups I think are capable and had motive. One group is a family, the other thought I had was an actual couple possibly or business partners with ties to real estate and/or the office.

The only reason I think no one has talked is because it's a family bond or a lovers/business partnership bond. But if no longer lovers, maybe someone would've talked by now. I go all over with this case! MOO JMO

I think it was just the two - the man and woman alone with Lindsay. The woman was there to make Lindsay feel safer and give the impression of a couple. Based on statistics and strength, the man likely did the actual killing. The woman may have helped restrain her or was backup.

Possibly only three people total - the planner and the couple - though I go back and forth as well. LE has said people in the community have knowledge, which implies more could be involved.

That is so frustrating. I still don't get how that was possible.

There must've been so much blood and to think the killer's hand didn't slip on a knife? I think LE know the weapon. Wonder if a hunting type knife or what... I had wondered if the killer wore a hazmat suit, they must've.

I don't think they wore hazmat suits because the eyewitness described their clothing in detail, and they were in and out too quickly. Since Lindsay let them walk behind her up the stairs I don't think she suspected they were going to do anything to her. If they changed into hazmat suits then I imagine she would've left immediately.

The killer likely brought gloves and put them on as they went upstairs. I think that they had planned in advance where they would attack her. They probably knew the layout of the house, maybe even studied it. They knew she would be most vulnerable with her back turned to them and that the upstairs afforded them more privacy.

I think they chose the staircase because striking when Lindsay was unsuspecting and unable to defend herself was key. Less resistance means less chance of DNA under fingernails, from bites, or from cuts. Not sure what knife was used, but they may have left it at the scene - better than being caught with it. Or else they dumped it somewhere. A small, compact knife that fits in a coat pocket would work if you know where to stab.

 

[Cedars]

That is so frustrating. I still don't get how that was possible.

There must've been so much blood and to think the killer's hand didn't slip on a knife? I think LE know the weapon. Wonder if a hunting type knife or what... I had wondered if the killer wore a hazmat suit, they must've.

I don't know if you followed the Delphi/Bridge Guy murders in Indiana, but they couldn't find any DNA at that crime scene (two girls forced to undress and stabbed). And if the Idaho 4 killer hadn't left behind his knife sheath, there'd have no DNA in that case either.

JMO

 

[xjd11]

I can see where the theory is real estate related could be true, but some comments have speculated the killers had to be someone she knew. if that were the case why wouldn't she just say i'm meeting so-and-so to show them a house instead of putting "Mexicans" in her planner? or if they indeed presented themselves over the phone as Mexicans, wouldn't she recognize them when she showed up at the house? I would think either just confusion or alarm would be her response if that were the case. but instead it seems she took off her shoes in the house (which some realtors do) as if it were a legit house showing. of course it's possible the person behind it all was known to her, but I don't think it makes sense to say she knew the people who actually stabbed her.

 

[Danaya]

The people who committed the physical act of murder weren't known to her. The Dateline panel meant that whoever ordered the hit was. The couple were likely just paid for their "services."

 

[Lalalacasbah]

I don't think they wore hazmat suits because the eyewitness described their clothing in detail, and they were in and out too quickly. Since Lindsay let them walk behind her up the stairs I don't think she suspected they were going to do anything to her. If they changed into hazmat suits then I imagine she would've left immediately.

The killer likely brought gloves and put them on as they went upstairs. I think that they had planned in advance where they would attack her. They probably knew the layout of the house, maybe even studied it. They knew she would be most vulnerable with her back turned to them and that the upstairs afforded them more privacy.

I think they chose the staircase because striking when Lindsay was unsuspecting and unable to defend herself was key. Less resistance means less chance of DNA under fingernails, from bites, or from cuts. Not sure what knife was used, but they may have left it at the scene - better than being caught with it. Or else they dumped it somewhere. A small, compact knife that fits in a coat pocket would work if you know where to stab.

Sorry I didn't mean the couple, I meant hazmat suit one person/killer was waiting upstairs in the closet prepared.

She wasn't attacked on the staircase was she? IIRC it all went down in that bedroom but I am foggy so might be wrong. Or do you mean first struck with something else on the stairs to disorientate her?

I can't remember what's all been released. I don't think they ever released the murder weapon, well knife but I don't recall what kind. Or if she was struck on head with blunt object before being stabbed.

I agree, with her back possibly turned anywhere in that house.she was vulnerable

 

[Lalalacasbah]

I don't know if you followed the Delphi/Bridge Guy murders in Indiana, but they couldn't find any DNA at that crime scene (two girls forced to undress and stabbed). And if the Idaho 4 killer hadn't left behind his knife sheath, there'd have no DNA in that case either.

JMO

I didn't follow Delphi, dipped into it a bit... but I can't keep up with half the cases I'm into lol..so didn't follow that one.

For sure Idaho 4, BK was definitely prepared. I'm still shocked he didn't leave not a drop of DNA to be honest! Blood soaks through black clothes if he even got a cut, but he was lucky and so was LE to get a hit on that sheath.

And Liknes/O'Brien murder - that P O S did wear a hazmat suit and there was no DNA. Another fluke how they got that perp and thank goodness, so horrendous.

 

[Danaya]

Sorry I didn't mean the couple, I meant hazmat suit one person/killer was waiting upstairs in the closet prepared.

She wasn't attacked on the staircase was she? IIRC it all went down in that bedroom but I am foggy so might be wrong. Or do you mean first struck with something else on the stairs to disorientate her?

I can't remember what's all been released. I don't think they ever released the murder weapon, well knife but I don't recall what kind. Or if she was struck on head with blunt object before being stabbed.

I agree, with her back possibly turned anywhere in that house.she was vulnerable

The master bedroom was at the top of the staircase, which is why I always assumed they got behind her on the stairs to take her by surprise with her back turned. That's just how I envisioned it, but I wasn't there -- I don't think anyone can conclusively say where the attack started. Obviously she was killed in the master bedroom since that's where her body was found and presumably where the blood was.

I reread the Capital Daily article and it says: "The main bedroom was at the top of the stairs. As Lindsay turned to show the ensuite bathroom, she was stabbed from behind with an edged weapon." I'm not sure how they determined she was killed specifically when turning to show the bathroom since there were no witnesses. Maybe investigators concluded it from where her body was found and blood spatter patterns. It seems oddly specific. Either way, the point is LB was led into a vulnerable position and taken by surprise with her back turned. A lot of realtors lead the way when showing homes, which is why the female accomplice was brought along -- she helped lower LB's guard.

I don't think you need a hazmat suit to kill someone small and unsuspecting without leaving DNA, especially if it's well-planned. The expert panel emphasized this was planned, so I assume the attack was too. Adding another person hiding upstairs just means more people privy to and witnessing a murder and that's a liability. Typically you want in and out, minimal witnesses. Two people can get the job done. Even having a man and woman team was unusual, according to the Dateline panel. Having a third person hiding upstairs in a hazmat suit just doesn't make strategic sense to me. LB was small, so a man with a knife wouldn't have trouble overpowering her, especially with the female accomplice there to help restrain her if needed.

The panel believing the killers had real estate ties might be spot-on. They knew which house to select: a vacant property where they wouldn't be interrupted. They knew the layout well enough to lead LB to the most isolated part of the house. This level of familiarity could suggest insider knowledge of local listings as well as even property access.

Also, this wasn't typical organized crime methodology. Hitmen hired by organized crime usually favor straightforward approaches -- catching someone at a restaurant, coming home, getting in or out of their car in a parking lot or parkade. The fact that a vacant house was chosen could signify real estate ties because, yeah, LB was a real estate agent, but it's not the typical MO of the type of people she was allegedly linked to through the Calgary drug bust. There were easier ways to kill her. Stabbing her to death in a staged showing seems unnecessarily risky and complicated. Why would someone take that risk, and why choose that method? I think the answer to that question is key.