I guess this post will probably set off a firestorm but I stress in advance that I'm expressing my opinion. MHO. My independent opinion.
I have no dog in this race but many years ago I lived in Ancaster for some time, so that's my primary excuse, but I'm also always attracted to mysterious events that seem to have no immediately rational reason.
What worries me about this case is that we while there's tremendous emotion surrounding the presumed deaths of such good people, there's also a fierce wish to rush to judgement that is, frankly, quite baffling. According to Stats Canada, there were over 170 homicides in Ontario in 2012, a number that had remained constant for several prior years so one might be safe in assuming a similar number would apply to 2013. Nevertheless, due process is followed, in nearly all these cases, however laborious, time consuming and expensive these proceedings may be.
It's rote procedure in 99.9 percent of events in the arrest to trial continuum.
Except here.
This drive to a rush to judgement is all the more baffling because while, in this case we reportedly have accused a wealthy "playboy", a drifter, a pretty young thing, and an assortment of gangster low lives and opportunists, with murder. However, what we do not seem to have, at least so far, are bodies. TB's "remains burned beyond recognition" were nonetheless identified within hours followed by later questions about how more ashes than those created by one person had been found. At the time of his death, WM was found to have committed suicide and his body cremated by the family. One must ask, was LE mistaken in assigning the cause of WM's death as by his own hand then, or are they mistaken now is determining that WM was murdered by his son? The final missing body is, of course, that of the troubled young woman LB. We've only learned that she was dealing with mental issues, possibly including identity/personality shifts, that she'd fallen in with very shady friends and that her remains have not been examined by coroners in Ontario.
I am absolutely confident that LE is doing an outstanding job in getting to the bottom of these events and, as has been repeatedly pointed out here, have little doubt that serious crimes have been committed and that they've arrested the right persons for carrying out those crimes.
I, for one most heartily hope they are right.
Finally, I'm sorry to add that I'm very puzzled by the disparate approaches LE and, I guess, the Prosecution, has taken to the victim's families here. This may speak to the question of "tunnel vision", especially given the degree of public interest associated with these crimes, in particular that of TB. In TBs case, updates to the family were provided in person and LE members were even very visibly in attendance at the nationally televised memorial. During the past months SB has been a guest speaker at at least one LE event. A lack of involvement with members of the Millard family is in stark contrast, possibly more understandably, since at least one is incarcerated and charged with the death and the business dealings of others are probably being closely monitored. The probably suffering of the LB family, however, is almost beyond bearing. Imagine hearing through the media that charges had been laid in the murder of your daughter, when you are still holding out hope that she is alive somewhere and the police have never spoken to you at all. Unintentionally cruel, I'm sure, but cruel nonetheless. IMO.
On a side note, I seem to recall with certainty that there were many media references to delays in the Prosecution's provision of Discovery documents to the accused's lawyers who consistently referenced these delays until the arrest of CN when her lawyer complained about the mountains of discovery documents that had landing on him. Yet all such references seem to have been cleansed from the Web. Who has the ability (or the time) to make these story "fixups" I wonder, and why?
(Please, I beg you, in responding, try to refrain from telling me that LE never lays charges or takes action against any person without absolute proof that they've committed the crime. I'm sure that would be true in a world where Robert Dziekanski never got lost in an airport; where Sammy Yatim or Reyal Jardine-Douglas never boarded a TTC bus; where G20 protesters felt that civic protest is unacceptable and so on and so on and on.)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/trial-hears-from-witnesses-who-saw-dziekanski-tasered/article12693749/
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/toronto-cop-found-guilty-of-assaulting-g20-protester-with-weapon-1.1451179
The undeniable fact is that those who wear police uniforms in the service of their communities, their provinces and the nation carry tremendous responsibility on their shoulders - responsibility that may lead them into extreme danger on behalf of citizens. But by the same token, we citizens must demand complete transparency from police and from public prosecutors whenever and where ever there is any effort to shortcut or curtail legal process, IMO. IMHO.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
But we knew that.
The Court and only the Court is the arbiter of guilt or innocence. Not LE. Not the Prosecution. Not the Defense.
But we knew that.
In the same way as one might say, if the accused (witch, Jew, Palestinian, murderer, rapist, protester, terrorist, rights activist, al Jazeera reporter etc.) has nothing to fear if they've done nothing wrong, one might equally point out that the prosecution, if they have nothing to fear, should have no problem with divulging all, absolutely all, of the evidence they've collected to bring the accused to trial. In fact they should welcome the opportunity to prove the strength of their case.
Anyway, there's my rant for the day. All IMHO, of course. Absolutely and emphatically only MO! And again underscored
IMHO
