Wayne Millard: Dellen Millard Charged With Murder In The First Degree #1

[Juballee]

I think it's fair to say the evidence is strong when the victim's body is found on the accused's farm, when the victim's car is found in the accused mother's driveway, when the victim is burned in an incinerator belonging to the accused, according to major newspapers, when the accused has no reason to own a livestock incinerator, when credible witnesses identify physical features which lead police to trace the accused. Honestly, I can't imagine what you'd consider strong evidence if not this.

Snowballing, as you put it, is what I alternatively described asmistake piling up upon mistake upon mistake. ONe mistake leads to others. Clearly, a wrongful conviction has to star somewhere. The point is it ends up being lots of people making lots of mistakes that checks and balances should prevent, but don't because they usually aren't used when they should be.

Here is the Innocence Project on causes of wrongful prosecutions. Which causes do you believe apply to the Millard case?

http://www.newenglandinnocence.org/knowledge-center/causes/

So I could theoretically break into your garage or shed, steal some of your tools, use them to murder someone, then burn that body in your BBQ, and leave their remains on your property, and move their vehicle to your Mom's house, all while wearing a wig that emulates your haircut, (or if you have a tattoo, I might ink that on my arm), and according to your scenario above, this would be strong enough evidence for everyone to conclude that you are the guilty party. And any initial evidence will back that up, if this were the case, so it would be possible for LE's initial assessment, that you are guilty, to lead them to seek out evidence which agrees with their view.

If that mistake was not caught, if no other suspect looked good, then it snowballs into something further. Next, everyone in the media would rip apart everything in your life, looking for anything that might even hint at anything unusual. One of your grade school bullies can come forward and claim you were a glue eater and your mother wore army boots. Someone who knew someone who was missing can see an opportunity to maybe find the missing person by jumping into the spotlight and claiming you were the last person to see them alive. And then once that happens, now LE are rethinking your close family member's recent suicide and suddenly finding it suspicious. Snowballing; that's how it can happen.

Again, I am not asserting that this what happened in this case, I still maintain that I do not know enough to cast my judgement yet. I am arguing that this is, I think, one of the reasons why some people still have doubts and not everyone considers the evidence so far to be as strong as some others seem to feel it is. Beside, we don't even know what the actual evidence is, we only know what the media has told us, and again, and are not always right, and they specialize in snowballing.

This is all my opinion only.

 

[Juballee]

There are certain events surrounding the death of WM that really puzzle me. 2 weeks prior to WM's death, DM meets with AS and expresses concern over running out of money. AS claims they parted on good terms.

From reports, I'm assuming that WM was found by DM and perhaps others on the evening of Thursday Nov 29th/12. By the time the scene was processed by TPS, I think it's safe to say that they didn't take the body out til early morning Friday Nov 30th/12 and I'm sure it would have gone for an autopsy. I can only assume that it would have been a sleepless night for all those on the scene.

The fact that there was a gun involved leads me to assume that there would have been a bit of clean up necessary at the house on Maple Gate- the house that DM was living in with WM. I can only imagine that it was an incredibly emotionally draining time.

But there's a part of this early post suicide time period that perplexes me. By Tuesday, Dec 4/12, 11 days before an obit or funeral, the manager of Waterloo International made this announcement by email to airport staff: "Wayne Millard passed away on Thursday last week, and his son Dellan (sic) has decided to shut down the business. All employees were laid off as of today. Jeff (Schelling, regional government lawyer) will be discussing the next steps with the bank and Millard's legal council. There is never a dull moment around here, that's for sure."
http://www.orangeville.com/news-sto...aster-inside-the-secret-millard-negotiations/

Gosh gosh gosh...IMO, Millardair's lawyers would have barely had time to digest WM's death let alone assess severances etc, move to shut down the company and layoff all the employees. Those layoff notices would have been prepared on Monday, Dec 3rd. Exactly what was the rush? Overwhelming grief? Need to have the hangar void of employees? Perhaps a "pink slip" power trip on all those guys that didn't have much respect for DM?

There's just something gnawing in my gut here- I just can't imagine a person so overwhelmed with the grief of losing the person he loved most moving so rapidly to shut that persons dream down. A DM perfected plan? Kill Dad on Thursday-stage scene for suicide- go out with unassuming ex on Thursday-find Dad on Thursday, act for Ex, Mom and Police, call lawyer on Friday, act for lawyer, shut down business on Monday and lay everyone off. Take a week to recoup, write obit, have memorial- the end. MOO

Honestly, if I was in shock from a close family member's suicide, and also thrust into their position to immediately start running their business, I think that the first thing that I would do would be to lay off the employees, especially if I knew weeks ago that the coffers were running low. To me that just makes sense.

 

[ABro]

So I could theoretically break into your garage or shed, steal some of your tools, use them to murder someone, then burn that body in your BBQ, and leave their remains on your property, and move their vehicle to your Mom's house, all while wearing a wig that emulates your haircut, (or if you have a tattoo, I might ink that on my arm), and according to your scenario above, this would be strong enough evidence for everyone to conclude that you are the guilty party. And any initial evidence will back that up, if this were the case, so it would be possible for LE's initial assessment, that you are guilty, to lead them to seek out evidence which agrees with their view.

If that mistake was not caught, if no other suspect looked good, then it snowballs into something further. Next, everyone in the media would rip apart everything in your life, looking for anything that might even hint at anything unusual. One of your grade school bullies can come forward and claim you were a glue eater and your mother wore army boots. Someone who knew someone who was missing can see an opportunity to maybe find the missing person by jumping into the spotlight and claiming you were the last person to see them alive. And then once that happens, now LE are rethinking your close family member's recent suicide and suddenly finding it suspicious. Snowballing; that's how it can happen.

Again, I am not asserting that this what happened in this case, I still maintain that I do not know enough to cast my judgement yet. I am arguing that this is, I think, one of the reasons why some people still have doubts and not everyone considers the evidence so far to be as strong as some others seem to feel it is. Beside, we don't even know what the actual evidence is, we only know what the media has told us, and again, and are not always right, and they specialize in snowballing.

This is all my opinion only.

Ok, fair enough. It's good to finally know where you're coming from even though, as you point out, you're not actually asserting this happened, just suggesting it as a possible scenario.

 

[SnooperDuper]

How business savvy was the 27 year old DM anyway?

Condo investors typically buy during construction, then sell when the project opens at peak prices or hang on for no longer than 5 years, when the warranty expires.

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/10/13/toronto-housing-condo-market/

Seems DM may have bought at peak price from true investors when projects opened, then hung on past the warranty expiry?

Not making any money, but giving lots of commission via sale + rental through agent?

 

[ArianeEmory]

So I could theoretically break into your garage or shed, steal some of your tools, use them to murder someone, then burn that body in your BBQ, and leave their remains on your property, and move their vehicle to your Mom's house, all while wearing a wig that emulates your haircut, (or if you have a tattoo, I might ink that on my arm), and according to your scenario above, this would be strong enough evidence for everyone to conclude that you are the guilty party.

The difference with this case, of course, is that DM is the only accused murderer I've ever seen on WS who has a few dedicated posters who a) feel that the abundance of evidence actually *exonerates* him and b) are willing to come up with extraordinarily complicated scenarios in his defense. You just don't see it for other cases, which of course has, for over a year now, left some of us wondering what is so special about DM. I'm not sure you guys realize how much it sticks out in the sea of other murder cases.

And I will say this for as long as the 'immensely complex framing' scenarios get lobbed out.

 

[Sillybilly]

Ok, fair enough. It's good to finally know where you're coming from even though, as you point out, you're not actually asserting this happened, just suggesting it as a possible scenario.

<bbm>

But in that possible scenario, would the theoretically innocent party, upon arrest, know the details of who set them up and why? The theoretically innocent party apparently remained silent on those important details of "the story" with LE but immediately shared their believable, detailed story with their lawyer who couldn't "get into it" then and still can't .. 18 months later while the innocent party sits in jail.

 

[Sillybilly]

Speaking of lawyers, I wonder when are we going to hear that DP is once again lawyer on record as this case goes forward.

It's a matter of serving all parties with a copy of "Notice of Lawyer on Record" and filing it with the Superior Court with proof of service .. routine and no big deal in the practice of law, yet it's been 3 months since the Crown announced it would go the route of direct indictment and 2 months since DP spoke publicly about it.

 

[Carli]

The difference with this case, of course, is that DM is the only accused murderer I've ever seen on WS who has a few dedicated posters who a) feel that the abundance of evidence actually *exonerates* him and b) are willing to come up with extraordinarily complicated scenarios in his defense. You just don't see it for other cases, which of course has, for over a year now, left some of us wondering what is so special about DM. I'm not sure you guys realize how much it sticks out in the sea of other murder cases.

And I will say this for as long as the 'immensely complex framing' scenarios get lobbed out.

I'm not familiar with many other cases on WS but I can't help but note that in the O'Brien case in Calgary; in the case of Wayne Millard; and in the case of Laura Babcock, considerable sleuthing has centered on these victims and their families and friends, including extensive research into their financial affairs, their business relationships and their personal relationships. In the Bosma case, however, the site's TOS are firmly enforced - a good thing if you ask me - but it does limit the discussion to some extent and in many ways. IMO. IMHO. This is not, for a moment to suggest that the victim or any member of his family brought this tragedy upon themselves. That would be an absurd conclusion. IMO. IMHO. etc. But it does mean that tangential, or otherwise potentially relevant avenues have not been part of the discussion here. This factor is just another one of the elements which, in my opinion, contributes to a re-enactment of the old fable about the blind men and the elephant. Some people touch the elephant and pronounce - I know exactly what this is - it's a rhinoceros - feel that leathery skin. Upon touching the elephant's trunk, others confidently state - no, I know what this is - it's a boa constrictor - feel those snake like movements. Still others say - I don't know what the heck this is, nor will I know until they take this damn blindfold off.

That's why it is really short changing the goals of those, like me and others here, who counsel prudence about concluding what really took place that awful night until this case is brought to trial, and the blindfolds are (hopefully) finally off. IMO. IMHO. MOO. etc.

 

[Carli]

<bbm>

But in that possible scenario, would the theoretically innocent party, upon arrest, know the details of who set them up and why? The theoretically innocent party apparently remained silent on those important details of "the story" with LE but immediately shared their believable, detailed story with their lawyer who couldn't "get into it" then and still can't .. 18 months later while the innocent party sits in jail.

He is/was, by all accounts, a pretty rich guy. He also seems to have started hanging with a very rough crowd. Then, as referenced in the Obit to his father, there appears to have been some tough competition going on, with respect to the business and the millions of dollars hanging in the balance. Quite apart from the extreme advisability of not chatting with the police when arrested for murder - information available to anybody who watches television - I think that far from knowing the details of who set him up and why, he'd need time and one or more private investigators to determine which of the several possible contenders might fill the bill.

 

[Carli]

Does anybody know how many employees MillardAir had at lay-off time? The article doesn't mention that detail.

http://www.cambridge.ca/relatedDocs/2012-08-22 CanadianSkies - Built for Bigger.pdf

 

[Tamarind]

<bbm>

But in that possible scenario, would the theoretically innocent party, upon arrest, know the details of who set them up and why? The theoretically innocent party apparently remained silent on those important details of "the story" with LE but immediately shared their believable, detailed story with their lawyer who couldn't "get into it" then and still can't .. 18 months later while the innocent party sits in jail.

I don't think someone who was set up would necessarily know who set them up or why. They would need to know what the one setting them up had for a reason/goal in doing so.

If we hypothetically for one moment, decide to do away with someone, would we put down a ton of crumbs as in Hansel and Gretal to lead those following our tracks right to our door? Or would we try as hard as possible to make it look like someone else did it? Especially someone we did not like or who we were jealous of? The reasoning behind it would be simple not complex at all. Someone is jealous, they have a grudge, they want a slice of the cake, they want a certain person behind bars or dead - the list goes on and someone who feels this way will in my opinion do whatever it takes to point the finger of suspicion away from themselves. (Like putting all the evidence pointing to DM)

Of course, we can also look at it another way, still feasible in my opinion, DM and co genuinely go looking for a truck - en-route they encounter problems by way of someone who dislikes either DM or whoever, for whatever reason. Things take a turn and get ugly. DM is left holding the bag.

I am not saying any such thing happened but I do not know that it didn't!
It would be very unwise for anyone accused of murder to speak to the police about it, in my opinion. Anyone, especially an innocent, should lawyer up or shut up or both. Inadvertently anyone can say something that gets misconstrued and that can possibly be all it takes to convict you. I think you are better off sitting in jail for 18 months than trying to talk your way out of a situation where you have a federal body determined to prove you guilty, you would at the very least be hoping the jury comprised of at least one rational thinker. On another note, if DM were guilty he has opportunity to plea out to a lesser charge, so he must be quite sure he is innocent or else he may well have taken a plea deal by now and be waiting for sentencing.

Here is another recent release of an innocent woman who was convicted of murder based on a lying witness, it happens !
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/susan-mel...for-a-murder-she-didn-t-commit-153123599.html

 

[Carli]

Perhaps this case caught the attention of others here who, like me, have a great interest in aviation history, especially Canadian achievements in that field. While much has been made of the so-called shoots at the old MillardAir that had the press lusting for more, the fact is that in its twilight years at Malton, the hangar appears to have been rented out for many photographic endeavours including music videos, commercials and even major Hollywood movies. Alert viewers will find several shots in the attached "Amelia" clip showing MillardAir planes and premises in this award winning film about the life and times of the legendary Amelia Earhart.

[video=youtube;ioZCEpRLpxo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioZCEpRLpxo[/video]

The film was shot in 2008. Reportedly the producers used MillardAir's Lockheed Electra, a Ford Trimotor, Tigermoth and DC-3. A bunch of scrap Electra parts were used in the "crash" scene. Some of Millard's 1920's era cars also appear. The movie starred Richard Gere and Hillary Swank. I haven't watched it all but I presume they kept their clothes on. In 2007 "The Hulk 2" also used the MillardAir hangar location, just two of several major films shot there through the years.

 

[redheart]

He is/was, by all accounts, a pretty rich guy. He also seems to have started hanging with a very rough crowd. Then, as referenced in the Obit to his father, there appears to have been some tough competition going on, with respect to the business and the millions of dollars hanging in the balance. Quite apart from the extreme advisability of not chatting with the police when arrested for murder - information available to anybody who watches television - I think that far from knowing the details of who set him up and why, he'd need time and one or more private investigators to determine which of the several possible contenders might fill the bill.

BBM. You're stating that he was set up as fact? So he was set up for TB's murder, plus LB and WM?

:facepalm:

 

[Carli]

There are certain events surrounding the death of WM that really puzzle me. 2 weeks prior to WM's death, DM meets with AS and expresses concern over running out of money. AS claims they parted on good terms.

(Snipped by me)

There's just something gnawing in my gut here- I just can't imagine a person so overwhelmed with the grief of losing the person he loved most moving so rapidly to shut that persons dream down. MOO

Yes, I understand your concern. Then I think one should realize that however it came to pass, WM was abruptly out of the picture. The hangar had no income whatsoever and had none for many months and absolutely no prospects either. DM had already had a meeting with the Texas sales guy to dress the guy down for not being productive. As we know, that chap had lots of reasons to explain why he couldn't do his job. Non-productive people always do. Nevertheless there would be significant overheads at MillardAir, mortgage/loan and lease payments and upwards of 25 employees sitting on their thumbs awaiting their paycheques. Now, if WM had been floating this operation from his own bank account - which seems highly likely, imo, awaiting the good times roll when the MRO license came through, and all the while depending upon pre-sale contract successes of that self-same guy in Texas, I don't think you'd have to be a management genius to turn out the lights and lock the door at least until you were able to sit down and figure out exactly how bad the situation was. Wasn't this exactly what he was doing when LE came a-calling? Besides, at that point, if the family coffers were supporting this whole house of cards, you don't have access to WM's bank account. You can't pay the bills even if you wanted to. Moreover, running this business was never your idea in the first place. From all reports, you appear to be interested in real estate, video games, travel, photography and cooking with a few extreme sports thrown in. In this respect he was no different than hundreds, if not thousands, of wealthy kids. Allegedly, he may be guilty of the murders of three innocents, but in my opinion, while there are serious errors in judgement that DM may have to answer for, promptly shutting down MillardAir is not one of them. MOO. IMHO. etc.

 

[Carli]

BBM. You're stating that he was set up as fact? So he was set up for TB's murder, plus LB and WM?

:facepalm:

Beg pardon? I was replying to sillybilly's message. The opinion expressed was that DM would know he was set up if, in fact, he was. I think that may not necessarily be so.

 

[Sillybilly]

While lying may be involved there is equal or greater opportunity for simple error. Eye witness testimony is notoriously unreliable, they say, a fact that has been endlessly tested and confirmed. For me an essential question boils down to whether or not SB saw the tattoo on DM's wrist. (Even then, I'd have to know whether she remembered seeing that tattoo before or after it was included in the LE photo handouts.) The RBEG, a guy LE says had been contacted on the burner phone, says he saw the tattoo on the wrist of a guy wearing a short-sleeved orange shirt, as I recall, but he went on a test drive with the accused and therefore had plenty of time to look them over in the light of day. In the darkness of a night in May, we understand that SB was able to determine that one guy was tall and wearing a long sleeved orange shirt and the other guy was short and wore a hoodie. So again, how and when did she see DM's tattoo? I think the question is very aggravating to those convinced of the guilt of the accused because of the facts that follow - TB's vehicle in the truck at Mom's house - Body at the farm that MSM, at least, seems flat out certain was burned in the incinerator. But rolling that snowball back uphill again - if SB's recall of the visitors that night is flawed, then the possibility of frameup simply must be considered, imo, imho.

I don&#8217;t see any snowballs there. It wasn&#8217;t necessary for SB to see the tatt at any time &#8230; the guys who showed up at TB&#8217;s contacted him through the same phone that was used to contact the Etobicoke witness who can identify them, along with SB's identification that you suggest could be flawed.

 

[Tamarind]

I don&#8217;t see any snowballs there. It wasn&#8217;t necessary for SB to see the tatt at any time &#8230; the guys who showed up at TB&#8217;s contacted him through the same phone that was used to contact the Etobicoke witness who can identify them, along with SB's identification that you suggest could be flawed.

Where is that phone now? Where was it found? Who put it there? Who actually called TB? Who actually called Etobicoke witness? Was it the same caller? Did someone call for DM ? Who did the phone really belong to? Was it long sleeved shirt or short sleeved shirt? Was there a third person? again the questions are endless. I don't think we can hang this case on identification as we do not know what truly happened.

Just recently in Ontario a case was thrown out because the 'eye witness' claimed the assailant looked at her with big dark brown eyes. In truth the 'accused' had bright blue eyes. This didn't prevent the accused from being incarcerated for a very long time prior to trial.

 

[matou]

There are certain events surrounding the death of WM that really puzzle me. 2 weeks prior to WM's death, DM meets with AS and expresses concern over running out of money. AS claims they parted on good terms.

From reports, I'm assuming that WM was found by DM and perhaps others on the evening of Thursday Nov 29th/12. By the time the scene was processed by TPS, I think it's safe to say that they didn't take the body out til early morning Friday Nov 30th/12 and I'm sure it would have gone for an autopsy. I can only assume that it would have been a sleepless night for all those on the scene.

The fact that there was a gun involved leads me to assume that there would have been a bit of clean up necessary at the house on Maple Gate- the house that DM was living in with WM. I can only imagine that it was an incredibly emotionally draining time.

But there's a part of this early post suicide time period that perplexes me. By Tuesday, Dec 4/12, 11 days before an obit or funeral, the manager of Waterloo International made this announcement by email to airport staff: "Wayne Millard passed away on Thursday last week, and his son Dellan (sic) has decided to shut down the business. All employees were laid off as of today. Jeff (Schelling, regional government lawyer) will be discussing the next steps with the bank and Millard's legal council. There is never a dull moment around here, that's for sure."
http://www.orangeville.com/news-sto...aster-inside-the-secret-millard-negotiations/

Gosh gosh gosh...IMO, Millardair's lawyers would have barely had time to digest WM's death let alone assess severances etc, move to shut down the company and layoff all the employees. Those layoff notices would have been prepared on Monday, Dec 3rd. Exactly what was the rush? Overwhelming grief? Need to have the hangar void of employees? Perhaps a "pink slip" power trip on all those guys that didn't have much respect for DM?

There's just something gnawing in my gut here- I just can't imagine a person so overwhelmed with the grief of losing the person he loved most moving so rapidly to shut that persons dream down. A DM perfected plan? Kill Dad on Thursday-stage scene for suicide- go out with unassuming ex on Thursday-find Dad on Thursday, act for Ex, Mom and Police, call lawyer on Friday, act for lawyer, shut down business on Monday and lay everyone off. Take a week to recoup, write obit, have memorial- the end. MOO

Do we even know what DM was doing or where he was between the death of his father and the reception on Dec 15th? Was he out of the country? Was he corresponding with the airport management from afar?

 

[ABro]

<bbm>

But in that possible scenario, would the theoretically innocent party, upon arrest, know the details of who set them up and why? The theoretically innocent party apparently remained silent on those important details of "the story" with LE but immediately shared their believable, detailed story with their lawyer who couldn't "get into it" then and still can't .. 18 months later while the innocent party sits in jail.

Not to mention that in this scenario, we would have three wrongful prosecutions of the same person -- likely one of the worst miscarriages of justice in Canadian legal history.

Three major police forces would have to had to make multiple mistakes, to put it kindly, or be complete morons, to put it less kindly. Two crown prosecutors offices would have had to fail to catch the screw-ups on one of the biggest news stories of 2013.

The Major Case Management System -- designed to prevent exactly this type of mess -- would have proven to be a complete FAIL.

Oh, and then there's the Attorney General, who agreed to direct indictment -- so yet another major mistake in the glaring public spotlight.

In short, the justice system would have massively failed at every single level so far.

Must have been the wig.

 

[Tamarind]

Not to mention that in this scenario, we would have three wrongful prosecutions of the same person -- likely one of the worst miscarriages of justice in Canadian legal history.

Three major police forces would have to had to make multiple mistakes, to put it kindly, or be complete morons, to put it less kindly. Two crown prosecutors offices would have had to fail to catch the screw-ups on one of the biggest news stories of 2013.

The Major Case Management System -- designed to prevent exactly this type of mess p -- would be seen to be a complete FAIL.

Oh, and then there's the Attorney General, who agreed to direct indictment, yet another major mistake.

So, in short, the justice system has failed at every single level so far.

Must have been the wig.

Had DM obviously been the killer of his father I would have expected the major police forces to have been competent enough at the time and not have taken over a year to come to the conclusion that DM killed his father. Crown prosecutors go by what they are given and often it isn't much according to a crown prosecutor friend of mine. I think if the police had said the killer was anyone of those present that evening, many would have jumped at the chance to rake through their lives and have them convicted publicly before trial. Now we have the strange situation of a gun having been sold allegedly to DM, yet this was not discovered at the time. As far as LB case goes, there is no body and no proof that she is dead, even her family seem confused.

The police are not the justice system. From what I have been told, disclosure goes to the judge who is managing the case, he just organizes the preliminaries and the pretrials and any other challenges along the way. He does not involve himself in the exacting justice side of things except to gather and organize the case for the trial judge. The truth should come out at trial ( hopefully) and then will be the time for the justice system to swing into play. That of course will be based on what is presented. It will be up to a jury to try to determine what the truth actually is. Thats my thoughts about it .