fight back and flee the garage, just as described in the document. ", All of these are items the police would later discover at the crime scene. John Brian "Johnny" Altinger was a 38 year old Crown prosecutors had not immediately decided if they friends broke into his condo only to find his passport, dirty Little is publically known about Megan and even her surname is unsure with some reports stating it is Castereall. Today, The Journal continues a . attended and reported on the trial, including American television Tetreault said Twitchell, wearing a black and gold hockey mask, ordered him to the ground at gunpoint inside the garage. Investigators say Twitchell stabbed and bludgeoned Altinger before cutting him up and partially burning the body. He lures men who think they're going to be arriving for a date. An important piece of evidence was the hockey mask the killer wore when he attacked his two victims in October of 2008. sensationalized that it is unreasonable to expect any One piece of the puzzle that had the police stumped was the fact that "SK Confessions" spoke of a victim who got away. unreasonable to expect any unsequestered jury to have remained testified that he was lured off the website plentyoffish.com Convicted killer Mark The garage had plastic sheets covering all the windows, a table with blood spatter, and cleaning supplies laid out. Then, a week later, another man went missing after answering a similar dating ad. his wife and police, to take away his credibility. Aspiring filmmaker Mark Twitchell has been found guilty of first-degree murder for bludgeoning, stabbing and dismembering stranger Johnny Altinger in an Edmonton garage in 2008. "He had a kill room set up with plastic sheeting. Mark Twitchell was married twice. Altinger's friends became concerned after they received emails supposedly from Altinger claiming that his date had taken him on an extended vacation to Costa Rica. Mark Andrew Twitchell was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on July 4, 1979. Who is Mark Twitchell and why is he called the Dexter killer? The author also self-diagnosed himself as Some of the description in convicted murderer No after no when she was looking for yes after yes.". Johnny Altinger's blood was found in the trunk of Mark Twitchell's family car -- a discovery which led to the filmmaker's arrest on Halloween day in 2008. Twitchell was handed a life sentence in April 2011 for the murder of John Altinger. When investigative journalist and MacEwan University Professor Steve Lillebuen set out to write a book about the Dexter-obsessed murderer Mark Twitchell in late 2010, the last thing he expected was to get a jailhouse call from the killer himself. Facebook Email or phone Password Forgot account? Before his marriages, Twitchell dated Traci Higgins, when they were students at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in the late 1990s. said, claiming the evidence was only supposed to be used to A look at the evidence in "The Dexter Killer" case; plus, newly revealed letters from the man police say wanted to be like fictional serial-killer Dexter Morgan. The couple's divorce wasn't finalized until December 2010. Police believed Mark Twitchell's garage resembled a scene right out of the Showtime series "Dexter." One passage spoke of the killer trying to burn remains in a barrel; police found this burned barrel inside Mark Twitchell's garage. and then suddenly playing as thought their stomach is turning inside out when this happens under totally unique circumstances in a real-life, isolated incident. "He tore a piece of tape and he covered my eyes with it," Tetreault said. This is the story of my progression into becoming a serial killer.[12]. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Terry Clackson was not convinced by the prosecution's argument that the attack on Gilles Tetreault and the murder of Johnny Altinger were part of the same transaction. Police connected the details in the "SK Confessions" with the evidence they found in the garage. According to Twitchell, Altinger sold his Mazda 6 to Twitchell for 40 CAD, all the cash Twitchell had on hand. Why couldn't he just storm off like he was supposed to?" "You have been stoic.". surrounding my case was so extensive, so blatant and so overtly Days before Altinger's murder, on October 3, Twitchell invited another man named Gilles Tetreault to his garage. In 2007, Twitchell directed Star Wars: Secrets of the Rebellion, a full-length fan film prequel set a few days prior to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twitchell stated that he had caught up on every Dexter episode that he missed since he was arrested and convicted of first-degree murder. "For as long as I can remember I have always had a distinct lack of empathy, I've always had a dark side I've had to sugarcoat for the world. On June 17, 2011, an attempted murder charge against convicted As per recent reports, Mark has been serving his sentence at the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary in Prince Albert, Canada. of my progression into becoming a serial killer.". laptop called SKconfessions, which the Crown called his diary and "And tomorrow came and I wasI felt so ashamed that I got duped," he said. Johnny Altinger's friends were also able to hand over the directions Johnny had forwarded them before his date. "If I had a sense ", "I think his primary motive was sexual," Cowley tells "48 Hours." attracted substantial media attention due to the fact that "I still cheat, but only for the thrill of it," he said. American online pal with whom he shared dark secrets. Mark Twitchell's former wifefought back tearsin the witness boxin an Edmonton courtroomMonday during the aspiring filmmaker's first-degree murder trial. Twitchell also scripted Day Players, a buddy comedy. Twitchell claimed he "accidentally" killed Johnny in self defense. stating in his ruling that "there is a real risk that pre-trial Twitchells case has inspired two non-fictions. the suggestion he deleted SKconfessions to "hide or erase . However, it is believed that considerable part of his youth was spent in the Midwest. We have many The author also claimed he has never felt empathy. In self defence, them to help hype a slasher-movie project of his. Investigators found a knife in Mark Twitchell's car with blood on both the sheath and knife. Twitchell - who is serving a life sentence with The womanfought back tears as Inglis asked about her daughter and cried when viewing photos of the house they once shared. presented to the jury because the judge agreed with Crown Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He talks extensively about preparing the room, what he's going to wear, the weapon that he chooses. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. A jury returned the guilty verdict late Tuesday afternoon, about five hours after being sequestered for deliberations. However, he did not report the incident to the police, giving Twitchell another chance. material outweighed its value as evidence. In October 2008, Twitchell posed as a woman on an online dating site and lured an unsuspecting 38-year-old man named Johnny Altinger to a garage. [5] Secrets of the Rebellion included a cameo by Jeremy Bulloch, a British actor best known for his role as bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original Star Wars films. He said one person he really wanted to dispatch The key piece of evidence presented at the trial was the SKConfessions, the document in which he detailed the entire act. On October 10, 2008, Altinger informed his friends of his plans to meet a woman with whom he had been chatting. would pursue the charge of attempted murder upon securing a When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Mark claimed that he hit Johnny in the head with a pipe before Johnny wrestled it away, striking him. defence and judge decided it was too inflammatory to be presented Twitchell graduated from the Radio and Television Arts program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 2000. The file also involved a description of another person who survived, which was Gilles Tetreault. Mark Twitchell, 29, had rented the garage space to film his movie "House of Cards." luring death of Johnny Altinger, still faced an attempted murder 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Police used Tetreault's account to connect Twitchell to the crimes. Gilles Tetreault almost three years ago. As his victim entered the garage, he attacked him with a stun baton, wearing a hockey mask. The police soon learned that Mark was a married father. Mark had also been lying to Jess about being employed. April 21, 2022 / 2:08 PM I owed it to the world to remove Extensive media coverage of the case created debate both inside southside garage on Oct. 10, 2008. They also received an email they thought was out of character for Johnny, which led them to uncover that Johnny forwarded directions to friends of the location of his date. publication ban until the jury was sequestered Tuesday afternoon "[30][31], In May 2013, it was reported that Twitchell had purchased a television for his prison cell. Then 31 years old, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. He was in the process of finding a low-budget Star Wars tribute film titled "Secrets of the Rebellion." 1 Mark Twitchell. over the police evidence, preventing the media from reporting on While Tetreault was on the ground he decided "if I'm going to die, I'd rather go my way than his way." But I only find it Although he did get away with the murder, Altingers friends were surprised when he didnt show up to work and resigned via mail. charge for his alleged attack on Gilles Tetreault. Hollywood writers going on strike after talks with studios fail, Fish contaminated with "forever chemicals" found in nearly every state, Missing teens may be among 7 bodies found in Oklahoma, authorities say, Gordon Lightfoot, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" singer, dies at 84, CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. Trump fatigue, At least 6 dead after dust storm causes massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids, U.S. tracking high-altitude balloon first spotted off Hawaii, Bob Lee died from three stab wounds, medical examiner says. The alley between 86th and 87th streets south of 130th Avenue where accused murderer Mark Twitchell told police to look for the remains of Johnny Altinger down a manhole. MARK Twitchell, also known as the Dexter killer, was married twice before being convicted of first-degree murder. discussions with therapists that I am in fact a psychopath in Twitchell tried the same with John Brian Johnny Altinger. First published on April 21, 2022 / 2:08 PM. The 29-year-old Canadian man had a wife and a young daughter, and aspirations of becoming a filmmaker. But Mark Twitchell also had an urge to kill. Today, The Journal continues a. When Altinger did not return home, his friends became suspicious and notified the police. implication he would use one to "carry out a crime" and "destroys" [20][21][22], Crown prosecutors considered pursuing a charge of attempted murder after securing a conviction of first-degree murder. Late in the afternoon, the jury heard evidence from David Puff, a videographer who worked on Twitchell's film House of Cards in the fall of 2008. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. dismemberment, including the line about working the jaw of the "If you look at the evidence," Lillebuen tells Roberts, "there's significant links to Dexter. Mark told the police that he had recently shot a film titled House of Cards in the garage. Mark Twitchell, then 29, was an aspiring filmmaker. international attention - the jury heard Twitchell, a married "[27] The jury pool was then polled through a "challenge for cause" procedure to determine if a potential juror had been influenced by the media coverage prior to the publication bans taking effect. moved it while making a funny voice to make it look like it was [7] At work, a resignation letter arrived by email, but there was no response to a request for a forwarding address for sending a final paycheck. A copy of the directions that Gilles Tetreault was sent by "Sheena." "I start hearing different things like a jingling noise and stuff like that. a young dad with having a girlfriend on the side and a female Twitchell even posed as Dexter Morgan on Facebook. on his laptop is true, cut the head off his victim and played with He failed to report the scare to the police out of embarrassment. ", First published on July 10, 2012 / 10:51 PM. During the three-week trial - which garnered (THE CANADIAN PRESS) The man convicted in the . asked Crown prosecutor Avril Inglis. At the time of his arrest, Twitchell had been working on a film called "House of Cards," in which an unsuspecting man gets lured to a garage and killed. Furthermore, Johnny had told a friend that he met a filmmaker and not a woman as he thought he would before he disappeared. Mark Andrew Twitchell (born July 4, 1979, Edmonton, Alberta), is a Canadian who was convicted of first degree murder in the death of John Brian "Johnny" Altinger.. His trial attracted substantial media attention due to the fact that Twitchell was inspired by the character Dexter Morgan, of the Dexter television series, a forensic bloodstain pattern analyst for the fictional Miami Metro Police . In the standathon, he auctioned some illustrations, claiming that they were original conceptual drawings made by the production crew of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. What we know about Mark Twitchell and why he is called the Dexter killer. talking, and chuckled to myself at the total silliness of it all," His masterpiece was Bumblebee, a character in Transformers , for which he won the first place in the 2007 Halloween Howler, an annual rock and costume contest held by Edmonton radio station The Bear. He ordered the charges to be severed and heard separately. The first is 'The Devil's Cinema: The Untold Story Behind Mark Twitchell's Kill Room', written by Steve Lillebuen and the other, 'The One Who Got Away: Escape from the Kill Room', is written by Gilles Tetreault, his intended victim, whom he failed to kill. While doing joint projects, Twitchell very often failed to do his part. Mark Twitchell was a filmmaker from Canada who dreamed of making it big in the movies. As the investigation progressed, Mark became the prime suspect. "The result of his appeal has Some would argue that the same could be said of Twitchell himself. unsequestered jury to have remained uninfluenced by it, regardless '", Investigators said that Tetreault's account of his escape was nearly identical to what was written in "SK Confessions.". That's ridiculous." it like a hand puppet. reservations about disposing of the negative people in this world There's something obtuse about someone taking a savage glee in watching psychotics brutally murder dozens of people on T.V. skull. Police say Twitchell was an avid viewer . Along with making movies, Mark Twitchell also made detailed costumes of his favorite fantasy story characters. were altered slightly to protect the guilty. argued in his notice of appeal that "the media attention About this period, Chris Durham, his former instructor, later said, He transformed our news studioThere were sewing machines. But the jury was not shown one document discovered on Twitchell's laptop. Family (1) Spouse Jess Twitchell (January 2007 - 2008) Megan Casterella ( 4 January 2001 - 2004) (divorced) Trivia (1) On October 31, 2008, Mark Twitchell was charged with the first degree murder. After several years of not being in contact, Traci was seeing Twitchell frequently in the fall of 2008. This is something he's been fantasizing about." Johnny Altinger's blood was found in the trunk of Mark Twitchell's family car -- a discovery which led to the filmmaker's arrest on Halloween day in 2008. [29], In December 2012, Michael C. Hall, the actor who played Dexter Morgan, was interviewed by Jian Ghomeshi on the Canadian radio show Q. After growing more and more suspicious, several of Altinger's He put on the guise of filmmaking to plan out a perfect murder, inspired by his reel-life hero Dexter Morgan. He also claimed the "significant differences in Concern turned into alarm for Altinger's friends and family when, three days after he vanished, they received this unusual email from Altinger's account. "He just said straight out, 'If you're gonna be writing a book about me, you might as well come straight to the source,'" a stunned Lillebuen tells "48 Hours." [13], During the trial, Twitchell's interest in the television series Dexter was noted repeatedly, and his personal identification with its lead character, Dexter Morgan, a vigilante serial killer, prompted several media outlets to refer to him as the "Dexter Killer. The names and events were altered slightly to protect the guilty. planning, failed first attempt, and successful second attempt at Mark Twitchell was married twice. In it, he skewed character judgement, concluding I'm a lifetime liar," he With all circumstantial evidence seemingly pointing to Mark, all the police needed was physical evidence. But eventually, he dumped it in a sewer. The plan, Twitchell argued in court, was to lure men who thought they were showing up for a date with a woman and then attack them, only to then let them escape so that when his film came out those men would come forward and say this had actually happened to them, thereby creating a buzz. I have to come forward. Twitchell was convicted in April 2011. The marriage is said to have broken down by the fall of 2008 with them sleeping in separate bedrooms and going for marriage counselling. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. However, the latest installment of Crime Junkie shows how a popular show about a serial killer inspired a person to try and be a copycat. extensive media coverage prior to the publication bans taking murdering a man by luring him to his garage using fake online Although the names and places were Yes, we are talking about Mark Twitchell, who attempted to emulate Dexter Morgan from Dexter.. "They thought Mark had killed someone, murdered them," she testified in Court of Queen's Bench. But in other ways the author does not fit the profile of a serial killer, he said. The couple married in January 4, 2001, but the relationship ended in 2005. improperly using evidence, including his lying to his girlfriend, The plot involved a killer in a hockey mask who lures a man to the garage using the internet and then kills him. Twitchell then dismembered the body and dumped the remains in a north Edmonton sewer. It's almost as if Mark Twitchell is also preparing for a date. portrayed the killing as deliberate and intentional, was For other inquiries, Contact Us. Hollywood writers going on strike after talks with studios fail, Fish contaminated with "forever chemicals" found in nearly every state, Missing teens may be among 7 bodies found in Oklahoma, authorities say, Gordon Lightfoot, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" singer, dies at 84, CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. Trump fatigue, At least 6 dead after dust storm causes massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids, U.S. tracking high-altitude balloon first spotted off Hawaii, Bob Lee died from three stab wounds, medical examiner says. A jury returned the. Twitchell also says "sufficient evidence was uninfluenced by it, regardless of (the) judge's instructions in procedure to determine if a potential juror had been influenced by His date refused to give him an address and instead sent him instructions on how to find the meeting place, detailing how the garage would be open for him "just a touch.". Twitchell said, he knifed him in the heart, then panicked and cut It is what it is and I am what I am. "You've changed your whole story.. [4], In October 2008, John Brian Altinger, 38-year-old former White Rock, B.C., oilfield equipment manufacturer known to his friends as Johnny,[6] unknowingly interacted with Twitchell on dating website Plenty of Fish. [7] Altinger discovered too late that Twitchell had posed as the woman online in order to lure him into a "kill room" set up in a rented garage being used as a film-studio. blames the media for the jury's guilty verdict. of his disappearance. Three months after his conviction in 2011 for first-degree murder, Twitchell made the same argument to Lillebuen, writing "I killed Johnny Altinger in a horrific accident of self defense. ready.". Gilles Tetreault quickly realized this wasn't a date, as he came face to face with a man in a hockey mask who shocked him with this stun baton. The fictional character Dexter Morgan is a forensic bloodstain analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department by day and a serial. It was a premise as fictional as Johnny Altinger's murder was real, and one the jury didn't buy. Russia accused of FAKING 'sick' Putin's Easter cathedral appearance as photos look identical to last years event, UK weekend weather LIVE - 'Russian chill to sweep in from Monday as it threatens the coldest start to May in 25 YEARS, Mystery of family who visited sheriff's office leaving 'cryptic clues' about 'being followed' hours before their deaths. That call set in motion a correspondence with the would-be serial killer that lasted for almost three years. Puff told the jury the film is about a man who plans an affair and lies to his wife about going to the gym when he is going to meet a woman he met online. At Marks trial, he claimed that the whole thing was supposed to create an urban legend that would, in turn, cause some buzz for his movie. ", After his arrest on Halloween day in 2008, police recovered a deleted file on Twitchell's computer called "SK Confessions." Tetreault once again rolled out of the garage, and this time made it to his truck and sped off. Twitchell, if one passage on the document found Police arrested Twitchell on October 31, 2008,[11] and, on the same day, charged him with the first-degree murder of Altinger.[1]. Twitchell claims his computer knowledge is The directions that Johnny left with his friends led to a garage rented by Mark. Dexter television series, a forensic bloodstain pattern He was then stabbed to death. In 2007, once it went into the postproduction phase, he started planning his next movie, Day Players, convincing investors to finance the project. "What did you do?" presented to raise reasonable doubt on all required bases," but publicity will undermine the accused's constitutionally protected Investigators say Twitchell was obsessed with the fictional serial killer at the center of the TV series "Dexter," which airs on Showtime, a division of Paramount Global, which owns CBS. received. sentence, blames media. Mark Twitchell was a film maker from Canada, who, one day, decided he wanted to turn one of his short films into a reality. Once Altinger entered the garage, Twitchell not only murdered him brutally, but also dismembered his body, playing with his victims skull, twisting the jaws, before dumping it into a north Edmonton storm sewer. analyst for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department who The names and events were altered slightly to protect the guilty. But Twitchell testified that Altinger got angry Filmmaker Mark Twitchell, 29, now sits in an Edmonton jail cell, charged with first-degree murder in the disappearance and death of John Brian Altinger. concept of religion detestable. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. urges. south Edmonton garage. The "SKConfessions" document described the "The Dexter Killer:" Inside the mind of a murderer, Despite comparisons to the fictional TV character Dexter Morgan, in a letter to Steve Lillebuen Twitchell writes, "As you're aware, Dexter has 'almost nothing' to do with my case. Stephen King but said it also meant "serial killer. After a violent struggle, Gilles Tetreault managed to escape from the garage, and quickly drove away. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Part of the report included a return trip by Tetreault to the garage in which the incident had taken place. MARK Twitchell, also known as the Dexter killer, was married twice before being convicted of first-degree murder. The passage was among many that were under a Lillebuen. ", Lillibuen tells Roberts, "No one's saying the people who created Dexter are to blame for a real-life death. Mark Twitchell was an aspiring filmmaker with a successful cult film, a wife and a young child. At the time, Mark told the police that he had recently shot a film in the garage. Mark Twitchell picked up thirty-eight-year-old John Brian "Johnny" Altinger from the same website as his next victim, convincing him to come to his garage on Friday, October 10, 2008. ", The opening line was, "This is the story of my For those unaware, the series is about a serial killer who hunts other serial killers in Miami while working as a blood splatter analyst. written about the dismemberment in the document. Tetreault thought he was meeting a woman named Sheena from the dating site Plenty of Fish. Jess Twitchell told the court she thought her ex-husband was attending appointments with a psychiatrist onthose days. It has no bearing whatsoever on what actually happened. sensationalized in an attempt to make a more compelling novel. He claimed that the mindset of the author, which and outside of the courtroom with observers arguing in favour and That's when he discovered it was made of plastic. At a glance, Mark Twitchell seemed perfectly normal. Tetreault claims that he did not report the attack because he was embarrassed. Serial killers have always fascinated us, and films and television shows have taken advantage of this. Much of that day's program focused on Twitchell's methods and featured interviews with Gilles Tetrault, his first intended victim, and Steve Lillebuen, author of the book The Devil's Cinema, which focused on the case. But Lillibuen says Twitchell "completely denies that there's any connection at all," adding, "there's a logical disconnect there.". Twitchell played with victim's skull, says court document. Johnny Altinger's older brother said that family and friends last heard from Johnny on October 10, 2008, when the 38-year-old headed out on a date with a woman named "Jen.". The story was about a killer who lures a philandering man off an online dating website and kills him. It is what it is, and I am what I am. Mark also maintained that he killed in self-defense. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Twitchell, convicted of first degree murder in the online It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Seen here are Twitchell's handwritten directions on a Google map. "I can direct my dark energies into my film work. conviction of first degree murder. his body and disposing of his remains down a city sewer. A homicide He describes it in seductive language." Too shocked initially to go to police, he told himself he would go the next day. ", "As a producer I can profit from the sale and distribution of my work. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help

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