Evelyn Dick
Encyclopedia
The murder trials of Evelyn Dick (born October 13, 1920) remain the most sensationalized events in Canadian
crime history.
Dick was born in Beamsville, Ontario
. She was arrested for murder
after local children in Hamilton, Ontario
found the torso
of her missing estranged husband, John Dick. His head and limbs had been sawn from his body and evidence that they had been burned in the furnace of her home later surfaced.
A well known school yard song, (with a doube entendre) at the time went as follows:
The Forgotten Rebels
used these lyrics for the song Evelyn Dick on their (Untitled) album in 1989 http://www.forgottenrebels.com/album-untitledsurfin.php.
She was first convicted of the murder in 1946 and sentenced to hang. Lawyer J.J. Robinette
, however, appealed her case and won an eventual acquittal.
In the meantime, however, a partly mummified body of a baby boy was found in her attic, encased in cement in an old suitcase. She was tried again for murder in 1947 and sentenced to life in prison, but was paroled in 1958 after serving eleven years in Kingston Prison for Women, and eventually disappeared from public.
A feature film was released in 2002 that suggests Evelyn protected her parents, who were also viable suspects in the murder of her baby and husband, and that she was sexually abused by her father and exploited by both parents (especially by her mother) to provide them a higher standing and income.
The case was also the subject of the 2005 film noir musical, Black Widow
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
crime history.
Dick was born in Beamsville, Ontario
Beamsville, Ontario
The community of Beamsville is part of the town of Lincoln in the province of Ontario in Canada. It is located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and lies within the fruit belt of the Niagara Peninsula...
. She was arrested for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
after local children in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
found the torso
Torso
Trunk or torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. The trunk includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
of her missing estranged husband, John Dick. His head and limbs had been sawn from his body and evidence that they had been burned in the furnace of her home later surfaced.
A well known school yard song, (with a doube entendre) at the time went as follows:
- You cut off his legs...
- You cut off his arms...
- You cut off his head...
- How could you Mrs Dick?
- How could you Mrs Dick?
The Forgotten Rebels
Forgotten Rebels
The Forgotten Rebels are a punk rock band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. With roots dating back to 1977 to the present day, the Forgotten Rebels have left a discography of seven albums and a collection of EPs and singles that have influenced many other Canadian and international bands forming in...
used these lyrics for the song Evelyn Dick on their (Untitled) album in 1989 http://www.forgottenrebels.com/album-untitledsurfin.php.
She was first convicted of the murder in 1946 and sentenced to hang. Lawyer J.J. Robinette
John Josiah Robinette
John Josiah Robinette, was a Canadian lawyer who was one of Canada's premier legal authorities and litigators....
, however, appealed her case and won an eventual acquittal.
In the meantime, however, a partly mummified body of a baby boy was found in her attic, encased in cement in an old suitcase. She was tried again for murder in 1947 and sentenced to life in prison, but was paroled in 1958 after serving eleven years in Kingston Prison for Women, and eventually disappeared from public.
A feature film was released in 2002 that suggests Evelyn protected her parents, who were also viable suspects in the murder of her baby and husband, and that she was sexually abused by her father and exploited by both parents (especially by her mother) to provide them a higher standing and income.
The case was also the subject of the 2005 film noir musical, Black Widow
Black Widow (2005 film)
Black Widow, a "Film Noir Musical" is based on the Evelyn Dick murder case. It premiered in September 2005 on the film festival circuit and on CBC Television in January 2006.-Cast:*Martin Tielli as Johnny Hardwick*Sarah Slean as Eve Hardwick...
.