Shedden massacre
Encyclopedia
The Shedden Massacre involved the killing
of eight men, whose bodies were found in a farmer's field five kilometres north of Shedden
, a hamlet in the Canadian
province
of Ontario
, on April 8, 2006. Four vehicles, with the bodies inside, were first discovered by a farmer. The day after the bodies were discovered, five people, including one member of the Bandidos motorcycle gang
, were arrested for the murders, and three more people were arrested in June 2006. The Ontario Provincial Police
said the killings were an isolated event and there were no fears for the safety of local residents.
and identified as follows:
All but Flanz and Trotta were described as "full patch" (fully initiated and active) members of the Bandidos; Muscedere was believed to be the president of the Bandidos in Canada.
This mass murder was investigated for several weeks. The road upon which the vehicles were found was a short distance from an exit off Highway 401
. The bodies were discovered in a "silver 2001 Volkswagen Golf
, a grey 2003 Infiniti SUV
, a grey Pontiac Grand Prix
and a green Chevrolet Silverado
tow truck
operated by Superior Towing of Etobicoke
."
Police arrived at the barn to a scene filled with blood, pieces of flesh and beer bottles, also noting Confederate and Nazi flags hanging on a wall.
Convicted of first degree murder are:
Kellestine is a full member of the Bandidos; he and the other four suspects were all arrested at his residence, which is only a few kilometres from the crime scene.
The surrounding Elgin County
has a history of biker gang activity, though not of major crime. Several days after the murders, Sun Media reported that further arrests may be pending.
On June 16, police in Winnipeg
arrested three additional men, all from that city, in connection with the killings:
Police said that Sandham and Mushey were full members of the club, and Aravena was a prospective member. Sandham, who was also believed to be the leader of the Winnipeg Bandidos chapter, is a former police officer. In 2002, he was suspended from the force in the Winnipeg-area community of East St. Paul
and then resigned. Sources told CBC News that Members of the RCMP provided his force with photos of him attending a Bandidos function while on leave from work.
The three were delivered into OPP custody and transported to St. Thomas, Ontario
for a court appearance that afternoon. All were charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. A woman, whom police refused to identify, was also arrested, but was not charged. Police also seized an SUV for forensic testing in Ontario.
The star witness testified to a bungled and 'cheap' plot, led by an indecisive Kellestine: "They were at the very bottom rung of biker gangs. Some were in their 40s but still lived with their parents. They were not making any money, many of them had been rejected by the Hells Angels and half of them didn't even own a motorbike".
after the fact.
On January 9, 2007, a preliminary hearing
for all six suspects began in a London, Ontario
court under extraordinarily tight security. On the first day of the proceeding, Kellestine gave reporters the finger
and swore at a courtroom artist. A gag order
was issued prohibiting media reports on the evidence presented in the hearing.
The hearing was expected to take about three months, but did not conclude until June 21, 2007, at which time Justice Ross Webster ruled that all six defendants would stand trial on all charges. At the time, defence lawyers for at least two of the suspects said that the evidence presented warranted a reduction in charges for their clients. The lawyers were considering asking for a review of Webster's ruling by a higher court, which could delay the case by several months.
The Murder trial for Aravena, Gardiner, Kellestine, Mather, Mushey and Sandham commenced on March 31, 2009 in London Ontario with all six of the accused entering pleas of not guilty.
On October 29, 2009 the jury returned 44 guilty verdicts for first degree murder and four for manslaughter, believed to be the largest number of murder convictions ever produced from a single criminal proceeding in Canada. Wayne Kellestine, Michael Sandham and Dwight Mushey were each found guilty of eight counts of first-degree murder. Frank Mather and Marcelo Aravena were both found guilty of seven counts of first degree murder and one count of manslaughter. Brett Gardiner was found guilty of six counts of first degree murder and two counts of manslaughter.
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
of eight men, whose bodies were found in a farmer's field five kilometres north of Shedden
Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario
Shedden, Ontario is a hamlet in Southwold Township, Elgin County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is known as "The Rhubarb Capital of Ontario" and is home to the "Rosy Rhubarb Festival" which is held in early June each summer...
, a hamlet in the Canadian
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...
province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, on April 8, 2006. Four vehicles, with the bodies inside, were first discovered by a farmer. The day after the bodies were discovered, five people, including one member of the Bandidos motorcycle gang
Bandidos
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate with a worldwide membership. The club was formed in 1966 by Don Chambers in Texas. Its slogan is We are the people our parents warned us about. It is estimated to have...
, were arrested for the murders, and three more people were arrested in June 2006. The Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
said the killings were an isolated event and there were no fears for the safety of local residents.
Victims
On April 10, the victims were all confirmed to have been shotGunshot
A gunshot is the discharge of a firearm, producing a mechanical sound effect and a chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a gunshot wound caused by such a discharge. Multiple discharges of a firearm or firearms are referred to as gunfire. The word can connotate either the sound of a...
and identified as follows:
- George Jessome, 52, of TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
- George Kriarakis, 28, of Toronto
- Luis Manny Raposo, 41, of Toronto
- Francesco Salerno, 43, of OakvilleOakville, OntarioOakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
- John Muscedere, 48, of ChathamChatham, OntarioChatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
- Paul Sinopoli, 30, of SuttonSutton, OntarioSutton is a suburban community located nearly 2 km south of Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada. The community was formerly a village but is now part of the Town of Georgina after amalgamation with it and North Gwillimbury in 1971.-Geography and information:...
- Jamie Flanz, 37, of KeswickKeswick, OntarioKeswick is a community in the south central portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. Located north of Toronto on Cook's Bay , Keswick is part of the Town of Georgina...
- Michael Trotta, 31, of MississaugaMississauga, OntarioMississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
All but Flanz and Trotta were described as "full patch" (fully initiated and active) members of the Bandidos; Muscedere was believed to be the president of the Bandidos in Canada.
This mass murder was investigated for several weeks. The road upon which the vehicles were found was a short distance from an exit off Highway 401
Highway 401 (Ontario)
King's Highway 401, also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway and colloquially as the four-oh-one, is a 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border...
. The bodies were discovered in a "silver 2001 Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
, a grey 2003 Infiniti SUV
Infiniti FX
The Infiniti FX is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by the Nissan-owned Infiniti luxury vehicle brand since the 2003 model year. The FX replaced the QX4 as Infiniti's mid-size luxury-type SUV, although the QX4 was smaller than the FX. It was released at the same time as its competitors,...
, a grey Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac Grand Prix
Picking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
and a green Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
tow truck
Tow truck
A tow truck is a vehicle used to transport motor vehicles to another location , or to recover vehicles which are no longer on a drivable surface.Towing services are generally provided by an emergency road service operator...
operated by Superior Towing of Etobicoke
Etobicoke, Ontario
Etobicoke is a dissolved municipality located within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the western section of the current city, it had an official population of 338,117 as measured by the 2001 Census and 334,491 people as of the 2006 Census. While it only contains 13% of...
."
Police arrived at the barn to a scene filled with blood, pieces of flesh and beer bottles, also noting Confederate and Nazi flags hanging on a wall.
Murderers
- Wayne Kellestine, 56, of DuttonDutton, OntarioDutton, Ontario is a community in the Township of Dutton/Dunwich, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. Dutton is located southwest of St. Thomas.Originally part of Dunwich Township, Dutton was originally called Bennettville, then Lisgar. When the Canada Southern Railway was built in 1872, the station...
- Frank Mather, 32, of Dutton
- Brett Gardiner, 21, of no known address
Kellestine is a full member of the Bandidos; he and the other four suspects were all arrested at his residence, which is only a few kilometres from the crime scene.
The surrounding Elgin County
Elgin County, Ontario
Elgin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario with a current population of approximately 46,000. The county seat is St. Thomas.It consists of:*Town of Aylmer*Municipality of Bayham*Municipality of Central Elgin...
has a history of biker gang activity, though not of major crime. Several days after the murders, Sun Media reported that further arrests may be pending.
On June 16, police in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
arrested three additional men, all from that city, in connection with the killings:
- Dwight Mushey, 36
- Marcello Aravena, 30
- Michael Sandham, 36
Police said that Sandham and Mushey were full members of the club, and Aravena was a prospective member. Sandham, who was also believed to be the leader of the Winnipeg Bandidos chapter, is a former police officer. In 2002, he was suspended from the force in the Winnipeg-area community of East St. Paul
East St. Paul, Manitoba
East St. Paul is a rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada. It is located north-east of and adjacent to the city of Winnipeg, and is part of the Winnipeg Metropolitan Area. The municipality encompasses and is bounded by the Red River to the west; the municipality of St. Clements to the north; the...
and then resigned. Sources told CBC News that Members of the RCMP provided his force with photos of him attending a Bandidos function while on leave from work.
The three were delivered into OPP custody and transported to St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
for a court appearance that afternoon. All were charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. A woman, whom police refused to identify, was also arrested, but was not charged. Police also seized an SUV for forensic testing in Ontario.
The star witness testified to a bungled and 'cheap' plot, led by an indecisive Kellestine: "They were at the very bottom rung of biker gangs. Some were in their 40s but still lived with their parents. They were not making any money, many of them had been rejected by the Hells Angels and half of them didn't even own a motorbike".
Legal proceedings
Eric Niessen, 45, and his common-law wife Kerry Morris, 47, both from Monkton, Ontario, were initially charged with first degree murder, but police dropped those charges on May 6, and they were instead charged with eight counts of being accessoriesAccessory (legal term)
An accessory is a person who assists in the commission of a crime, but who does not actually participate in the commission of the crime as a joint principal...
after the fact.
On January 9, 2007, a preliminary hearing
Preliminary hearing
Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial...
for all six suspects began in a London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
court under extraordinarily tight security. On the first day of the proceeding, Kellestine gave reporters the finger
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
and swore at a courtroom artist. A gag order
Gag order
A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public.Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a lawsuit or criminal trial...
was issued prohibiting media reports on the evidence presented in the hearing.
The hearing was expected to take about three months, but did not conclude until June 21, 2007, at which time Justice Ross Webster ruled that all six defendants would stand trial on all charges. At the time, defence lawyers for at least two of the suspects said that the evidence presented warranted a reduction in charges for their clients. The lawyers were considering asking for a review of Webster's ruling by a higher court, which could delay the case by several months.
The Murder trial for Aravena, Gardiner, Kellestine, Mather, Mushey and Sandham commenced on March 31, 2009 in London Ontario with all six of the accused entering pleas of not guilty.
On October 29, 2009 the jury returned 44 guilty verdicts for first degree murder and four for manslaughter, believed to be the largest number of murder convictions ever produced from a single criminal proceeding in Canada. Wayne Kellestine, Michael Sandham and Dwight Mushey were each found guilty of eight counts of first-degree murder. Frank Mather and Marcelo Aravena were both found guilty of seven counts of first degree murder and one count of manslaughter. Brett Gardiner was found guilty of six counts of first degree murder and two counts of manslaughter.