Edmonton filmaker charged with murder

[T@T]

Originally Posted by puckluck

People couldn't believe OJ Simpson pled not guilty as well...

The LA cops screwed that up so much OJ may just have been innocent.

Yeah,I know...he did it.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by T@T

The LA cops screwed that up so much OJ may just have been innocent.

Yeah,I know...he did it.

It wasn't just the cops, the prosecution had the OJ case wrapped up until the glove don't fit moment where OJ put his awesome acting skills to use.

There was plenty of fault to go around, and I would also throw out the theory that as long as that was a jury trial, OJ was not going to be convicted.

Besides, OJ didn't do it, his son did.

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by fredr123

I had the (mis)pleasure of being in the courtroom when the ME was describing the victims in the Steinke trial here in Calgary. No amount of horror movies or CSI episodes really prepares you for crime scene photos of real victims with real blood.

Just an aside - can anyone go to any trial and just sit in and watch? How would one go about this? Is there a schedule posted somewhere?

[T@T]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

It wasn't just the cops, the prosecution had the OJ case wrapped up until the glove don't fit moment where OJ put his awesome acting skills to use.

There was plenty of fault to go around, and I would also throw out the theory that as long as that was a jury trial, OJ was not going to be convicted.

Besides, OJ didn't do it, his son did.

Yeah and he used one of his "chefs" knives.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Just an aside - can anyone go to any trial and just sit in and watch? How would one go about this? Is there a schedule posted somewhere?

Court proceedings are generally open to the public. There are a few exceptions (like recently when the public was barred from the preliminary inquiry for Dustin Paxton) and sometimes there are publication bans (where what was said in the courtroom is, theoretically, not supposed to be published).

There are no schedules for Alberta court proceedings, save for the lists that are available at the court house itself. You can tell from the way the cases are listed whether the matter is a civil case or a criminal case. There's usually little more information over and above the names of the parties. You might be able to find out what kind of charges the person faces or the type of application being made in civil chambers but there's no good way to figure out when something juicy or interesting is going to happen.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by T@T

Yeah and he used one of his "chefs" knives.

O_o

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by Weiser Wonder

Looking at the tremendous amount of evidence against Twitchell, I can't believe he plead not guilty. He doesn't stand a chance. His lawyer hasn't even been cross examining the witnesses. Just minor clarifications here and there.

I wonder what possible defense his lawyer will come up with. Conspiracy to set him up I guess. I don't think they could go for insanity.

Just wait...

[fredr123]

Either that or (pure speculation) plead his client's mental state and infatuation with violent television programming had something to do with it.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by Weiser Wonder

Looking at the tremendous amount of evidence against Twitchell, I can't believe he plead not guilty. He doesn't stand a chance. His lawyer hasn't even been cross examining the witnesses. Just minor clarifications here and there.

I wonder what possible defense his lawyer will come up with. Conspiracy to set him up I guess. I don't think they could go for insanity.

Probably conspiracy.

Maybe claim that someone got a hold of his computer and read the script? However, cops should be able to pull create stamps from the word docs, likely after the murder. Prosecution also probably wouldn't budge on 1st degree murder - which is 25 to life.

Remember that there is almost 0 physical evidence actually linking him to the scene of the crime. There isn't a smoke gun in his house.

If I was his lawyer, I'd probably try to pin it all on the best friend causing doubt or something - or make it seem like the police didn't interview all the other film workers or suspect them of murder...

I actually think he could have made a decent claim to conspiracy, but a few factors hinder that:

His mention of the use of an IP / Proxy blocker to access POF.

Pictures of the person who he attempted to murder (allegedly) appeared on his hard drive.

Then of course, having the dude's car.

If those 3 factors weren't involved, there would be a very good chance he could walk.

[Eddie Bronze]

Is it just me or is this not the perfect example of how bad an idea these online dating sites can be? I don't know for sure if that's where they met, but regardless, people need to be much more careful. When someone suggests meeting anywhere other than a public place, red flags should be going up. There are just too many things that could go wrong otherwise, and too many unstable people out there to be taking that kind of chance.

Twitchell, to me, is the perfect example of why Canada needs the death penalty. People will use that excuse about certain individuals deserving a chance at rehab but after you do things such as this, do you really deserve anything other than a needle in your arm? Someone already mentioned Dexter and I remember hearing them reporting on 660 News that his Facebook status said something along the lines of idolizing Dexter or wanting to be the real life version of him. I assume that kind of thing could be used as evidence. Why else would you put something like that out there for the world to see if you didn't want to get caught?

[Weiser Wonder]

Originally Posted by puckluck

People couldn't believe OJ Simpson pled not guilty as well...

Did you really expect him to just plead guilty?

From the live blog: bengelinas: First up was the knife in a sheath found in Mark Twitchell's Grand AM. The blood found on the knife matched Altinger's DNA sample.

bengelinas: Blood was also found on a duffel bag in Twitchell's car. This blood was likewise matched to Altinger.


bengelinas: Blood matching Altinger's profile was also found on a pair of jeans lying on the floor in Mark Twitchell's basement bedroom.

bengelinas: Schimpf says he tested the hockey mask also found in Mark Twitchell's basement. DNA found on the inside of the mask matched Twitchell's.

bengelinas: Blood on gloves found in Mark Twitchell's parents' basement also matched Altinger's DNA profile.

bengelinas: When he was arrested, the belt Twitchell was wearing, as well as his shoes, had Altinger's blood on them, Schimpf says.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/...771/story.html

In the face of such overwhelming evidence, I would expect him to plead guilty.

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by Eddie Bronze

Is it just me or is this not the perfect example of how bad an idea these online dating sites can be? I don't know for sure if that's where they met, but regardless, people need to be much more careful. When someone suggests meeting anywhere other than a public place, red flags should be going up. There are just too many things that could go wrong otherwise, and too many unstable people out there to be taking that kind of chance.

Twitchell, to me, is the perfect example of why Canada needs the death penalty. People will use that excuse about certain individuals deserving a chance at rehab but after you do things such as this, do you really deserve anything other than a needle in your arm? Someone already mentioned Dexter and I remember hearing them reporting on 660 News that his Facebook status said something along the lines of idolizing Dexter or wanting to be the real life version of him. I assume that kind of thing could be used as evidence. Why else would you put something like that out there for the world to see if you didn't want to get caught?

Well if he wants to be the real life Dexter, he sure doesn't understand that show too well.

[fredr123]

The accused takes the stand today: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/...771/story.html

[fredr123]

10:29 bengelinas:
Police found various swords around Twitchell's St. Albert home. He says he collects swords found in movies he likes. Some were used as props in House of Cards. Court has already heard the victim in the film is run through with the blade of a samurai sword. Wednesday April 6, 2011 10:29 bengelinas

10:34 bengelinas:
Twitchell says he had an idea to turn House of Cards into a series of works across different mediums. Wednesday April 6, 2011 10:34 bengelinas

10:35 bengelinas:
First to be released would be a feature film, about a serial killer who at times addresses the audience. Twitchell says ideally the movie would give the audience a lasting feeling that there were dangerous people walking among them. Wednesday April 6, 2011 10:35 bengelinas

10:37 bengelinas:
Twitchell says he would then write a novel. But this novel wouldn't just be a rehash of the movie. Twitchell says the novel would be an account of the producer of the film. This would make the events in the film seem more real, Twitchell says. His intent would be to keep his audience: "down the rabbit hole."

10:38bengelinas:
The third step would be an online presence, making a forum, possibly, that would include posts from people who claimed to be involved, who may have seen the room from the movie and book in real life.




I think we can all see where this is going now...

[fredr123]

10:40 bengelinas:
Twitchell says he did the three in reverse. First he would build hype, make it seem like it really happened, by building an online presence. An aspect of this was luring people to the garage, Twitchell says.

10:41 bengelinas:
Twitchell also began writing the novel. He says he based a lot of the character traits on his real life, a technique he chalked up to his inexperience. He says he had never written a novel.

[jar_e]

Interesting the defence pretty much admitted that Twitchell killed him...but stated that "not all murders are homicide".

[The Yen Man]

So Twitchell lured the victim to the garage to "mock" kill him in order to promote his film / book. But the victim actually ends up dead with his blood all over Twitchell's clothing and belongings. I'm guessing he's going to use the defence that someone must have framed him?

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

So Twitchell lured the victim to the garage to "mock" kill him in order to promote his film / book. But the victim actually ends up dead with his blood all over Twitchell's clothing and belongings. I'm guessing he's going to use the defence that someone must have framed him?

I think they're going for the manslaughter route now...

Atleast according to this article...

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ub=CalgaryHome

The defence lawyer for an amateur filmmaker on trial for first-degree murder has told an Edmonton court that his client admitted killing another man in a publicity stunt gone wrong.

[DuffMan]

This would probably be as premeditated as it gets. Don't know how they would go the manslaughter route.

[fredr123]

According to some reports, Twitchell seems quite calm on the stand as he's giving his testimony. Could mean a few things. Maybe there's an element of truth to what he's saying. Maybe he's had plenty of time to rehearse his story. Maybe he lacks remorse/empathy and shows no emotion.

It will be interesting to see how he handles cross-examination. He is scheduled to continue his testimony right away. Before the break he was just discussing the point where the victim had arrived at his garage.