The brother of a slain Medicine Hat woman says for his sister's sake, he forgives triple-murderer Jeremy Allan Steinke for slaughtering his loved ones.
By The Calgary HeraldDecember 16, 2008
The brother of a slain Medicine Hat woman says for his sister's sake, he forgives triple-murderer Jeremy Allan Steinke for slaughtering his loved ones.
Moments before a judge sentenced Steinke to spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, Peter Doolan turned to face Steinke directly while reading aloud his victim-impact statement.
"I will never understand why she was taken, I will never understand the workings of sick and twisted minds . . . but I do understand about forgiveness. (She) taught me that.
"So it is for (her) sake and through the deep love for my sister, who is watching over us right now, that I extend forgiveness," said Doolan, his voice breaking on occasion. He travelled from Ontario to read his emotional statement at Steinke's sentencing in Medicine Hat's Court of Queen's Bench on Monday.
Justice Adele Kent sentenced Steinke to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years on all three counts of first-degree murder for the April 2006 stabbing deaths of his 12-year-old girlfriend's parents and eight-year-old brother. The sentences will be served concurrently.
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For 2½years, Peter Doolan and other relatives have remained silent about the tragedy. Their statements Monday were raw, real and profoundly moving.
Robert Remington, Page A3
"I'm about to send you away to jail for a very long time, perhaps for the rest of your life, and it's because of the horrific, unspeakable violence you've committed against (the victims)," the judge said.
Kent also encouraged Steinke, 25, to take advantage of therapy while serving his sentence.
"Maybe sometime in the future you can begin to repay all of the damage you've caused."
When asked by the judge if he had anything to say before he was sentenced, Steinke kept his head bowed and shook his head, no.
"He told me before I came into court, and these are my words, 'If I could take it all back, I would,'"said defence lawyer Alain Hepner.
Through it all, Steinke's mother Jacqueline May wiped tears from her eyes as she sat in the front row. Among the 70 spectators were Medicine Hat police officers who investigated the case.
Steinke's relatives, including his sister, grandparents, aunt and family friends, sat and quietly wept.
Steinke was convicted by a jury Dec. 5 in Calgary. His trial was moved out of Medicine Hat because of the intense publicity the girl's trial received last year.
The girl was also convicted on all three counts of first-degree murder. She admitted to telling friends she hated her family and wanted them to die, but she denied having any part in their deaths.
Statements from six other grieving family members were read aloud by Crown prosecutor Ramona Robins.
They described their anguish over losing "three wonderful people" as "unbearable," "heartbreaking" and "horrifying."
"I relived the fight that (the parents) must have put up to protect their kids, and the terror of (the boy)when he realized his big sister would not help him," the stepmother of the dead man wrote.
"You're nothing but a punk with evil tendencies, a coward," the man's older sister directed at Steinke.
"You partially did this for love, and you both turned on each other. I hope this teaches other people who glorified you for this that it didn't work out and never does," she wrote.
"Your choices hurt us all, Jeremy. There were broken relation-ships because of this, lost jobs, heart attacks, drug abuse, and much, much more.Both families endured so much pain."
Another relative wrote, "I still see the family's pain and hear questions as to the reason why it had to happen. There is a big hole in our hearts. His father really misses the weekly telephone conversations he had with (his son)."
"You need to know that we are not the same people since the murders," a relative wrote. "I am terrified Steinke will be out on the streets ready to murder with or without the slightest provocation. What happens when he is up for parole? Will he be after us then?Who's next? I am afraid for any young girl who might fall under the charms of someone like Steinke."
"They did not deserve to be murdered," another sister wrote.
Outside court, the brother ad-dressed reporters with a prepared statement.
"Our family wishes to thank the community of Medicine Hat for their prayers, their support. Especially like to thank the prosecutors, the police services, and victim family services for their outstanding work and I hope the media will now leave us alone. We haven't said much in the past and we're not going to say much now. Thank you."
The slain family's relatives have seldom spoken in public of the horrific murders, but agreed to have their statements made public.
"I think it was really important that the family be able to say how they felt about what happened. For me, it was incredibly meaningful to be able to say those words to the court, and to Mr. Steinke himself," said Robins.
Having Steinke return for sentencing in the city where the murders took place should help people move on, Robins said.
"We have a very small community. A lot of people knew the family members or had some relation through school or work. I think it was important to see the closure of it, and our community needed to see it close," she said.
A sample of Steinke's DNA has been ordered to be sent to the national databank and the judge issued a lifetime ban from owning weapons.
The murder plan was hatched online. Through online messages under their user names "souleater" and "runawaydevil," the pair discussed killing the girl's parents, who opposed the relationship between their 12-year-old daughter and Steinke, who was 23. The pair met at a local mall and began a relationship. Steinke posted violent, macabre poems and song lyrics about his girlfriend's family whose "throats I want to slit."He said the words helped him vent his feelings.
A month before the killings, runawaydevil sent a message to souleater that said, "rawr, I hate them. So I have this plan, it begins with me killing them and ends with me living with you." Souleater responded,"well I love your plan but we need to get a little more creative with like de-tails and stuff."
A friend of Steinke's testified he was asked to help kill the girl's parents. Another said Steinke watched his favourite movie, Natural Born Killers, the night of the murders and said his girlfriend would be the one to kill her brother.
Steinke said the girl telephoned him in the middle of the night, asking him to help her sneak out so they could be together.Steinke arrived at the family's darkened house hours later, high on cocaine and drunk.He was carrying a knife in his hoodie pocket and dressed in black wearing a ski mask.
The girl's mother came down the stairs and screamed when she was face to face with a masked intruder. The girl's father came at him with a screwdriver. He managed to choke Steinke and jammed a finger in his eye.
Both parents bled to death in the basement.
Upstairs, Steinke says he watched as the girl slit her brother's throat. He said he never touched the boy.Court heard evidence that the father's blood was found on Steinke's clothes. The boy's blood was found on one of his shoelaces.
Hours after the killings, the couple were seen kissing and giggling at a house party.
Friends testified Steinke showed them his wounded eye, admitted killing his girlfriend's parents and said she killed her brother. One friend said Steinke confessed he "gutted them like a fish."
Two friends testified they wiped blood splotches off the seats of Steinke's truck for him and parked it out of sight.
The pair were arrested with friends early the next morning in Leader, Sask., after police sur-rounded them as they were trying to sleep in a pickup truck.
A taped conversation between Steinke and an undercover police officer posing as a fellow inmate in a prison van featured Steinke taking credit for stabbing the girl's parents and said his girlfriend killed her brother.
Steinke was heard saying he tried to talk his girlfriend out of it but she wouldn't have it, while he was a man of his word.
Steinke also revealed to the undercover officer that the father's dying words included the question, "Why?" Steinke replied, "Because your daughter wanted it that way."
On the stand, he denied exchanging any words with the father during their battle.
Jurors endured graphic photos and blood-splatter evidence.The mother suffered 12 stab wounds. The father was stabbed 24 times. The boy's throat was slashed open and he had four other stab wounds in his chest. Forensic evidence showed he was also choked. The suburban home's walls were dripping with blood. They also saw black-handled kitchen knives believed to be the murder weapons.
A knife found by the father's body in the bloodied basement was bent wildly out of shape--it was buckled in the middle and curved at its tip like a hook.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Teen gets maximum sentence for Medicine Hat killings
Last Updated: Thursday, November 8, 2007 | 1:42 PM MT
CBC News
A 14-year-old Alberta girl convicted of murdering her family received the maximum allowable sentence on Thursday, which includes four years in a psychiatric institution.
The judge ordered the girl to undergo rehabilitative treatment during that time. She was also sentenced to 4½ years under conditional supervision in the community.
The teenager was found guilty in July of three counts of first-degree murder for killing her mother, father and eight-year-old brother in their Medicine Hat home on April 22, 2006. She was 12 at the time.
The girl, labelled Canada's youngest convicted killer, was given credit for the 18 months she has already spent in custody, meaning she received the maximum sentence of 10 years.
The girl received a rarely used type of sentence, known as the intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision sentence, meaning she will spend her first four years in a psychiatric hospital, instead of a youth detention centre.
To qualify for the sentence, which is set out under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, young offenders must be diagnosed with some form of mental disorder or emotional disturbance.
In his sentencing, Justice Scott Brooker said this was the most appropriate sentence for the girl, given the horrific nature of the case and her young age at the time the crimes were committed.
The girl killed her mother, father and eight-year-old brother in their Medicine Hat home on April 22, 2006
Brooker said it was difficult to conceive a more horrific crime. He said the girl, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, had wonderful parents who loved their daughter and tried to get her into family counselling.
He described the murder of her eight-year-old brother as incomprehensible.
The lawyer for the girl argued for a sentence of three years incarceration, with most of that being at the psychiatric hospital.
The Crown prosecutor asked for a significantly longer incarceration time, arguing that the girl's pre-sentencing reports show she has an oppositional defiance disorder and conduct disorder.
"The young person does not recognize that she has committed a crime, nor does she have any insight into her condition," said prosecutor Stephanie Cleary.
The girl's ex-boyfriend, who is also accused in the killings, will also be in the Medicine Hat court on Thursday. He will be applying to have his trial moved to a venue in a larger city such as Calgary.
Jeremy Steinke, 24, faces three charges of first-degree murder.
Medicine Hat girl guilty of first-degree murder
One of the three bodies is removed from a home in Medicine Hat in April 200
Last Updated: Monday, July 9, 2007 7:44 PM MT
CBC News
A 13-year-old Alberta girl has been found guilty of murdering her parents and younger brother in a bloody attack in their Medicine Hat home.
The jury handed down its guilty verdict on three counts of first-degree murder after just three hours of deliberations on Monday in the Court of Queen's Bench in Medicine Hat.
The girl will be sentenced Aug. 23 and faces up to six years in jail, followed by up to four years supervision in the community.
As the verdict was read Monday, the girl wept quietly in the prisoner's box, her hand placed over her mouth. Her lawyer, Tim Foster, went over to her and put his arm around her.
"You develop relationships with your client, and sometimes people just need a hug," an emotional Foster told reporters outside the courtroom.
The girl, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was accused of killing her mother, father and her eight-year-old brother on April 22, 2006, when she was just 12.
She is believed to be the youngest person in Canada to be convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder.
During the trial, which began June 4, the girl testified that her 23-year-old boyfriend, Jeremy Steinke, broke into her home and attacked and killed her mother and father.
The girl told the court that Steinke ordered her to stab her brother, which she did once, before Steinke slit the boy's throat.
Steinke, now 24, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, but has yet to enter a plea. He is scheduled to appear in court next week.
Judge advised jurors before deliberations
Before the jury began its deliberations, Judge Scott Brooker reminded jurors that even if Steinke physically stabbed the girl's mother, her father and brother, under Canadian law, an accused can be found guilty if they intentionally help, encourage or persuade another person to commit a crime.
The judge also told the jury that to find the accused guilty of first-degree murder, they must agree that the Crown proved there was planning and deliberation involved.
Brooker gave the jury three options on each of the three charges: find the accused guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder, or innocent.
After the jury's decision was announced, Crown prosecutor Stephanie Cleary said she felt satisfied.
"The Crown doesn't win and the Crown doesn't lose, but I have a duty not to prosecute a case unless I believe there is a reasonable likelihood the person will be convicted," she told reporters outside the courtroom.
"From that point of view, it's satisfying to have made what appears to have been a correct assessment of the evidence."
Girl testified she was in 'zombie' state
During the trial, the girl testified she was in a "zombie" state at the time of the killings and was unable to stop her boyfriend, or go for help.
She admitted in court that she and her boyfriend used to talk about killing her parents prior to the slayings, but she insisted she was only joking at the time.
The Crown countered that the girl was an active participant in the killings, which she plotted with her boyfriend because her parents disapproved of their relationship.
The Crown told the court the girl had plenty of opportunities during and after the killings to call 911 or go for help, but she never did.
Stabbed repeatedly
Police officers and a medical examiner told the court last month that the attack on the girl's family was bloody.
The experts testified the girl's father was stabbed 24 times, while her mother was stabbed 12 times.
The boy died from a severed jugular vein and had four stab wounds to his face and chest, the experts said, noting that an autopsy suggested he was also strangled.
The police officers and medical examiner said the family's home was drenched in blood after the attack, with splatter on the walls, floors and ceilings.
If convicted, girl would be free in 10 years
In the case of a 12-year-old girl accused of killing three members of a Medicine Hat family, 24 months make the difference between facing six years behind bars or life.
By CanWest News ServiceApril 27, 2006
CALGARY -- In the case of a 12-year-old girl accused of killing three members of a Medicine Hat family, 24 months make the difference between facing six years behind bars or life.
Two years older, and the youngster could receive an adult sentence for a first-degree murder conviction. She would be given a life term with no chance of parole for 25 years, unless she was given special consideration after 15 years in prison.
"We've vacillated over the years about what the age of responsibility should be in Canada," said University of Calgary professor Chris Levy.
"At what point does a kid become mature enough?"
Fourteen is one of the marks set in Canada when Ottawa unveiled changes to the youth justice system in 2003.
Because the girl is under 14, the maximum penalty is a 10-year youth sentence.
And no more than six of those years can be spent in custody at a young offenders centre.
The rest of the sentence would be served under supervision in the community.
Once that's done, she'd be free. Adult murderers, meanwhile, are monitored for life.
It's also highly unlikely the 12-year-old girl will ever be named, even if she's convicted.
The Youth Criminal Justice Act prohibits identifying children aged 12 to 17 accused or convicted of a crime, unless they receive an adult sentence.
Regardless of her age, adult sentences for murders by children are uncommon in Canada.
Mark Totten, who co-wrote the book When Children Kill: Youth Homicide in Canada, said mixing children with adult criminals is not a good idea.
"If people were aware of the degree of violence in adult prisons, both physically and sexually," they would be shocked, Totten said.
"Kids are not born bad. They are not created to kill."
For their book, Totten and Katharine Kelly, an associate professor of sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa, studied 19 youngsters convicted of murder and manslaughter. Some had grown up in violent families; others were frustrated and angry with the circumstances of their lives.
In Medicine Hat, it's not yet clear what motivated the murders of a couple and their eight-year-old son on Sunday.
A 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Jeremy Allan Steinke, each face three counts of first-degree murder.
It's believed no child this young has ever stood accused of so many murder charges. The fact that one of the accused killers is a girl makes the case more uncommon.
Between 1974 and 2004, 32 children aged 12 were accused of homicide, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics reports. Six were girls.
The last time a 12-year-old faced a homicide charge was six years ago, according to the federal Justice Department.
Steinke, girlfriend smiled at murder coverage: Witness
A front-page newspaper story about the murders of a southern Alberta couple and their son brought a smile to the face of their 12-year-old daughter and her 23-year-old boyfriend as they fled the province, an underage witness testified Wednesday.
By Calgary HeraldNovember 27, 2008
By Calgary HeraldNovember 27, 2008
CALGARY - A front-page newspaper story about the murders of a southern Alberta couple and their son brought a smile to the face of their 12-year-old daughter and her 23-year-old boyfriend as they fled the province, an underage witness testified Wednesday.
The friend was testifying at the trial of Jeremy Allan Steinke, who's facing three counts of first-degree murder for the stabbing deaths of his girlfriend's parents and her eight-year-old brother at their home in Medicine Hat, Alta., on April 23, 2006.
The girl has already been convicted of first-degree murder.
"(She) was smiling about it," the friend said, describing the pair's response when they were passed a copy of the paper, which featured the 12-year old's Grade 7 school photograph.
"They were pointing things out in it."
The pair fled to Leader, Sask., with driver Kacy Lancaster and three underage friends. The group was arrested there the day after the family's bodies were found.
Friends of the pair also testified Wednesday that, hours before the murders, Steinke, now 25, was watching a film about serial killers and was overheard finalizing a deadly plan.
"He was on the phone in the kitchen, pacing back and forth, saying, 'I don't want to do this. Are you sure you want to do this?' " an underage girl testified.
Court has heard the girl wanted her parents dead because they were opposed to her relationship with Steinke.
Another girl testified she was with Steinke in his mother's trailer with a group of friends that night watching Natural Born Killers - a film that documents the fictional crimes of a serial-killing couple. She said Steinke compared his own plan to a scene in the movie documenting the murder of a girl's parents.
She said that, as Steinke watched a scene in the film where a young brother is spared, he said, "That's where it would be different. (She) would kill her brother."
The friends tried to talk Steinke out of his plan, the witness said.
"He told us we didn't understand. . . . He found someone crazy enough, just like himself," the girl testified.
The trial continues.
Statements on Nexopia by Medicine Hat “couple”
Net holds dark hints on slayings
The Globe and Mail, Canada
Apr. 26, 2006
Dawn Walton
Pair accused in deaths of Alberta family posted messages on notorious websites
CALGARY — It didn’t take long for the Internet and all the fears parents have about their children becoming prey on-line to take centre stage in a triple murder investigation in southern Alberta.
Yesterday, Edmonton police asked a popular website to remove postings from the two people accused in the slayings of a family in Medicine Hat, about 290 kilometres southeast of Calgary.
Before the material was deleted, it showed disturbing statements from one of the accused, a 12-year-old girl.
“Are you stalking me? cuz that would be super” and “WelcomeToMyTragicEnd” were among the missives the girl posted on Nexopia.com, a popular site among Western Canadian youth aged 14 to 22, with more than 650,000 registered members.
The other accused is a 23-year-old man, whom friends have said sparked a romance with the young girl after meeting her a few months ago on VampireFreaks.com, a website dedicated to the Goth lifestyle.
The man posted in his blog on Nexopia a month ago: “She continues to thank that I came into her life to help her out and stop what they keep trying to shout. . . .Their throats I want to slit.”
Both sites have been previously named in connection with tragedy, including the trial for the murder of a 12-year-old boy in Toronto, and security scares, such as high school hit lists that have surfaced in Calgary.
“We should be cautious about jumping to conclusions, but there are some disturbing indications,” said Stephen Kent, a sociologist at the University of Alberta who studies cults and alternative religions.
“From time to time in North America, youth involved with Goth subculture get involved in serious crimes. Let’s hope this is not another instance.”
The 12-year-old girl, who looks much more mature than her age, and 23-year-old Jeremy Steinke, both of Medicine Hat, were remanded in custody yesterday.
The girl, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is scheduled to appear in court again May 1. Mr. Steinke returns May 2.
The two were arrested on Monday morning in Saskatchewan, less than 24 hours after Marc and Debra Richardson and their son Jacob, 10, were found dead in their home.
The causes of death were not released yesterday.
In the past year, two students in Calgary have been arrested over questionable postings on Nexopia.com., one for allegedly making death threats and the other for weapons offences.
Matthew Parsons, head of marketing with Nexopia.com, yesterday called police to offer information, and said the website was not supposed to be a forum for unsociable remarks.
“This is not what we intended the site to be used for. So when it is misused in that manner it is frustrating,” he said.
It’s not clear if the 12-year-old girl’s family knew she was a website user. Her musings included “Have you ever been arrested? Not Yet”, and “Have u ever cheated on someone? Yes . . . Many Years Ago.”
Users under 18 are to supposed to have the permission of their parents or guardians to join, and the company’s website says it does not “knowingly” allow anyone younger than 14 to participate.
The girl’s profile, which included pictures of her in dark Goth makeup, described her as 15.
Nobody from VampireFreaks.com, which was created in 1999 by a computer science student from Brooklyn, N.Y., would talk about the site’s connection to the people accused in the Alberta deaths. The site has 400,000 active members, and users are supposed to be at least 13.
The trial in the murder of a young Toronto boy was derailed in 2005 after it was disclosed that a VampireFreaks.com profile of a 15-year-old girl, a key witness in the case, appeared to contradict her sworn testimony about having no interest in the Goth scene.
Karen Robbins, who is AOL Canada’s “Net Mom” and who teaches safe use of the Internet, said parents shouldn’t feel guilty about blocking websites and monitoring who their children are talking to on-line.
“The Internet is the easiest place for someone to parade around as someone they are not,” she said.
The Globe and Mail, Canada
Apr. 26, 2006
Dawn Walton
Pair accused in deaths of Alberta family posted messages on notorious websites
CALGARY — It didn’t take long for the Internet and all the fears parents have about their children becoming prey on-line to take centre stage in a triple murder investigation in southern Alberta.
Yesterday, Edmonton police asked a popular website to remove postings from the two people accused in the slayings of a family in Medicine Hat, about 290 kilometres southeast of Calgary.
Before the material was deleted, it showed disturbing statements from one of the accused, a 12-year-old girl.
“Are you stalking me? cuz that would be super” and “WelcomeToMyTragicEnd” were among the missives the girl posted on Nexopia.com, a popular site among Western Canadian youth aged 14 to 22, with more than 650,000 registered members.
The other accused is a 23-year-old man, whom friends have said sparked a romance with the young girl after meeting her a few months ago on VampireFreaks.com, a website dedicated to the Goth lifestyle.
The man posted in his blog on Nexopia a month ago: “She continues to thank that I came into her life to help her out and stop what they keep trying to shout. . . .Their throats I want to slit.”
Both sites have been previously named in connection with tragedy, including the trial for the murder of a 12-year-old boy in Toronto, and security scares, such as high school hit lists that have surfaced in Calgary.
“We should be cautious about jumping to conclusions, but there are some disturbing indications,” said Stephen Kent, a sociologist at the University of Alberta who studies cults and alternative religions.
“From time to time in North America, youth involved with Goth subculture get involved in serious crimes. Let’s hope this is not another instance.”
The 12-year-old girl, who looks much more mature than her age, and 23-year-old Jeremy Steinke, both of Medicine Hat, were remanded in custody yesterday.
The girl, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is scheduled to appear in court again May 1. Mr. Steinke returns May 2.
The two were arrested on Monday morning in Saskatchewan, less than 24 hours after Marc and Debra Richardson and their son Jacob, 10, were found dead in their home.
The causes of death were not released yesterday.
In the past year, two students in Calgary have been arrested over questionable postings on Nexopia.com., one for allegedly making death threats and the other for weapons offences.
Matthew Parsons, head of marketing with Nexopia.com, yesterday called police to offer information, and said the website was not supposed to be a forum for unsociable remarks.
“This is not what we intended the site to be used for. So when it is misused in that manner it is frustrating,” he said.
It’s not clear if the 12-year-old girl’s family knew she was a website user. Her musings included “Have you ever been arrested? Not Yet”, and “Have u ever cheated on someone? Yes . . . Many Years Ago.”
Users under 18 are to supposed to have the permission of their parents or guardians to join, and the company’s website says it does not “knowingly” allow anyone younger than 14 to participate.
The girl’s profile, which included pictures of her in dark Goth makeup, described her as 15.
Nobody from VampireFreaks.com, which was created in 1999 by a computer science student from Brooklyn, N.Y., would talk about the site’s connection to the people accused in the Alberta deaths. The site has 400,000 active members, and users are supposed to be at least 13.
The trial in the murder of a young Toronto boy was derailed in 2005 after it was disclosed that a VampireFreaks.com profile of a 15-year-old girl, a key witness in the case, appeared to contradict her sworn testimony about having no interest in the Goth scene.
Karen Robbins, who is AOL Canada’s “Net Mom” and who teaches safe use of the Internet, said parents shouldn’t feel guilty about blocking websites and monitoring who their children are talking to on-line.
“The Internet is the easiest place for someone to parade around as someone they are not,” she said.
Accused killer, 12, linked to goth site
By Richard Reynolds in Toronto
April 28, 2006
CANADIAN police appear baffled by the alleged murder by a 12-year-old "goth" girl of three members of her family in a small prairie town.
The girl was charged on Monday with first-degree murder along with a 23-year-old man, Jeremy Allan Steinke, reportedly her boyfriend. She cannot be named because of her age.
Police said on Wednesday they may lay further charges. Media commentators assumed these will include charges against Steinke of having sexual relations with a minor.
The bodies of the girl's parents and her eight-year-old brother were discovered in Medicine Hat, Alberta, at the weekend. At first police issued an alert for the girl, fearing she was also a victim of the killer.
Media are focusing on the fact the girl was involved in goth culture. Friends of the charged pair told a Calgary television station the girl met Steinke online at a website that caters to "gothic industrial culture".
VampireFreaks.com claims to have more than 500,000 members. The site features blogs and online journals by people with user names such as SuicideOfLove and RottingNails. Messages often focus on the despair and anger that members feel.
Reports indicate that in the recent weeks the schoolgirl had abandoned a more conventional style for a darker, goth look complete with heavy eyeliner and make-up. One of her former teachers told the Calgary Herald she was "shocked" by the rapid transformation.
The girl had posted several dark messages on the website with subject lines such as "WelcomeToMy TragicEnd" and "Are you stalking me? cuz that would be super". The latter is a quote from the dialogue in the 2002 comedy National Lampoon's Van Wilder.
The girl's profile included pictures of her in dark goth make-up and described her as being 15.
Local media are having trouble deciding how to deal with the case. Initial reports about the murders were the lead story in many outlets, but once it became apparent that the young daughter in the family was possibly the murderer, the story was played down.
April 28, 2006
CANADIAN police appear baffled by the alleged murder by a 12-year-old "goth" girl of three members of her family in a small prairie town.
The girl was charged on Monday with first-degree murder along with a 23-year-old man, Jeremy Allan Steinke, reportedly her boyfriend. She cannot be named because of her age.
Police said on Wednesday they may lay further charges. Media commentators assumed these will include charges against Steinke of having sexual relations with a minor.
The bodies of the girl's parents and her eight-year-old brother were discovered in Medicine Hat, Alberta, at the weekend. At first police issued an alert for the girl, fearing she was also a victim of the killer.
Media are focusing on the fact the girl was involved in goth culture. Friends of the charged pair told a Calgary television station the girl met Steinke online at a website that caters to "gothic industrial culture".
VampireFreaks.com claims to have more than 500,000 members. The site features blogs and online journals by people with user names such as SuicideOfLove and RottingNails. Messages often focus on the despair and anger that members feel.
Reports indicate that in the recent weeks the schoolgirl had abandoned a more conventional style for a darker, goth look complete with heavy eyeliner and make-up. One of her former teachers told the Calgary Herald she was "shocked" by the rapid transformation.
The girl had posted several dark messages on the website with subject lines such as "WelcomeToMy TragicEnd" and "Are you stalking me? cuz that would be super". The latter is a quote from the dialogue in the 2002 comedy National Lampoon's Van Wilder.
The girl's profile included pictures of her in dark goth make-up and described her as being 15.
Local media are having trouble deciding how to deal with the case. Initial reports about the murders were the lead story in many outlets, but once it became apparent that the young daughter in the family was possibly the murderer, the story was played down.
Girl on trial for murder agreed to marry lover
Two exchanged emails days after her family slain
MEDICINE HAT, Alta.–A young Alberta girl who was behind bars and facing three first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing her family accepted a written marriage proposal from her boyfriend and co-accused, court documents reveal.
The offer came in a series of misspelled jailhouse love letters that the girl, then 12 and now 13, and her much-older boyfriend swapped days after the bloodied bodies of her parents and 8-year-old brother were found in April 2006.
Jurors have heard the girl was angry at her parents for grounding her and trying to stop her from dating Jeremy Steinke, then 23.
"U said you want to get engaged?" Steinke wrote to her. "Then here's a Q ... Will U marry me? If so then it is a verbal agreement!"
The accused wrote back the same day: "Ahahaha! I never thought I'd find myself hystericaly laughing in a holding cell in these kinds of circumstances. But still! ahaha you make me so happy! Yes! Yes! I will, I would love to."
Steinke also asked the girl to come visit him when she gets out of jail.
The letters were passed back and forth between cells at the Medicine Hat remand centre by police.
Jurors also saw emails that included a plan from the accused to kill her parents – a month before the slayings.
The accused can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Steinke also faces first-degree murder charges but hasn't entered a plea or had a trial date set.
MEDICINE HAT, Alta.–A young Alberta girl who was behind bars and facing three first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing her family accepted a written marriage proposal from her boyfriend and co-accused, court documents reveal.
The offer came in a series of misspelled jailhouse love letters that the girl, then 12 and now 13, and her much-older boyfriend swapped days after the bloodied bodies of her parents and 8-year-old brother were found in April 2006.
Jurors have heard the girl was angry at her parents for grounding her and trying to stop her from dating Jeremy Steinke, then 23.
"U said you want to get engaged?" Steinke wrote to her. "Then here's a Q ... Will U marry me? If so then it is a verbal agreement!"
The accused wrote back the same day: "Ahahaha! I never thought I'd find myself hystericaly laughing in a holding cell in these kinds of circumstances. But still! ahaha you make me so happy! Yes! Yes! I will, I would love to."
Steinke also asked the girl to come visit him when she gets out of jail.
The letters were passed back and forth between cells at the Medicine Hat remand centre by police.
Jurors also saw emails that included a plan from the accused to kill her parents – a month before the slayings.
The accused can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Steinke also faces first-degree murder charges but hasn't entered a plea or had a trial date set.
Goths say Medicine Hat killings give them bad name
Alberta’s on-line Goth community is reacting with anger to a triple murder in Medicine Hat alleged to involve a 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend believed to be part of the Goth culture.
April 26, 2006
Alberta’s on-line Goth community is reacting with anger to a triple murder in Medicine Hat alleged to involve a 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend believed to be part of the Goth culture.
This comes as Edmonton-based youth site Nexopia (click here) removed the girl’s profile from it’s website. She described herself as 15 years old and used the name Runawaydevil.
A message board posted on the Goth website VampireFreaks.com (click here) states: Wanna-Be Vampires giving us a bad name.
In one entry, an 18-year-old Calgary woman who goes by the name Goth Sugar accuses the media of portraying everyone who follows the Goth culture as “a murderous blood-fending vampire.”
“I read a very chilling article in the paper stating that a 12-year-old bi-sexual goth girl with ambitions to become a piercer/tattoo artist and a Vampire Freaks account” member was charged along with her boyfriend of murdering a family.
“Now I don't know about any one else, but I'm completely outraged by the information they actually printed in this article, it hints at every single person fitting this ‘description’ to be a murderous blood fending vampire!!!”
Other website members use the site to trade information, some of which would be prohibited from the mainstream media by law. The girl cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because of her age. That also means her relationship with the dead family cannot be described because it might identify her.
In a posting, Nikki07 from Quebec says: “This is creepy. Did any of you hear about what happened ? There was this girl who was 12 years old she had an account here and apparently she met some dude that was 23 years old from here and I don’t know what happened.”
Friends of the 12-year-old girl say she met boyfriend Jeremy Allan Steinke on the website. VampireFreaks.com claims 510,000 users.
Observers of the Goth culture say it is fueled largely by fantasy and teenage angst. Goth websites are filled with dark poetry, often with suicidal thoughts, allowing members to share feelings of depression, loneliness and anger with gallows humour.
Operators of the website took the 12-year-old girl’s posting down Tuesday.
The site featured seven photographs of the girl, all of which made her look much older than her 12 years. She wears heavy dark eye makeup and has dark hair.
She listed:
Activities: Cooking, listening to music, partying, shopping and traveling.
Art: Astrology, Body Art, Cartooning, Clothing design, Drawing, Film/Video Making, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Singing, Song Writing, Web Design.
Computers: E-mail, Instant Messaging, Surfing the net.
Movies: Action, Anime, Comedy, Horror, Psychological Thrillers, Science Fiction.
Music: Alternative, Classic Rock, Death Metal, Goth, Happy Hardcore, Hardcore, Industrial, Metal, Punk, Rock.
Musical Instruments: Electric Guitar.
Sports: Boxing, Gymnastics, Martial Arts, Rock Climbing, Swimming, Yoga.
Among the lines of poetry were the phrases:
Cut my wings and let me bleed away.
Welcome to my tragic end.
April 26, 2006
Alberta’s on-line Goth community is reacting with anger to a triple murder in Medicine Hat alleged to involve a 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend believed to be part of the Goth culture.
This comes as Edmonton-based youth site Nexopia (click here) removed the girl’s profile from it’s website. She described herself as 15 years old and used the name Runawaydevil.
A message board posted on the Goth website VampireFreaks.com (click here) states: Wanna-Be Vampires giving us a bad name.
In one entry, an 18-year-old Calgary woman who goes by the name Goth Sugar accuses the media of portraying everyone who follows the Goth culture as “a murderous blood-fending vampire.”
“I read a very chilling article in the paper stating that a 12-year-old bi-sexual goth girl with ambitions to become a piercer/tattoo artist and a Vampire Freaks account” member was charged along with her boyfriend of murdering a family.
“Now I don't know about any one else, but I'm completely outraged by the information they actually printed in this article, it hints at every single person fitting this ‘description’ to be a murderous blood fending vampire!!!”
Other website members use the site to trade information, some of which would be prohibited from the mainstream media by law. The girl cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act because of her age. That also means her relationship with the dead family cannot be described because it might identify her.
In a posting, Nikki07 from Quebec says: “This is creepy. Did any of you hear about what happened ? There was this girl who was 12 years old she had an account here and apparently she met some dude that was 23 years old from here and I don’t know what happened.”
Friends of the 12-year-old girl say she met boyfriend Jeremy Allan Steinke on the website. VampireFreaks.com claims 510,000 users.
Observers of the Goth culture say it is fueled largely by fantasy and teenage angst. Goth websites are filled with dark poetry, often with suicidal thoughts, allowing members to share feelings of depression, loneliness and anger with gallows humour.
Operators of the website took the 12-year-old girl’s posting down Tuesday.
The site featured seven photographs of the girl, all of which made her look much older than her 12 years. She wears heavy dark eye makeup and has dark hair.
She listed:
Activities: Cooking, listening to music, partying, shopping and traveling.
Art: Astrology, Body Art, Cartooning, Clothing design, Drawing, Film/Video Making, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Singing, Song Writing, Web Design.
Computers: E-mail, Instant Messaging, Surfing the net.
Movies: Action, Anime, Comedy, Horror, Psychological Thrillers, Science Fiction.
Music: Alternative, Classic Rock, Death Metal, Goth, Happy Hardcore, Hardcore, Industrial, Metal, Punk, Rock.
Musical Instruments: Electric Guitar.
Sports: Boxing, Gymnastics, Martial Arts, Rock Climbing, Swimming, Yoga.
Among the lines of poetry were the phrases:
Cut my wings and let me bleed away.
Welcome to my tragic end.
Sudbury family mourn murder victims
Apr 27, 2006
The triple-murder of a Medicine Hat, Alta. family is being felt in Greater Sudbury where relatives are mourning the death of the slain family.
Marc Richardson, who grew up in Sudbury, was found dead in his home April 23, along with his wife Debra and 10-year old son Jacob.
Police in Alberta have arrested 23-year old Jeremy Allen Steinke, and a 12-year old girl, said to be Steinke's girlfriend, in relation to the murders.
Arthur Richardson, Marc's father, who lives in Sudbury spoke with a reporter from the Calgary Herald April 24 about the crime.
Richardson told the newspaper his son was on the verge on opening his own business and was excited about the opportunity.
"He was so happy. He was just starting out," the man's father told the Herald. "He had lots of friends, he was very loved," he added. "He was a very easygoing guy."
Steinke and the Grade 7 girl appeared in court for the first time Tuesday.
The triple-murder of a Medicine Hat, Alta. family is being felt in Greater Sudbury where relatives are mourning the death of the slain family.
Marc Richardson, who grew up in Sudbury, was found dead in his home April 23, along with his wife Debra and 10-year old son Jacob.
Police in Alberta have arrested 23-year old Jeremy Allen Steinke, and a 12-year old girl, said to be Steinke's girlfriend, in relation to the murders.
Arthur Richardson, Marc's father, who lives in Sudbury spoke with a reporter from the Calgary Herald April 24 about the crime.
Richardson told the newspaper his son was on the verge on opening his own business and was excited about the opportunity.
"He was so happy. He was just starting out," the man's father told the Herald. "He had lots of friends, he was very loved," he added. "He was a very easygoing guy."
Steinke and the Grade 7 girl appeared in court for the first time Tuesday.
More charges possible in triple murders
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - Police investigating a triple-slaying in this southern Alberta city say there could yet be more charges in the case, which has already led to the arrest of a 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend.
By CanWest News ServiceApril 27, 2006
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - Police investigating a triple-slaying in this southern Alberta city say there could yet be more charges in the case, which has already led to the arrest of a 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend.
The girl, who cannot be named, and Jeremy Allan Steinke, are each facing three charges of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of a couple and their eight-year-old son.
But Medicine Hat police Sgt. Dave Townsend told reporters at a press conference Wednesday that police are continuing to follow up on the 100-plus tips they have received so far this week.
"The present team of investigators is dedicated to interviews, forensic-evidence collection, and file co-ordination, which will ensure that a compelling case will brought to trial," Townsend said.
"The investigation is continuing and we will not rule out the possibility of further charges, if evidence comes to light that will support these charges."
Townsend would not speculate as to what the future charges might be.
"Depending on the information that we receive, it could be either other parties or the parties we have in custody."
To that end, he said police were sifting through "numerous rumours, conjecture and innuendo" to discover the truth.
Steinke and his 12-year-old girlfriend, who are being held in custody, are to be back in court next week after making a brief appearance Tuesday.
The charges of first-degree murder indicate premeditation in the deaths of Marc and Debra Richardson and their son Jacob, whose bodies were spotted by a friend of Jacob on Sunday afternoon in their quiet suburban home.
Steinke and the girl, whom friends described as dating, were arrested about 8 a.m. Monday in Leader, Sask. The bodies of the victims were taken to Calgary for autopsy.
Investigators won't release the cause of death until the trial.
Police have finished searching Steinke's residence at a trailer park in the southeast end of the city. Officers continued Wednesday to keep watch over the Richardsons' home.
A forensic-evidence expert with the RCMP has returned to Edmonton, but Medicine Hat's forensic teams continues to gather evidence, Townsend said.
The police service has been working around the clock on the case, which has so far involved four forensic identification officers, 10 criminal investigation section officers, four community resource officers, four canine units and a number of patrol officers.
The city employs 96 police officers in total.
In 2001, the city also had a triple-homicide involving a lengthy standoff with a suspect whose parents and brother were later found dead inside the home.
Still, the Richardson deaths are taking a toll on the community.
"It's going to take months, maybe even years, for the community to heal, especially the children that are involved that might have had some intimate knowledge of the people that are involved in this case," Townsend said.
In Okotoks, Alta., where the Richardsons lived for several years until relocating to Medicine Hat in 2003, questions lingered among both young and old.
Eight-year-old Josh McKinlay, who chummed around with Jacob when the families lived a few houses apart in a condo complex and went to kindergarten together, was trying to comprehend what happened.
The boys were inseparable, said Josh's mother, Lea McKinlay. They attended each other's birthday parties, went swimming in the river together and played at the park. She tried to explain to her son Wednesday what happened to his friend.
"This is way too close to home for me," she said.
Josh has fond memories of Jacob.
"He was fun to be with and my best friend," said the young boy. "We used to run around and play, go to the park and for ice cream. I am sad now."
Meanwhile, the 12-year-old girl accused of killing three members of a Medicine Hat family is facing backlash from the online community she claimed to be a part of.
At least one of the preteen's personal websites on Nexopia is still up and running, and bloggers have been leaving messages of anger.
"If your (sic) the actual girl then I hope you (expletive) rot," read one entry left on the site Wednesday. "You disgust me."
Another blogger posted a picture of his or her pet hamster near a running wheel. A handmade sign with the word "murderer" painted in red hung on the front of the cage.
By CanWest News ServiceApril 27, 2006
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - Police investigating a triple-slaying in this southern Alberta city say there could yet be more charges in the case, which has already led to the arrest of a 12-year-old girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend.
The girl, who cannot be named, and Jeremy Allan Steinke, are each facing three charges of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of a couple and their eight-year-old son.
But Medicine Hat police Sgt. Dave Townsend told reporters at a press conference Wednesday that police are continuing to follow up on the 100-plus tips they have received so far this week.
"The present team of investigators is dedicated to interviews, forensic-evidence collection, and file co-ordination, which will ensure that a compelling case will brought to trial," Townsend said.
"The investigation is continuing and we will not rule out the possibility of further charges, if evidence comes to light that will support these charges."
Townsend would not speculate as to what the future charges might be.
"Depending on the information that we receive, it could be either other parties or the parties we have in custody."
To that end, he said police were sifting through "numerous rumours, conjecture and innuendo" to discover the truth.
Steinke and his 12-year-old girlfriend, who are being held in custody, are to be back in court next week after making a brief appearance Tuesday.
The charges of first-degree murder indicate premeditation in the deaths of Marc and Debra Richardson and their son Jacob, whose bodies were spotted by a friend of Jacob on Sunday afternoon in their quiet suburban home.
Steinke and the girl, whom friends described as dating, were arrested about 8 a.m. Monday in Leader, Sask. The bodies of the victims were taken to Calgary for autopsy.
Investigators won't release the cause of death until the trial.
Police have finished searching Steinke's residence at a trailer park in the southeast end of the city. Officers continued Wednesday to keep watch over the Richardsons' home.
A forensic-evidence expert with the RCMP has returned to Edmonton, but Medicine Hat's forensic teams continues to gather evidence, Townsend said.
The police service has been working around the clock on the case, which has so far involved four forensic identification officers, 10 criminal investigation section officers, four community resource officers, four canine units and a number of patrol officers.
The city employs 96 police officers in total.
In 2001, the city also had a triple-homicide involving a lengthy standoff with a suspect whose parents and brother were later found dead inside the home.
Still, the Richardson deaths are taking a toll on the community.
"It's going to take months, maybe even years, for the community to heal, especially the children that are involved that might have had some intimate knowledge of the people that are involved in this case," Townsend said.
In Okotoks, Alta., where the Richardsons lived for several years until relocating to Medicine Hat in 2003, questions lingered among both young and old.
Eight-year-old Josh McKinlay, who chummed around with Jacob when the families lived a few houses apart in a condo complex and went to kindergarten together, was trying to comprehend what happened.
The boys were inseparable, said Josh's mother, Lea McKinlay. They attended each other's birthday parties, went swimming in the river together and played at the park. She tried to explain to her son Wednesday what happened to his friend.
"This is way too close to home for me," she said.
Josh has fond memories of Jacob.
"He was fun to be with and my best friend," said the young boy. "We used to run around and play, go to the park and for ice cream. I am sad now."
Meanwhile, the 12-year-old girl accused of killing three members of a Medicine Hat family is facing backlash from the online community she claimed to be a part of.
At least one of the preteen's personal websites on Nexopia is still up and running, and bloggers have been leaving messages of anger.
"If your (sic) the actual girl then I hope you (expletive) rot," read one entry left on the site Wednesday. "You disgust me."
Another blogger posted a picture of his or her pet hamster near a running wheel. A handmade sign with the word "murderer" painted in red hung on the front of the cage.
Bodies of slain family flown to Ontario for funeral
The remains of three slain family members are being flown to Ontario, while a 12-year-old girl accused of their killing is making her second court appearance today.
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. -- The remains of three slain family members are being flown to Ontario, while a 12-year-old girl accused of their killing is making her second court appearance today.
A funeral home visitation for Marc Richardson, 42, his wife Debra, 48, and their son Jacob, 8, is planned today, and a funeral service will be held Tuesday at La Toussaint Church in Sudbury.
On Tuesday, the girl's boyfriend, Jeremy Allan Steinke, 23, is scheduled to make his second court appearance. They're both charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
They were arrested in Leader, Sask., on April 24, a day after a neighbourhood playmate discovered the family had been killed in their southeast Medicine Hat home.
Homicide detectives have wrapped up their investigation inside the family's house. Once the murder scene has been cleaned, relatives will be allowed inside to pack up their loved ones' belongings.
Medicine Hat police have not revealed how the Richardsons were killed. They continue probing the relationship between the 12-year-old and Steinke, an unemployed high school dropout.
Part of their investigation includes messages sent over the Internet. Plans to carry out a triple slaying of a local family may have been foretold to friends days in advance.
An April 20 message on vampirefreaks.com is believed to have been sent from accused killer Steinke.
The message, from what friends say is Steinke's souleater52 account, makes reference to "doing morbid stuff to others! ...which i'm going to do this weekend," days before the Richardson family was killed.
"We're looking into all connections between these two, which includes their friends, the Internet, or any other connection," said Sgt. Dave Townsend of Medicine Hat police.
The murders have rocked the city of 55,000, but it's not the first time Medicine Hat has endured the terrible sadness of a triple slaying.
On Jan. 18, 2001, 23-year-old Chris Anton LeClaire murdered his parents and brother Raymond, 60, Janet, 58, and Raymond Jr., 21.
LeClaire, a paranoid schizophrenic, kept police at bay during a 28-hour standoff.
A judge found him not criminally responsible for the shooting deaths of his family, whom he believed were imposters.
During sentencing, a surviving daughter of the couple said the family sought help from the medical and legal communities for two years prior to the killings, but it never came.
LeClaire shot his father once through the hand and chest, which was almost immediately fatal. He shot his mother while she was sitting in her bed in the arm and then in the chest. Next, LeClaire went into his brother's room and shot him in the left wrist, left bicep and then through his right wrist and right temple. He then covered their bodies with blankets.
Calgary Herald
Road to a massacre
The town of Leader is an oasis on the vast prairie of southwest Saskatchewan. Its tree-lined streets and green boulevards make for an idyllic setting for the 1,000-plus residents who live in a region billed as one of the sunniest places in North America and located in the district of Happyland.
By The Calgary HeraldApril 29, 2006
The town of Leader is an oasis on the vast prairie of southwest Saskatchewan. Its tree-lined streets and green boulevards make for an idyllic setting for the 1,000-plus residents who live in a region billed as one of the sunniest places in North America and located in the district of Happyland.
On Monday morning, Bill Clary, a custodian at the local school, rose to arrive for work early because he had to install a clock in the gymnasium before kids arrived for 9 a.m. classes. But as the 48-year-old pulled up in his van on the edge of the normally quiet town at 7:45 a.m., he was startled by what he saw.
Three RCMP vehicles had surrounded a small, green pickup truck in the school parking lot.
Two girls were face down on the pavement, another was being put inside a police cruiser. Small purple bath beads had spilled from the pick-up onto the asphalt.
Among the group was 23-year-old Jeremy Allan Steinke and his 12-year-old girlfriend, suspects in a triple slaying about 160 kilometres away in Medicine Hat. Their friends who were along for the ride thought they were on a camping trip.
The group offered no resistance and, from what Clary could see, were not wearing the heavy makeup, studded wristbands or black clothing typical of the goth subculture to which they belonged.
"They just looked like normal teenagers," says Clary, who'd recently returned to his hometown from Vancouver.
"When I saw it, I thought it was maybe just a drug bust," he says, adding he hadn't yet heard of the horror down the highway in Alberta's Gas City.
As Steinke was being arrested, he told one of the girls: "Tell my mom she can have my TV and that I love her."
The arrests occurred less than 16 hours after a little boy went up to the door at 304 Cameron Rd. S.E. in Medicine Hat to call on his friend Jacob Richardson, 8, who said in his kindergarten yearbook that he liked to run fast and wanted to be a policeman, or a soldier.
His six-year-old playmate saw a body inside the house.
When police arrived at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, they found the bodies of Jacob and his parents, Marc and Debra Richardson, who had moved to Medicine Hat from Okotoks three years ago.
The Richardsons were the picture of middle-class suburbia in southern Alberta's heartland.
Steinke, by contrast, had been into goth culture since his teens. Until three years ago, his young girlfriend had been an apparently average young girl.
In August, 2005, she joined a website and began posting profiles of herself. On one, she is seen holding a pistol. On another, under the heading, "The Storm of Sadness," she professed a love for "sharp junk," dark poetry, piercings, death metal music, bisexuality and wrote: "My heart and soul are filled with fear."
Her middle-class existence has left many wondering how a 12-year-old can go from Norman Rockwell to Norman Bates, dating a troubled 23-year-old man who lived in a trailer park with his mom and once professed to be a werewolf.
He, too, posted a personal profile on the Internet, in which he apparently fantasized about killing: "Their throats I want to slit," it said.
"Especially when I see that they are gone . . . Their blood should be payment!"
The girl was charged Monday along with Steinke with first-degree murder, indicating premeditation, in the three killings.
Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, she cannot be identified by name nor can anything be written that may tend to expose her identity, such as her online nickname, her school or the names of relatives and family.
Despite the disparity in their ages, friends say Steinke did not hold power or influence over the girl.
The pair met at an all-ages punk rock show in Medicine Hat and their relationship appears to have grown over the Internet.
The 12-year-old is not the first younger girl Steinke dated.
One woman, who asked not to be identified, bore him a child when she was 17 and he was 20. But she does not remember the relationship fondly and he's never met his child. Steinke was abusive and dating him was a big mistake, she says.
"I know exactly how (the 12-year-old girl) feels. She's probably regretting ever meeting him," the woman says.
But Steinke, a diminutive young man who was picked on in school, could be charming, too, and was eager to please. Despite rarely being able to hold down a job, he always had $10 or $20 in his pocket, she adds.
"He'd buy gifts and spend every penny he has and try to get close to the parents," she says. "He was fun. He always wanted to do what you wanted."
But she also remembers his quick temper and odd behaviour.
"He'd sit up in the middle of the night and start talking to himself," she says of Steinke, whom she dated for more than a year.
"I probably only know 10 per cent of him. He can change in a blink of an eye."
Since their break-up, the woman has watched his girlfriends "getting younger and younger."
Still, when it emerged that he'd started dating a 12-year-old girl, some of Steinke's friends warned him not to get involved.
"I told him that, 'You're 23-years-old, you're a grown man. You're dating a kid," says Daniel Clark, 22, an acquaintance.
"He stopped for a minute and looked at me. And I said, 'Well, that's just my opinion, Jeremy, but you should be having a job . . . you should not be living with your mother. You know, doing something with your life, not hanging around little high school kids."
Regardless of his age, Steinke lived with his mom much of his adult life, despite her own series of setbacks, including a terminal lung disease. Most recently, they lived in a trailer park near a graveyard and the municipal airport. Their lifestyle was unexceptional, according to one neighbour.
"He was a good guy," says Stephen Oldford, 21. "He was a good, young fella."
But a family friend, who asked not to be named, hinted at a troubled side. She said Steinke would start fights he couldn't finish, often with older boys.
"He was likable kid," adds the woman. "But he can be manipulative."
In recent weeks, however, Steinke's eccentric behaviour seemed to spiral.
His friend Jordan Attfield, 17, says he lived with Steinke for about three months but moved out after his buddy became increasingly agitated after breaking up with another girlfriend.
"And it started going downhill from there," he says. "He would sit there and stare at nothing."
Steinke then met the pretty 12-year-old girl at a punk show and the relationship seemingly blossomed. He often spoke of his love for the Grade 7 student with friends, insisting to some she was 14.
The infatuation seemed to know no limits. Friends say last Saturday his behaviour grew more erratic.
He made three phone calls to the home where his former roommate Attfield was living, looking for help to "scare" Marc Richardson.
"That morning he told me, 'We're doing it today.' I was like, 'What? You're doing what?' And he's, like, 'We're going to kill (them),'" Attfield recalls.
But Attfield says he didn't take his friend seriously.
Across town, meanwhile, there was no hint of trouble at the Richardson home.
Marc's new, white truck shimmered in the driveway outside their two-storey, suburban house. It was a picture-perfect evening for a family barbecue.
Jacob's friend from next door joined them for dinner that night, after Jacob had slept over at his little buddy's home on Friday.
At about 8 p.m., Steinke arrived at Attfield's residence to pick him up, but he wouldn't go, wanting no part of any trouble.
Steinke slammed the door and left.
Clark, a friend who'd known Steinke for about five weeks, said he called the 23-year-old at around 10:45 p.m. to ask what he was up to.
"He said, 'I'm watching a movie, I'll have to call you back when I'm done,'" recounts Clark.
But he never did.
On Sunday, about 1:30 p.m., the nightmare scene at the Richardson home was unearthed.
Steinke and the girl left town with three friends, eventually taking the pock-marked road into Leader, no more than an hour away from the home of Steinke's estranged father in Saskatchewan.
Crime scene investigators, dressed in white with hoods and foot coverings, descended upon the Richardsons' property.
A crowd watched Monday as they began removing the bodies, wrapped in purple coverings, from the house at 4:38 p.m.
As time passed, a shrine of sorts began to appear on a corner of the home's lawn as tribute to the family, growing nearly every day.
Throughout the week, relatives, friends and the people of Medicine Hat struggled to make sense of it all.
The connection between Steinke, a young man with no job living with his mother, and a junior high girl remains baffling to those outside the couple's social circle.
A family friend says his interest in underaged girls was inappropriate.
"Mentally, I think he was so young," the friend says.
His preference for teenaged friends paints a Svengali-like picture of Steinke only made clearer by the girls' devotion to him.
When the accused killers appeared in court Tuesday afternoon in Medicine Hat, a number of Steinke's young female friends filled the seats.
Several wept.
"I would have started crying if he'd looked at me," says Meghan, who has only seen her friend in court since the Friday before the murders.
"He gave me a hug and said 'See you later,'" she remembers.
"I'm going to hold him to the 'see-you-later' part."
szickefoose@theherald.canwest.com
tseskus@theherald.canwest.com
bremington@theherald.canwest.com
Calgary Herald Headline: Triple murder shocks city
The bodies of a man, woman and a preteen boy were found in a home in Medicine Hat on Sunday, and police are looking for a missing 13-year-old girl.
By The Calgary HeraldApril 24, 2006
The bodies of a man, woman and a preteen boy were found in a home in Medicine Hat on Sunday, and police are looking for a missing 13-year-old girl.
The adults were identified by neighbours as Marc and Debra Richardson, and the child their 10-year-old son. Police are asking for the public's help in finding Jasmine Richardson, 13, "on an urgent family matter." No Amber Alert was issued.
The Richardsons' next-door neighbour, Phyllis Gehring, had no idea anything was amiss at the home until police arrived at her door shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday.
"They just asked if we had seen anything unusual," said Gehring, still in shock at the news. "I hadn't seen anybody there today. I saw Marc barbecuing last night, but that was all I saw of them yesterday.
"I never heard a cross word between them, ever -- nothing like that," Gehring said. "They all went motorbiking together just the other day, and in the summertime, they played ball in the backyard together."
Medicine Hat Police Sgt. David Townsend said the incident is not believed to be a murder-suicide.
Townsend said police received a call at 1:34 p.m from a caller who said she thought she could see a body inside the home. According to reports, a young boy made the initial discovery when he went to call on a friend.
Townsend said he could not confirm the names of the deceased or how they died until after autopsies are performed later this week and next of kin have been notified.
ldohy@theherald.canwest.com
By The Calgary HeraldApril 24, 2006
The bodies of a man, woman and a preteen boy were found in a home in Medicine Hat on Sunday, and police are looking for a missing 13-year-old girl.
The adults were identified by neighbours as Marc and Debra Richardson, and the child their 10-year-old son. Police are asking for the public's help in finding Jasmine Richardson, 13, "on an urgent family matter." No Amber Alert was issued.
The Richardsons' next-door neighbour, Phyllis Gehring, had no idea anything was amiss at the home until police arrived at her door shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday.
"They just asked if we had seen anything unusual," said Gehring, still in shock at the news. "I hadn't seen anybody there today. I saw Marc barbecuing last night, but that was all I saw of them yesterday.
"I never heard a cross word between them, ever -- nothing like that," Gehring said. "They all went motorbiking together just the other day, and in the summertime, they played ball in the backyard together."
Medicine Hat Police Sgt. David Townsend said the incident is not believed to be a murder-suicide.
Townsend said police received a call at 1:34 p.m from a caller who said she thought she could see a body inside the home. According to reports, a young boy made the initial discovery when he went to call on a friend.
Townsend said he could not confirm the names of the deceased or how they died until after autopsies are performed later this week and next of kin have been notified.
ldohy@theherald.canwest.com
Headline from CTV NEWS on discovery
Date: Mon. Apr. 24 2006 7:49 AM ET
Police are investigating after three bodies were found in a home on a quiet residential street in Medicine Hat, Alta., a city in the province's southeast.
The bodies are that of a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman and a pre-teen boy, authorities said.
Local media reported that a young boy went to the home early Sunday afternoon to call on a friend, thought he saw a body through the window, and ran home to his mother. She then called the police.
"A caller did observe a body within the residence and called us, and that's how we got dispatched or made aware of the scene," Medicine Hat police Sgt. Dave Townsend told CTV's Canada AM on Monday morning.
Police haven't released the victims' names, but say they are treating the deaths as possible homicides.
Authorities also sent out a news release asking for the public's help in locating a 13-year-old girl "regarding a serious family matter."
The Medicine Hat News reported Jasmine Richardson is the dead couple's daughter.
"She may or may not be related to the homicide. However, we're just trying to ensure that she is safe," Townsend said.
Townsend would not confirm whether she was considered a suspect.
"If she is a suspect, we would not be able to release her information, because she would be a young offender, so at this time, I don't have that information available to pass on," he said.
She hadn't been located as of late Sunday night.
Police have not released any details on the cause of death. The victims won't be identified until next of kin are notified and autopsies are conducted, which could take until Wednesday, Townsend said.
Medicine Hat News reported that a white truck sat in the driveway of the house with its passenger window smashed out.
Phyllis Gehring, who lives next door to home where the bodies were found, told The Canadian Press the family was quiet and were good neighbours.
"We knew them, but it wasn't like they came over or we went over there. We had no problem with them whatsoever.
"I never heard a harsh word between the mother and father. This is very surprising for me. It's very hard to deal with," Gehring said.
With files from The Canadian Press
Police are investigating after three bodies were found in a home on a quiet residential street in Medicine Hat, Alta., a city in the province's southeast.
The bodies are that of a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman and a pre-teen boy, authorities said.
Local media reported that a young boy went to the home early Sunday afternoon to call on a friend, thought he saw a body through the window, and ran home to his mother. She then called the police.
"A caller did observe a body within the residence and called us, and that's how we got dispatched or made aware of the scene," Medicine Hat police Sgt. Dave Townsend told CTV's Canada AM on Monday morning.
Police haven't released the victims' names, but say they are treating the deaths as possible homicides.
Authorities also sent out a news release asking for the public's help in locating a 13-year-old girl "regarding a serious family matter."
The Medicine Hat News reported Jasmine Richardson is the dead couple's daughter.
"She may or may not be related to the homicide. However, we're just trying to ensure that she is safe," Townsend said.
Townsend would not confirm whether she was considered a suspect.
"If she is a suspect, we would not be able to release her information, because she would be a young offender, so at this time, I don't have that information available to pass on," he said.
She hadn't been located as of late Sunday night.
Police have not released any details on the cause of death. The victims won't be identified until next of kin are notified and autopsies are conducted, which could take until Wednesday, Townsend said.
Medicine Hat News reported that a white truck sat in the driveway of the house with its passenger window smashed out.
Phyllis Gehring, who lives next door to home where the bodies were found, told The Canadian Press the family was quiet and were good neighbours.
"We knew them, but it wasn't like they came over or we went over there. We had no problem with them whatsoever.
"I never heard a harsh word between the mother and father. This is very surprising for me. It's very hard to deal with," Gehring said.
With files from The Canadian Press
Legal Outcome
Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act the name of the daughter could no longer be published in Canada after she became a suspect. Under the same act, twelve is the youngest possible age at which a person can be charged with a crime; convicts who were under fourteen years of age at the time they committed a crime cannot be sentenced as adults, and cannot be given more than a ten-year sentence.
On July 9, 2007, the girl was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in the killings. On November 8, 2007, she was sentenced to the maximum penaly of ten years imprisonment. Her sentence included credit for eighteen months already spent in custody, to be followed by four years in a psychiatric institution and four-and-a-half years under conditional supervision in the community.
On December 15, 2008, Jeremy Allan Steinke was sentenced to three life sentences on each of three counts of first-degree murder. The sentences are to be served concurrently; Steinke will be eligible for parole after serving twenty-five years.
The Richardsons' daughter is believed to be the youngest person ever convicted of a multiple murder in Canada. Steinke admitted to the murder of the parents in conversation with an undercover police officer while in custody.
On July 9, 2007, the girl was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in the killings. On November 8, 2007, she was sentenced to the maximum penaly of ten years imprisonment. Her sentence included credit for eighteen months already spent in custody, to be followed by four years in a psychiatric institution and four-and-a-half years under conditional supervision in the community.
On December 15, 2008, Jeremy Allan Steinke was sentenced to three life sentences on each of three counts of first-degree murder. The sentences are to be served concurrently; Steinke will be eligible for parole after serving twenty-five years.
The Richardsons' daughter is believed to be the youngest person ever convicted of a multiple murder in Canada. Steinke admitted to the murder of the parents in conversation with an undercover police officer while in custody.
Motive
According to friends of the daughter, her parents had punished her for dating Steinke, due to the age disparity. Her friends had also criticized their relationship. Shortly after her arrest, Steinke asked her to marry him, and she agreed.
According to friends of Steinke, he told them he thought he was a 300-year-old werewolf. He allegedly told his friends that he liked the taste of blood, and wore a small vial of blood around his neck. He also had a user account at the VampireFreaks.com web site. The girl had a page at the same site, leading to speculation they met there. However, an acquaintance of Steinke later said the couple actually met at a punk rock show in early 2006.
The couple were also found to be communicating at Nexopia, a popular web site for young Canadians. Various messages they sent to each were available to the public, before the accounts were removed by Nexopia staff.The girl's user page, under the name "runawaydevil", falsely said she was 15 and ended with the text "Welcome to my tragic end".
Just hours prior to committing the murders, Steinke and some friends reportedly watched the film Natural Born Killers, a 1994 film about a young couple who commit a violent spree of killings. Steinke asserted to his friends that he and his girlfriend should go about their plans in a similar manner, but without sparing his girlfriend's young brother.
According to friends of Steinke, he told them he thought he was a 300-year-old werewolf. He allegedly told his friends that he liked the taste of blood, and wore a small vial of blood around his neck. He also had a user account at the VampireFreaks.com web site. The girl had a page at the same site, leading to speculation they met there. However, an acquaintance of Steinke later said the couple actually met at a punk rock show in early 2006.
The couple were also found to be communicating at Nexopia, a popular web site for young Canadians. Various messages they sent to each were available to the public, before the accounts were removed by Nexopia staff.The girl's user page, under the name "runawaydevil", falsely said she was 15 and ended with the text "Welcome to my tragic end".
Just hours prior to committing the murders, Steinke and some friends reportedly watched the film Natural Born Killers, a 1994 film about a young couple who commit a violent spree of killings. Steinke asserted to his friends that he and his girlfriend should go about their plans in a similar manner, but without sparing his girlfriend's young brother.
The discovery
At 1:00 pm on 23 April 2006, the bodies of husband Marc Richardson, aged 42, and wife Debra, 48, were found in the basement of their home, and the body of their son Jacob, aged 8, was discovered upstairs. Absent from the home at that time was the couple's 12-year-old daughter. For a time it was feared that she might have been a victim, but she was arrested the following day in the community of Leader, Saskatchewan, about 130 kilometres (81 mi) away, with her 23-year-old boyfriend Jeremy Allan Steinke; both were charged with the three murders. Later, on May 3, 2006, Steinke's friend Kacy Lancaster, 19, was charged with being an accessory for disposing of evidence.
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