Arnolds Crimes
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Getting away with murder- Terry Arnold, Police Informant/ Serial Killer

It was a comparison of the Thomas Sophonow/ Shannon Murrin murder trials that exposed the involvement of the same jail house informant and a suspicious pattern of obstruction in both cases. The informant later claimed to have been paid by the police to provide false testimony. As a result, Sophonow was wrongfully convicted allowing the real killer to go free. 
from- Murrin/ Sophonow comparison 

Quote:

 
July 27, 2000
- Terry Arnold - Convicted killer Terry Arnold, already a prime suspect in the deaths of three young women in Western Canada, is now suspected of being responsible for several more murders in the United States. Arnold, 38, is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years for the 1987 killing of Christine Marie Browne, 16, near Kelowna. The FBI believes he may have been involved in the deaths of several young women in Florida in the 1980s and is looking at unsolved cases in Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, New York and Mexico.

see- Arnold News stories
Compliments of Suzanne Wilton/ Calgary Herald

In Canada Arnold is suspected of the 1981 murder of Barbara Stoppel, 16, in Winnipeg. In the 1980s Arnold worked for a carnival that travelled across North America. One of the stops was in Winnipeg the summer Stoppel was killed. He is also the main suspect in the 1987 death of Calgary teen Denise Lapierre and the 1988 murder of Roberta Marie Ferguson, last seen getting into a car near Chilliwack, B.C. Arnold lived near Stoppel's workplace at the time of her death. The suspected serial killer also lived a block away from Lapierre when she was murdered and was seen with Browne days before her death. Psychologists described Arnold as an "impulsive and a pathological liar" with "poor behavioral controls, a lack of empathy and remorse," and "a psychopath who relies on deceit."  
 original found at:
http://www.mayhem.net/Crime/morg0008.html

The CBC published Arnold's psychiatric report believing that Arnold, would be in jail for a long time. 
quote-
Arnold was assessed at New Brunswick's Dorchester Institution after he raped four girls aged 10 to 16. A report there refers to him as insane, dangerous and capable of serious crimes.
see story

After having been convicted of murder in B.C. by a jury, Arnold appealed and was granted a retrial away from Kelowna.
see copy of- aidwyc.org/pdfs/SophonowMay19.pdf

The B.C. government released a criminal case bulletin in an attempt to explain their actions. Arnold's retrial was granted on a legal technicality based on actions originating with the Crown.
see- complete bulletin
Quote-

9. CHARTER - DISCLOSURE

The Crown provided very late disclosure of relevant evidence twice during the 5 week murder trial. On each occasion, Crown agreed a mistrial was called for. The trial judge refused the application saying that he could not assess the prejudice to the defence case until after it was done, by which time it would be too late. He therefore expressly refused to do so and left it to the Court of Appeal. The jury convicted. HELD: The trial judge committed a reversible error of law. While the judge was permitted to defer his assessment, he could not abrogate it.

R. v. Terry Samuel ARNOLD (18 MAY 2001; BC.CA)

Instead of a retrial, the murder charge against Arnold was abruptly stayed with no explanation.  He was swiftly and silently released in 2002.
quote- Even though Arnold remained under investigation for the murders of Stoppel and Lapierre, he was released from the Victoria Remand Centre, and disappeared from sight.

Even the RCMP members involved in this case, were surprised and confused by the highly unusual actions of the Crown

http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/issues02/041102/news/041102nn4.html 

An outraged juror was forced to speak out. She said that no matter what legal problems there were with the case, the evidence was conclusive and Arnold had been rightly convicted.  
see-
news story

The Thomas Sophonow inquiry revealed the degree of protection afforded to Arnold in the past. Arnold was known to the Police. The evidence was available to determine the killers identity. There was an official inquiry into Thomas Sophonow’s wrongful conviction case. As a result of that inquiry, a great deal of information became available, and Terry Arnold a much more viable suspect emerged.
see- Province of Manitoba website
Quote: Arnold was interviewed again by police. This time he told them that at one time, he had a crush on Stoppel.

Despite this, police -- amazingly -- didn't pursue Arnold further. They even had his fingerprints on file but didn't bother to compare them with the ones found at the murder scene.

"It is unfortunate that the investigation of Terry Arnold did not proceed further," commissioner Peter Cory wrote in his report. "This is a very sad and telling conclusion."
see- additional evidence

Arnold was directly involved in falsely implicating Sophonow for the murder of Barbara Stoppel. 
see copy of
- aidwyc.org/pdfs/SophonowMay25.pdf 

In June of 2000, the police claimed that DNA testing had cleared Sophonow of murder in the Barbara Soppel case.
Quote:
On June 8, 2000, Winnipeg police announced DNA evidence cleared Thomas Sophonow in the killing of doughnut shop clerk Barbara Stoppel.
Authorities said they had a new suspect in the 1981 murder for which Sophonow was tried three times and spent nearly four years behind bars.
see- DNA exonerated Sophonow
see- The DNA exoneration was widely accepted as truth
see-
The DNA exoneration was a well publicized story: 
The press then claimed that this was a simple "reporting error" and not true. 

New information released by Barbara Stoppel's family tells an even stranger story as to what happened to the DNA evidence from the crime scene. It was taken home and apparently destroyed by a high ranking Winnipeg Police member. An Internal Affairs member tried to obtain a search warrant for the police officer's home but was denied by his superiors. The cop was never charged! 
Quote:


see- full internal affairs report

The Winnipeg Police have been keeping this report secret since 2002.
see- news report released in Winnipeg  

The Winnipeg Police produced a warrant outlining what they knew about Arnold. There was a great deal more evidence implicating Arnold than Sophonow. Arnold was implicating Sophonow while negotiating to have his own charges stayed.
see- the warrant (takes a few minutes to load)

As of 2005, the Winnipeg Police website still lists Barbara Stoppel's murder as unsolved and are still claiming that a piece of twine had caused them to focus on Sophonow instead of Arnold.  
see- unsolved case #21

Sophonow's inquiry disputed the rope theory : The following is one of the most honest reports ever published concerning this case.
quote:
Retired judge Peter Cory, who headed the commission, said the actions of one Crown attorney involved in the case "misled the jury" and "constituted a serious breach of duties of Crown counsel according to standards of 1982." 
For example, the Crown had information about the rope used to kill doughnut shop waitress Barbara Stoppel that would have discredited the theory that it belonged to Sophonow. But they failed to disclose that information to the defence.
"I must conclude that withholding this information was an erroneous and deliberate act," wrote Cory.
see- news story

In B.C. the complicity between the Police and the Attorney General's office is becoming increasingly evident. Arnold, a suspected international serial killer, was finally caught and convicted of murdering fifteen year old Christine Brown in 1999 by a jury, and was to be incarcerated until 2019. Like Barbara Stoppel, Christine had come in contact with Arnold through the same carnival company which employed him. The FBI had identified Arnold as a suspect in multiple murders right from Canada to Mexico. Why the B.C. Crown would then authorize the release of this killer in 2002 on such flimsy grounds without even attempting to conduct a retrial is more than suspicious and warrants an inquiry!

Updates- This page was first made available to the public in Jan/05 and posted on other websites by Feb/ 05. Since then, Terry Arnold was apprehended in Victoria B.C. and briefly incarcerated before being released again, only now with a public warning. He had continued to re-offend after his murder charges had been stayed.
view- Terry Arnold arrested and released.

On March/26/05- Terry Arnold was "apparently" found dead, ( supposedly a suicide) Police claim that media attention was the cause. 
see-
news story ( No autopsy, the truth may never be known) 
see- Winnipeg news  (botched case dies with Arnold) 

Some are questioning whether Arnold is really dead or if he has merely been "relocated" by his handlers. Neither the cause of death nor any other details have been released by the Police since they first claimed Arnold had committed suicide. 
see- story questioning Arnold's "death" 
see- recent photo of Arnold

The RCMP  are known to have faked the deaths of other informants. 
quote:
But is the drug informant really dead? Just last week, former business associate Myron Mitton testified that an RCMP officer told him Mr.Castonguay was very much alive and living in Vancouver.
see- death of informant faked

April/08/05- Police members were among the last known people to have been in Arnold's residence, supposedly to take a blood sample, after which Arnold was found dead. 
quote: Police search suite for links to Lapierre slaying
A blood sample taken from suspected serial killer and convicted rapist Terry Arnold just days before he took his own life is not enough to prove he murdered a Calgary teenager.

see- Calgary news story

Court documents show that the Police had already obtained Arnold's DNA back in 1998 from Christine Brown's murder case. Arnold had originally been found guilty, he was incarcerated, his DNA was on file and was available for comparison. Why the Police required Arnold's blood again at this time is unknown. DNA results don't usually change.
quote: The reports related to forensic testing which had been done on certain key exhibits and on items seized from the appellant's vehicle, plus DNA testing of the appellant to compare with certain samples found.
see- court document

According to news reports from 2000, the Calgary Police were expecting Arnold's DNA for comparison even then. 
Quote: Meanwhile, Calgary police are waiting for DNA evidence to see if it implicates Arnold in the murder of 17-year-old Denise Lapierre in Calgary in 1987. 
see- DNA story

The Police say they have no doubt that Arnold was involved in the Calgary murder, but once again, he was somehow overlooked at the time. 
see- story
A later news story from 2005 says even though Calgary Police had Arnold's DNA, that itself was not enough proof.
Denise Lapierre's body was found only steps away from where Arnold was staying.Quote:- Despite evidence from the murder scene -- and arnold's DNA -- it wasn't enough to lay a charge.
Quote: There is a judicial order that prevents Calgary police from revealing the details of their investigation into Arnold.
see- news report

Update: Wed, June 29, 2005 
The Police once again claim to have tested DNA from the Barbara Stoppel case and now say that it is neither Sophonow's nor Arnold's. The Winnipeg Police are requesting increased funding to expand the DNA bank, forcing this case into an endless process of elimination currently reliant upon a very limited data base. The RCMP are refusing to allow the available DNA evidence to be compared with their already existing DNA data bank! 
see - news report 
The reporter who wrote the previous story is a former Winnipeg cop and should make a good investigative reporter, however he notes a favorite saying of his brother in law, former Winnipeg Police media rep "Broadway Joe", stating, "If you can't fascinate them with your footwork ... then baffle them with your b.s.". 

A closer look at the evidence being provided for DNA testing in the previous story raises suspicions. This was a set of gloves found a distance away from the crime scene. The Sophonow inquiry revealed that these gloves, had been tried on by several people after being found, including the prosecutor. 
quote- from the inquiry
There was criticism directed at Mr. Whitley for trying on the gloves thrown over the bridge by the killer. However, he readily agreed that he should not have done so. In any event, this was not a vital issue in the trial.

Crown Council Whitley and Inspector Beiner both worked together on the Stoppel case and both are involved in obstructing DNA testing in way or another. 

quote: Retired judge Peter Cory, who headed the commission, said the actions of one Crown attorney involved in the case "misled the jury" and "constituted a serious breach of duties of Crown counsel according to standards of 1982." 
For example, the Crown had information about the rope used to kill doughnut shop waitress Barbara Stoppel that would have discredited the theory that it belonged to Sophonow. But they failed to disclose that information to the defence.
"I must conclude that withholding this information was an erroneous and deliberate act," wrote Cory.
Quote:

Sophonow's inquiry disclosed an unprecedented level of obstruction on the part of Inspector Biener. Nothing has changed to prevent this from happening again. The police member responsible has not been charged. He continued to say that  Sophonow may be guilty while personally withholding valuable evidence which likely would have cleared Sophonow.
see- inquiry findings

The evidence from the crime scene itself has never been analyzed. The internal affairs report said it was available. The Sophonow inquiry also noted the availability of other (male) DNA for testing. Note the excuses for how that DNA got there and for why it also was never tested. Testing would determine the validity of these "assumptions" one way or another.
From
The Inquiry Regarding Thomas Sophonow

In his second appearance, Mr. Whitley referred to evidence of male DNA being found in Barbara Stoppel's mouth. However, this evidence only surfaced in the reinvestigation and would not have been known to Mr. Whitley at the time of the prosecution of the third trial. Nor is there any evidence to suggest whose DNA it might have been. It might have come from someone who was attempting to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to Barbara Stoppel. Certainly, it is clear that there was no indication that this DNA ever came from Thomas Sophonow. Thomas Sophonow at all times was anxious to have his DNA taken so he would be absolved of this tragic killing.

The DNA testing is far from complete in this case. Whitley was experienced Senior Crown council, working together with an experienced Police Inspector, and would have known proper evidence handling procedures. Whitley is the other known potential source of the DNA found on the gloves. Whitley's DNA needs to be obtained for comparison instead of waiting for new laws to expand the DNA bank or for a court to define the rules for comparisons. Funneling this case into an endless DNA search, fits the same pattern of obstruction found in all other cases involving Terry Arnold. 

The cumulative amount of evidence implicating Arnold in so many murders, coupled with the number of victims showing up right on Arnold's doorstep is beyond the odds of accidental probability. Similarly, the degree of police and judicial obstruction found in all of these cases leads to only one conclusion, Arnold (and accomplices) have in effect been licensed to kill. All investigations of Terry Arnold will likely be stopped, delayed, or side tracked with his "apparent" death, to proceed any further would disclose how Arnold had gotten away with murder for so long and the identity of those who had aided him. Any additional reports like the internal affairs investigation of  Barbara Stoppel's murder would reveal even more details of the inner workings of Canada's informant/agent handling division and the degree to which various Police Departments and the Canadian justice system are being forced into complicity. 
see- Barbara Stoppel Internal Affairs report 

Update Calgary- Denise Lapierre investigation stopped.
see- news report
(now removed from website)

copy-

Calgary Murder Case Closed In Wake Of Suspect's Suicide
Mar, 29 2005 - 4:00 PM

Police are confident a man who committed suicide in victoria was the killer of a Calgary woman in 1987.
Homocide Staff Sergeant Barry Cochran says police have been confident since 1997 that Terry Arnold killed Denise Lapierre.   
But police lacked that last bit of evidence to put the case over the top and result in a conviction in court.
"We only have one opportunity to charge somebody in relation to any serious crime. We like to be able to have all the information put forward to support our charge. Certainly don't want to go in their with a weak case, cause it won't last through the judicial process."
Cochran says police always believed one day they would arrest, charge and prosecute Terry Arnold for the murder of 17-year-old Denise Lapierre.
Arnold left a suicide note - but Victoria, B.C. police say he did not confess anything.
Detective Clark Russell says the 42-year-old Arnold has been identified by fingerprints, after his body was found in a Victoria apartment.
He died of an apparent drug overdose, leaving a three page suicide note that did not include a confession.
However the note did say the media had been harassing him.
The detective says Arnold was facing a trial on child pornography charges in June, and was arrested in February for breaching his bail conditions.
At that time his picture and name were released by Victoria police.
Arnold, who is a convicted sex offender, was the prime suspect in the 1981 murder of Barbara Stoppel.
Thomas Sophonow, who was originally found guilty in Stoppel's murder, had said he hoped Arnold would have been brought to trial for the murder.

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