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Updated July 11th, 2001 Censored report on Tran
murder investigation is released to media
Barry Gerding One of the internal investigative reports that clears the
Kelowna RCMP of any legal wrongdoing in the Mindy Tran investigation has finally
been released to the media. Kelowna RCMP Supt. Don Harrison told the Capital News last
November that the report had exonerated the local detachment of allegations of
witness tampering and withholding of evidence. But the report was not released to the media at that time
despite freedom of information applications from the Capital News to see the
report. On Monday, the report was released in a heavily censored
format, with all third party names referred to in the report blanked out to
protect their privacy rights under the the Information and Protection of Privacy
Act. A final investigation into the handling of this case, an
administrative file review by senior RCMP staff in Alberta, has yet to be
released. Tran disappeared Aug. 17,1994, and was last seen placing
her bike on the front lawn of a home near her Taylor Street residence and
walking towards the front door. She was never seen again until her body was discovered Oct.
11 in Mission Creek Park. Shannon Murrin, who was staying as a guest at the house
Tran was last seen approaching, was eventually charged with her murder and was
acquitted of the charges following a trial in February 2000. The fallout from that verdict raised several allegations
both from a VTV television news report and Murrin’s legal counsel about how
the case was handled by the lead investigator, former Staff. Sgt. Gary Tidsbury. Among the allegations were of evidence being intentionally
destroyed, discrepancies about where Tran’s bike was found and that a
jailhouse informant and proven liar was used to testify in the trial. The informant said Murrin told him while both were
incarcerated that he carried out the crime It was also alleged that police turned a blind eye while
allowing three friends of Murrin to try and beat a confession out of him at
Mission Park and that one Kelowna officer on the case admitted privately to a
superior that he had done something wrong during the course of the Tran
investigation that he could go to jail for. All of those accusations were addressed in the report and
determined to be absent of any legal wrongdoing. "In considering all the facts surrounding the allegation of the parties involved, we, the investigators … are of the opinion that there is no substantive evidence that would indicate any turth or validity to the allegations set forth," states the final conclusion of the report. |
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Contact- info@mindytran.com |