Contained in the Robert Raymond Prepare dinner Household Murders

It was one of many worst homicide circumstances within the historical past of Canada — and one that also attracts debate in Alberta in the present day.

Robert Raymond Prepare dinner was executed roughly 65 years in the past after being discovered responsible of killing his father Raymond Prepare dinner whereas being suspected of murdering his stepmother Daisy Prepare dinner, and bludgeoning his 5 younger half-siblings — between the ages of three and 9 — to demise of their sleep.

The 23-year-old convicted assassin was the first police suspect in all of the killings, although he was solely tried for his father’s homicide in an effort to expedite the trial, in keeping with the Red Deer Advocate. Prepare dinner defended himself till his closing days, even penning a dramatic poem proclaiming his innocence, because the Ponoka News recalled in its report on what is taken into account probably the most infamous homicide in Alberta’s historical past.

However regardless of his pleas, Prepare dinner was executed on Nov. 15, 1960, turning into the final man ever to be hanged in Alberta. PEOPLE is wanting again at what led to his execution.

An Arrest Results in a Ugly Discovery

Prepare dinner was steadily in-and-out of jail all through his life, in keeping with his protection legal professional David MacNaughton, who advised the Ponoka Information that his consumer was solely out of jail 243 days between the ages of 14 and 22 as a result of he was constantly being arrested for petty crimes like theft.

The newspaper studies that Prepare dinner’s household was murdered simply days after he was launched from serving a two-year jail sentence. After his launch, Prepare dinner was arrested once more when he tried to commerce in his father Raymond’s automotive and was accused of falsifying paperwork. The newspaper reported that within the trunk of the car, police discovered household paperwork — together with the members of the family’ start certificates, his father’s marriage certificates, his siblings’ report playing cards and a photograph album with photos of Prepare dinner’s mom, amongst different household possessions.

Police determined to go to Prepare dinner’s father to ask him straight about his son’s try to commerce his automotive in — however once they bought to the home, officers observed blood all through the residence and couldn’t instantly find the household. Raymond, 53, stepmother Daisy Mae, 37, and Prepare dinner’s 5 half-siblings, Gerald, 9, Patrick, 8, Christopher, 7, Kathy, 5, and Linda Mae, 3, have been quickly discovered useless in a mechanic’s grease pit beneath the household storage, in keeping with the Ponoka Information.

The Prepare dinner Household Murders

The Ponoka Information reported that Prepare dinner was quickly charged with murdering his seven members of the family: Raymond and his spouse Daisy have been discovered slain by shotgun blasts, whereas the youngsters have been discovered useless from being bludgeoned by the butt of the weapon. Blood was discovered within the members of the family’ beds, main investigators to imagine the Cooks had been killed whereas they slept.

Prepare dinner was despatched to Ponoka Hospital for a 30-day psychiatric evaluation after being charged with the murders, however he wasn’t there lengthy. Historic paperwork from Prepare dinner’s trial present that he escaped the hospital simply days into his keep, launching one of many largest manhunts within the historical past of Alberta. Prepare dinner’s escape induced “wide-spread alarm and terror amongst residents” within the space,” an arrest affidavit from 1960 reads.

Prepare dinner was taken again into custody after a dramatic a number of days, which included two automotive chases and anxious headlines throughout the nation, in keeping with the Pink Deer Advocate.

A Son’s Trial and Execution

Prepare dinner maintained his innocence all through the trial, even testifying that he was breaking into an Edmonton dry cleansing enterprise the evening his household was murdered of their dwelling, in keeping with the Advocate. However he was discovered responsible on circumstantial proof, in keeping with the newspaper. Regardless of profitable an enchantment shortly after, Prepare dinner was discovered responsible a second time and sentenced to demise for his father’s homicide. 

His 1960 execution was the final hanging in Alberta historical past, in keeping with Canadian legal archives. Prepare dinner was by no means convicted for the six different homicide costs he confronted for the deaths of his stepmother Daisy and her 5 younger youngsters.

Within the many years since, Prepare dinner’s guilt has continued to be debated amongst locals, in keeping with the Ponoka Information, whose 2019 piece in regards to the mass homicide contains locals’ dueling views on the case.

On the day earlier than his hanging, the convicted assassin wrote a poem through which he blamed an unnamed suspect. “I sit right here in my demise cell, I do know not why / For the proof proved me harmless, and that’s no lie,” Prepare dinner’s poem begins, in keeping with a replica stored within the Canadian legal archives.

“So I ask you is it unusual that I’m sentenced to the noose / Whereas my household’s killer is on the unfastened,” Prepare dinner repeats all through.

Many locals nonetheless imagine Prepare dinner was really harmless and wonder if his household’s “actual” killer had gotten away by framing the household’s eldest son, in keeping with the Ponoka Information. “He could nicely have achieved it however there was doubt,” MacNaughton, Prepare dinner’s protection legal professional, advised the outlet many years later, admitting, “I’m in all probability a fence sitter.”