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00:03This program is rated 14-plus and contains scenes of violence and mature subject matter.
00:08Viewer discretion is advised.
00:13It looks like this is a robbery that has gone horribly wrong.
00:17We found her on the floor. She was hit in the back of the head. There was blood all over
00:21the floor.
00:23This is now 100% a homicide investigation.
00:27Why was she in this area working by herself? I didn't sleep for weeks after that.
00:35Within fairly short distance of each other, within just a couple hours, we had two significant attacks.
00:43The victim had been very severely beaten and was in life-threatening condition at the moment.
00:49What really made a difference in the ATM robbery was there was CCTV.
00:56We thought, oh, we just were watching a homicide.
00:59What about the flood trail reaction?
01:01We're not saying the incidents are connected, but there's a number of similarities that make us tend to look that
01:08way.
01:11Acknowledge that you're still under oath.
01:13Okay, this is all of you for own free will.
01:15You're not being forced to do this.
01:17Our number one priority is to get that offender in custody.
01:21That offender has killed an innocent individual already, and who knows what they're capable of.
01:29Welcome to Cry Beat. I'm Antony Robart.
01:31A brazen and violent attack on a young store clerk left an entire city in fear.
01:37There were no eyewitnesses and no CCTV, but soon police discovered she wasn't the only victim.
01:46Here now is Nancy Hickst with The Night Shift.
01:55On a cold and snowy Thursday in February of 2000, two young men took a break from a night of
02:02watching movies to go get some fast food.
02:07As they approached a nearby subway, they noticed a sign on the door that read less than $50 in till.
02:16Clerk cannot open safe.
02:18They joked about how pointless a holdup at this shop would be.
02:25Seconds later, they saw the outcome of that very scenario.
02:30I believe she was wrong.
02:32She was, we found her on the floor.
02:34She was hit in the back of the head.
02:35There was blood all over the floor, and she was vomiting.
02:39We saw the mess behind the counter, and when he walked around the counter,
02:43I started calling 911, and I started giving her CPR.
02:48At 11.42 p.m. on February 17th, the Calgary Police Service get a phone call
02:55to assist the paramedics at a subway along 17th Avenue.
03:00And that particular subway, when the paramedics get there, when the police get there, we have a 25-year-old
03:06employee of the subway that is in critical condition, and the paramedics are working on her.
03:12She's been attacked.
03:13The young woman had suffered massive head injuries.
03:19She was rushed to hospital by ambulance, but despite best efforts, just minutes after she arrived, she passed away.
03:28This is now 100% a homicide investigation.
03:34The entire subway restaurant and parking lot is now part of the crime scene.
03:40So we've called in our forensic crime scenes unit.
03:43Again, they're going to take photographs.
03:45They're going to look at what evidence they can collect.
03:47They're going to look for fingerprints.
03:49They're going to look for swabs.
03:51Even back then, we had DNA that we were looking for.
03:54There's napkins and pieces of paper that would normally be on a counter that are scattered on the floor.
03:59They can see that there's a large pool of blood.
04:02There appears to be some things that have been moved around or are missing.
04:07And one of the things that they noted fairly quickly is it looks like a cash register is missing.
04:18One of the things that the investigators did right away is start talking to neighbouring businesses, asking people if they
04:26saw anything.
04:27We start again doing neighbouring inquiries to find out do we have any witnesses.
04:31Is there film footage somewhere?
04:34The subways back then, again like most businesses, just didn't have the cameras.
04:39Certainly not like you see today.
04:41But we were really coming up dry.
04:43Police identified the victim from a wallet and ID found at the scene.
04:49Tara MacDonald had been working alone at the subway that night when her attacker burst into the store.
04:57It looks like this is a robbery that has gone horribly wrong.
05:01This is a significant event in our community.
05:04You have a young 25-year-old woman working alone in what should be a safe job making sandwiches for
05:13people.
05:13And so it's not lost in anybody that responded or anybody working in the city that this was a significant
05:20event.
05:21And it was really all hands on deck to do whatever we could as quickly as we could.
05:26One of the techniques that we used, and used in this case, is we called our canine unit.
05:34Utilizing their canine dog, they began a track.
05:38What the dog followed was a trail of coins that led officers directly from the crime scene towards a nearby
05:46residential neighbourhood.
05:48We were able to determine which way the subject left from the subway.
05:55And so the working theory is that the coins probably fell out of a cash register or a cash drawer
06:01that may have come from the subway.
06:05Investigators located parts of a cash register not far from the coins in a dark alley.
06:12The crime scene unit would go to any of the pieces of evidence that we were finding.
06:18But once again, hopes of identifying a suspect were quashed.
06:23Yeah, unfortunately when we examined the evidence that we had at this point, it was still a whodunit.
06:27We did not have a name of an offender.
06:29Our number one priority is to get that offender in custody.
06:32That offender has killed an innocent individual already, and who knows what they're capable of.
06:50Welcome back to Crime Beat.
06:51A violent robbery for petty cash left a young store clerk dead.
06:56This happened decades ago, and surveillance cameras weren't as common, so the killer eluded police.
07:02That is, until officers realized he had a signature M.O.
07:09Here again is Nancy Hickst with The Night Shift.
07:18Police worked around the clock as the hunt for a killer intensified.
07:24This was indeed an extremely, you know, brutal, brutal homicide.
07:29The police service is doing everything in its power, you know, to, they're leaving no, no stones unturned in this
07:36one.
07:41Early on Friday, February 18th, 2001, Deb Dorr was getting ready to leave her home in Lethbridge.
07:50She had a two-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of her to see her daughter in Calgary.
07:55Earlier that week, she had confirmed plans with Tara on the phone,
08:00not realizing those would be their final words to each other.
08:05I love you.
08:07We never ended a conversation without saying that.
08:14At about seven in the morning, Deb got a strange phone call.
08:20My ex-husband phoned.
08:23He was sobbing, and he had said, hey, there's been a robbery, Tara's dead.
08:28And as he said that, I turned the TV on, and there's Tara on the TV because he had released
08:34her name to the press.
08:36So they had a picture and her name, as I'm being told, because the Lethbridge police hadn't got to us
08:44yet.
08:44Oh, I screamed.
08:46It was, yeah.
08:48So we went to the police station in Lethbridge, and I walked up to the front desk, and they had
08:56been notified,
08:57and they had said, oh, I'm sorry, Deb, we were just putting a few things together for you.
09:02I said, don't worry about it, I already know, and we left and came to Calgary.
09:07Later that day, Deb met with Calgary police at the sandwich shop.
09:12They had just said that she was working alone, and they hadn't caught the person yet, but they had some
09:20leads.
09:22And that two young boys had tried to save her.
09:27They administered first aid and tried.
09:30They knew that there was robbery, the cash register was missing,
09:35and that they would keep me posted as soon as they knew anything.
09:39It was roped off, and there was hundreds of bouquets of flowers and teddy bears and everything outside the door.
09:50A stream of strangers had stopped by to pay their respects to Tara,
09:56including a former employee of that very subway.
10:00It's sad to see someone die over less than $50.
10:05Officers continued to search, retracing all steps previously taken in the dark,
10:12hoping to find further evidence, including the murder weapon.
10:16So the autopsy of Tara McDonald indicated that she died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head,
10:23and that it was a blunt instrument that had struck her,
10:26and the investigators believed that it was likely a hammer.
10:30Police didn't release details of the murder weapon to the public.
10:35As you know, holdback is very crucial to an investigation,
10:38and it's a significant piece of evidence or information that only the killer
10:43and the police investigators would know.
10:46A hammer as a weapon stood out to investigators.
10:52There had been another similar violent attack two hours before Tara's murder just down the street.
11:01We're not saying the incidents are connected,
11:03but there's a number of similarities that make us tend to look that way.
11:09On February 17th of 2000, the Calgary Police Service received a phone call.
11:15There had been an individual from our community that had been at a Bank of Montreal ATM
11:21and had been doing some banking transactions.
11:23It's about 9.30 at night.
11:25As the community member is doing his transaction,
11:29somebody comes up from behind and begins assaulting him with what turns out to be a hammer
11:36and strikes him multiple, multiple times.
11:39The victim had been badly injured,
11:42but was somehow able to stagger to a nearby business to ask for help.
11:48All covered in blood, that's all I see.
11:50Blood was dripping, actually, from his head, right on forehead, and all over his face.
11:55It was literally covered in blood.
11:58Minutes later, police and EMS arrived.
12:02The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance with severe head injuries.
12:07Certainly we had a lot of resources put into that.
12:09There were cameras, and so there was, we were doing neighborhood inquiries.
12:14We were looking for evidence.
12:15We would have had a significant patrol response.
12:18And then also detectives from our general investigation unit came out to take over that investigation.
12:26We were told that there was what we call a roll job.
12:29So a person had been a personal robbery, but the victim had been very severely beaten
12:35and was in life-threatening condition at the moment.
12:39Investigators immediately noticed surveillance cameras at the bank
12:43and put a rush on getting access to CCTV.
12:47In the meantime, witnesses were interviewed and forensic evidence gathered.
12:55Just hours later, officers were shocked to learn the victim had miraculously regained consciousness in hospital.
13:03Around 4 o'clock in the morning, my partner and I attended the hospital.
13:07He couldn't recollect anything about the incident at all.
13:09He remembers running some errands prior to,
13:13and then going to the bank to take some money out for groceries and pay some bills.
13:18And that last, he remembers.
13:20Didn't remember getting hit.
13:22Didn't remember stumbling along 17th Avenue.
13:25Nothing like that.
13:28Later that day, the victim underwent surgery
13:32as doctors tried to mitigate the damage caused by multiple depressed skull fractures
13:38that were putting pressure on his brain.
13:41His injuries were the result of repeated blows to the head with a hammer,
13:46all captured on CCTV.
13:49It was amazing.
13:50We thought, oh, we just were watching a homicide.
13:52It was amazing that he pulled through.
13:55We reckon that had he not escaped the vestibule at that point
13:59and got out into the public, he probably would have perished, yes.
14:04Investigators learned that his wallet,
14:06which only had about $30 inside, had been stolen.
14:11His red Toyota Corolla was also missing.
14:15Just the sheer brutality of it.
14:17There really was no reason to strike a person in the back of the head.
14:21Simply brandishing it and demanding money would have been sufficient.
14:26Horrific violence for a $30 payoff.
14:30Thankfully, the attacker left behind evidence that couldn't be disputed.
14:35His face was captured on video.
14:39He had a very unique look about him.
14:41And if you were a cop in Forest Lawn in the late 90s and early 2000s,
14:47you knew exactly who he was.
14:50I call him an opportunistic career criminal, I suppose.
14:54His big thing was break-in-enters.
14:56Typically, commercial break-in-enters.
14:58He'd done a couple of residential ones.
15:00Stealing cars, a lot of car thefts.
15:03Simple drug possessions, being intoxicated in a public place, stuff like that.
15:09But just a career guy that everybody knew.
15:13With a person of interest identified,
15:15investigators began the arduous task of finding the career criminal
15:20who had a way of disappearing.
15:24Just blocks from the ATM investigation,
15:27detectives at the subway homicide scene
15:30wondered if they could be looking for the same offender.
15:34When you have two violent crimes like that in close proximity,
15:39that's a flag.
15:41And really, the ATM robbery is still being actively investigated
15:46and being pursued.
15:48So it didn't take long for the investigators to figure out
15:51there might be a link here.
15:53It is possible that's the same offender
15:54that committed the ATM robbery a few hours earlier
15:57and then traveled to the subway
16:00and committed another robbery,
16:03except this time also committed homicide.
16:23In her hometown of Lethbridge,
16:26hundreds gathered to remember Tara MacDonald.
16:30We are in a state of disbelief, shock, horror, and sadness
16:36that a member of our family
16:37would be the victim of such a violent crime.
16:41It's not going to be easy to live through,
16:43but God calls you to walk close with him
16:45and he will pour out his grace upon you.
16:48He will touch your hearts with his love
16:50and you will have your memories of Tara to carry you through.
16:57Loved ones reminisced about Tara's determination
17:00and how her strength inspired others,
17:04especially after being badly injured
17:07when she was just six years old.
17:10She stuck a piece of cardboard into the furnace
17:14and it ignited her.
17:17She was burnt from her neck to her knees
17:20and her arms from her shoulders
17:25to her elbows and both her hands.
17:30For more than a decade,
17:32Tara was in and out of hospitals
17:34undergoing reconstructive surgery.
17:37It was awful,
17:38but she came through it
17:40with such a phenomenal attitude.
17:43She had a compassionate heart
17:45and aspired to be a police officer.
17:48I came home from work one day
17:50and there was a homeless person
17:52sleeping on the couch.
17:53She said,
17:55Who's that?
17:55She said, I don't know.
17:56I said, how did you get here?
17:58I brought them home.
17:58It's not right that people sleep outside.
18:01And she just would help anyone if she could.
18:08Now, her life had been stolen
18:10for the pittance that the robber got away with.
18:13There will be nothing
18:15that I believe will take away our pain.
18:21Back in Calgary,
18:23detectives were making progress
18:25in both the murder investigation
18:27and the attack at the ATM.
18:32Just a few blocks from the bank,
18:34on a nearby residential road,
18:36police recovered the victim's car
18:39and seized it for a full forensic examination.
18:45In the meantime,
18:46the public got their first glimpse
18:48at the person of interest
18:50in connection with both attacks
18:52when investigators released a sketch.
18:55We had some really, really good descriptive details
18:58from the person that helped us with that composite.
19:00So we were confident
19:00that that would be a good composite.
19:02And in fact, it was.
19:03First thought was,
19:04he's a regular.
19:05He's been here for years.
19:05He's been drinking and associating
19:07around TNC for years.
19:10Detectives were able to confirm
19:12that Trevor Stang
19:13was their suspect for both crimes.
19:16Sometimes we put out sketches
19:19and we might get one or two tips.
19:21In this case,
19:22you know,
19:23we had well over 60 tips,
19:24all indicating that it was Stang.
19:28Trevor Stang was a,
19:31at that time,
19:31a lifelong offender,
19:33amassing a lot of convictions over his life
19:35up until the Subway Sandwich shop
19:37for crimes of violence,
19:39break and enter his possession
19:40of stolen property,
19:42that sort of thing.
19:43This was a significant break.
19:46And Tara's mother
19:47reacted by sending a message
19:49to Stang through a local newspaper.
19:52Back in those days,
19:53prior to social media,
19:55newspapers were a significant
19:57way of communication,
19:59as was the traditional news.
20:01and so I don't think
20:04there's anybody in the city
20:05that didn't know
20:06what had happened
20:07and that we have
20:08an innocent 25-year-old woman
20:10that's murdered while working.
20:12That shouldn't happen in our city.
20:14And so when the family comes forward
20:17and when the victim's mom
20:18comes forward
20:19and basically pleads
20:22for the killer
20:23to turn himself in,
20:24that was pretty powerful.
20:27By now,
20:28investigators had also
20:30finally tracked down Stang
20:32and put him under
20:3324-hour surveillance.
20:35There is a lot going on
20:37and the investigators
20:38are trying to balance
20:39the investigation
20:40as well as the risk
20:41of keeping this person
20:42in our community
20:43and not locked up.
20:44So we didn't have
20:45anything significant
20:46to charge him
20:48when it comes to the murder.
20:49Again, it's all speculation.
20:51He's our suspect,
20:52but it's because of the MO,
20:53it's because of the location,
20:55but that's not good enough
20:56to arrest somebody.
20:58But police felt
20:59the risk was too high
21:01when covert officers
21:03saw him head towards
21:04the same busy area
21:06where both violent crimes
21:08had taken place.
21:11At 5.30 in the morning,
21:13our surveillance units
21:15indicate that
21:16Stang is walking by himself
21:18on a sidewalk
21:19on 17th Avenue
21:20and that's our opportunity.
21:22There's nobody else around
21:23there's very few pedestrians,
21:25very few cars.
21:26That was our opportunity
21:27to make the arrest
21:28and the detectives themselves
21:29arrested him.
21:31Trevor Stang
21:32was taken into custody.
21:34He's transported
21:35to the arrest processing unit
21:37and not only is he photographed
21:40but also we seized the clothing
21:43that he was wearing
21:44and ultimately we sent
21:45that clothing up
21:46to the crime lab
21:47for analysis.
21:48Stang immediately
21:50called his sister.
21:52Hey.
21:52Hey.
21:54What's happening?
21:55Not much.
21:56I'm just being questioned.
21:57I'm in an interrogation cell.
21:59Oh.
22:00They let me have a phone call
22:03and a couple let me use the phone
22:05because I'm looking at this stuff
22:07so scary.
22:09Yeah.
22:09You know,
22:10it got me pretty emotional anyways.
22:13Yeah.
22:14At that point,
22:16Trevor Stang
22:17was only charged
22:18in connection
22:19with the attack
22:20and robbery
22:20at the ATM.
22:22He called
22:23to update his mother.
22:25My charges
22:25are attempted murder,
22:28aggravated assault,
22:30robbery,
22:31and I'm wanted
22:32for questioning
22:33on that
22:34Sarah McDonald murder.
22:37Oh, yeah.
22:37That's when key evidence
22:40related to the murder
22:41came to light.
22:43The investigators realized
22:44that where
22:45Stang's sister's house is
22:47and where Stang
22:48has been staying
22:49multiple times
22:49is just a short walk
22:51from where
22:52the subway homicide
22:53took place.
22:54On February 26th
22:56at 11 p.m.,
22:58investigators
22:59go to the sister's residence
23:00with a search warrant
23:01and we were able
23:02to talk to the sister
23:03and obviously
23:04search the residence
23:06for some things
23:06that we were looking for.
23:08As officers searched
23:10Stang's sister's home,
23:12she agreed to go
23:13to police headquarters
23:14and speak with detectives.
23:17As part of that interview,
23:20she was showing the video
23:21of the ATM robbery
23:23and she broke down.
23:25It was pretty clear
23:26that she knew
23:27who the offender was
23:28and again,
23:29it's a very violent attack
23:30and she decided
23:33at that point
23:33that she wanted
23:34to speak to police
23:36and tell what happened.
23:47in the days following
23:49the murder
23:49of Tara MacDonald,
23:51police expanded
23:52their search
23:53from the trail
23:54canine trackers
23:55had originally identified.
23:59We've had a number
24:00of Crime Stoppers tips
24:00come in as you well know
24:01and some of the tips
24:03indicate that perhaps
24:04something was either
24:05deposited or thrown
24:06into the field here
24:07so that's what we're
24:08searching for.
24:11Police recruited volunteers
24:13skilled in using
24:14metal detectors.
24:16How good are these things?
24:17Very.
24:18I can pick up the back
24:19off an earring
24:20three inches underground
24:21with a good clear signal.
24:23But in the end
24:24it wasn't these volunteers
24:26who located key evidence
24:28in this case.
24:30We were doing a grid search
24:31there with searchers
24:32including canine
24:33and the team came across
24:35what we were looking for.
24:36One of the things
24:37we were looking for.
24:37It's significant
24:38because it's close
24:39to the subway shop
24:41where the homicide
24:41took place
24:42and the ATM.
24:43That helps us
24:44to establish a number
24:45of things
24:45including the path
24:47of the person
24:48who took the cash register.
24:51We found some black
24:53pieces of plastic.
24:55We also found
24:56what looked like
24:57a metal cash drawer
24:58and we also found
25:00that some of the items
25:01had been duct taped
25:02and they were inside
25:03a plastic bag.
25:04All of the exhibits
25:05were sent for fingerprinting
25:08and sometimes this happens
25:10but unfortunately
25:10we weren't able
25:11to get any further forensics
25:13from those pieces
25:14of evidence that we found.
25:19In the meantime
25:20Forensic Crime Scenes
25:21officers continued
25:22to search Trevor Stang's
25:24sister's home
25:25as she opened up
25:27to homicide investigators.
25:29So she talked about
25:31how earlier in the day
25:32that Stang had indicated
25:34that he needed
25:34to go get some drugs.
25:36He left for a period of time.
25:39When he came back
25:40he had $30 cash.
25:42He had some vehicle
25:44that had not been seen before.
25:46As investigators start
25:48piecing this together
25:49and putting it together
25:49they realize that
25:50well that the timeline
25:52seems to fit
25:53with the ATM robbery
25:54where $30 were stolen
25:56from the victim
25:56and the vehicle matches
25:58the vehicle that was
25:59stolen from him.
26:00She also talks about
26:02her boyfriend being
26:02at the house
26:03at the same time.
26:04So when Stang came back
26:06it was her,
26:08her brother
26:09and her boyfriend
26:10and they all did
26:10drugs together.
26:11Throughout this time
26:13Stang is showing up
26:14with some money
26:16and or drugs
26:17or he has money
26:19he leaves, gets drugs
26:20comes back
26:20they smoke it
26:21he then leaves again
26:22so there's this coming
26:24and going of Stang
26:25throughout that time.
26:27Carol Stang told police
26:29that around 10.30
26:31on the night of the attacks
26:32her brother once again left
26:34to get more money
26:36and drugs.
26:38She said he returned
26:40about an hour later
26:41carrying a steel box.
26:44And the three of them
26:46Stang, his sister
26:47and her boyfriend
26:48all are attempting
26:50to gain access
26:51to this box.
26:52When they did get
26:53access to the box
26:54there was a couple
26:55hundred dollars in there.
26:57Stang's sister indicates
26:58that she knew
26:59that the box
27:01came from Subway
27:01because of the pieces
27:02of paper that were in there
27:03but she just assumed
27:05that it was a theft
27:06and it wasn't until
27:07the next morning
27:08when it really broke
27:10on the news
27:11that she saw
27:11that there had been
27:12a homicide
27:13at the subway
27:14and that's when
27:15she was able
27:16to piece things together
27:17and realize that
27:18her brother
27:19very very likely
27:21committed a homicide.
27:22She indicated to us
27:23that as she was panicking
27:25and trying to clean
27:26some of these items
27:27she took them out
27:28of the house
27:28and got rid of them
27:29but that she would be
27:31willing to show us
27:32where they were.
27:33In the middle of the night
27:35the murder suspect
27:36Trevor Stang's
27:37own sister
27:38agreed to walk
27:40investigators
27:41to the place
27:42she had disposed
27:43of key evidence.
27:45This is Sunday
27:47February the 27th
27:48it's 3.30 a.m.
27:50We're now at 2804
27:5246th Street Southeast
27:53and this is Carol Stang
27:55Carol I'm John Dukes
27:57acknowledge that you're
27:58still under oath
27:59that we were given
28:00to provide you
28:01with a KGB statement
28:02now you've offered
28:03to take me
28:03from your house
28:04and show me
28:05where some items
28:05were stashed
28:06okay this is all
28:07of your own free will
28:08not being forced
28:10to do this way
28:11appreciate your cooperation
28:12and this is all the truth.
28:17Carol Stang told police
28:19she hid the cash drawer
28:21near this tree
28:22which is exactly
28:24where officers
28:25had located it
28:26during their grid search
28:28just hours earlier.
28:29from here
28:31you told me
28:32there's some
28:32other items
28:33placed
28:34now where would
28:34they be at?
28:34behind those blue condos
28:36there's the
28:37blue track
28:38now what's over there?
28:41a green hammer
28:45and the other pieces
28:47of the register
28:48okay
28:57Stang's sister
28:59told us
28:59that she found
29:00a ball peen hammer
29:01in the residence
29:03she believed
29:04that it was
29:04the homicide weapon
29:06and in fact
29:07had taken step
29:08to clean that particular hammer
29:10again that was
29:11hold back information
29:12that we hadn't told anybody.
29:16the hammer was covered
29:17in snow
29:19and really it was
29:19just a partial piece
29:21of the hammer
29:21that we're seeing
29:23but the fact
29:24that she was able
29:25to lead directly
29:26to there
29:26and point out
29:27exactly where she put
29:28the hammer
29:29again just adds
29:30to the reliability
29:32of the information
29:33she's giving.
29:33she did say
29:34that she had cleaned
29:36the hammer
29:36and when we sent it
29:39to the lab
29:39forensics did indicate
29:41that it looked like
29:42it had been cleaned
29:43and so there was no
29:45DNA that we were able
29:46to get that was usable.
29:48that night
29:49Carol Stang
29:50told her boyfriend
29:51to cooperate
29:52and tell officers
29:53the truth.
29:54Mario, I want you
29:55to understand
29:56that we're still
29:57under the KGB
29:58statement oath
29:59okay
30:00you're still required
30:02to tell us the truth
30:02okay
30:03so I'm asking you
30:05to take us
30:06to the location
30:07that you indicated
30:07in your statement
30:08earlier
30:08okay
30:09are you willing
30:10to do that for us?
30:11yes
30:12okay
30:12just show us
30:14the way
30:17show us the direction
30:18that you want
30:33okay
30:34good
30:37suddenly police
30:38had a mountain
30:39of evidence
30:40against Trevor
30:41Stang
30:42for both
30:42the attack
30:43at the ATM
30:44and the murder
30:45of Tara McDonald
30:46but investigators
30:48continued to gather
30:50further proof
30:51against him
30:52while he was
30:53in custody
30:53awaiting trial
30:55so one of the things
30:57that Stang was doing
30:57while he was in remand
30:59was he was calling
30:59people
31:00and having conversations
31:01with them
31:02about what he did
31:03and essentially
31:05was making
31:05confessions
31:06to them
31:06those calls
31:08were recorded
31:09and included
31:10this one
31:10to his mother
31:11thinking that
31:13you know
31:13with a hammer
31:14like that
31:15you should at least
31:16know that
31:16I would
31:17do some harm
31:18well
31:20you know
31:21I've been through
31:22hell accident
31:23wise too
31:23you know
31:24the body's amazing
31:26you are alive though
31:29Stang reached out
31:30to several friends
31:32well
31:32apparently
31:34I am guilty
31:34for that woman's death
31:37my sister
31:38come home
31:38and she was
31:39she dead
31:40I bowled
31:41I bowled
31:45in one conversation
31:46he complained
31:47about his sister's
31:49cooperation
31:49with police
31:50now I have
31:51my own family
31:52you know
31:53rat me out
31:54and now I'm being
31:54charged with
31:55first degree murder
31:56you know
31:57my charges
31:58would have been
31:58that slaughter
31:59charges
31:59not first degree murder
32:01if you would have
32:02kept their nose
32:03set
32:03oh I got that paper
32:06right here
32:06in front of me
32:08the paper
32:09the phone
32:31and then
32:33Stang admitted
32:35to attacking
32:36Tara McDonald
32:37with a hammer
32:38what you used
32:40a hammer
32:40or something
32:41yeah
32:42that's what
32:43they're saying
32:45that's what
32:46I did use
32:48yeah
32:52I think she was
32:54mopping
32:55or something
32:55like
32:56she just finished
32:57mopping
32:58or something
32:58like that
32:59we have
33:00Stang
33:01who is caught
33:03on wiretap
33:04actually admitting
33:05to striking
33:07Tara McDonald
33:08on the head
33:09with a hammer
33:10and killing her
33:10also striking
33:12the ATM victim
33:13on the head
33:14with a hammer
33:14and that's all
33:17caught
33:17with his own voice
33:18which is a very
33:19very powerful
33:20confession
33:22but would this
33:23new evidence
33:24be enough
33:25to convince
33:25a jury
33:26beyond a
33:27reasonable doubt
33:40welcome back
33:41two seemingly
33:42random acts
33:43of violence
33:43just 10 blocks
33:44from each other
33:45left one person
33:46dead
33:47another badly
33:48injured
33:48both victims
33:49were attacked
33:50with a hammer
33:51leading police
33:51to look at
33:52the same suspect
33:53but will key
33:54evidence from
33:55his own sister
33:56be enough
33:56to secure justice
33:58for Tara McDonald
34:00here now
34:01is Nancy Hickst
34:02with a conclusion
34:03of the night shift
34:17so this here
34:18is the
34:19the BMO
34:20where the first
34:21attack happened
34:22right in the
34:23in the vestibule
34:24here at the ATM
34:27and then
34:28about 10 blocks
34:30behind us
34:30in that direction
34:31is where the subway
34:32is and or was
34:34and where
34:35we had the murder
34:40on a cold winter
34:42night
34:42in February
34:43of 2000
34:44police believed
34:45a drug addict's
34:47desire for money
34:48and cocaine
34:49fueled a violent
34:51crime spree
34:52that left one man
34:53with a brain injury
34:55and a young woman
34:56dead
34:57what we have
34:58is a prolific
34:58offender
34:59that was addicted
35:00to drugs
35:01and that's what
35:02he cared about
35:03was getting money
35:04to buy drugs
35:04that would be
35:06the prosecution's
35:07theory
35:07in two separate
35:08trials
35:09so after the ATM
35:11robbery
35:11where he gets
35:12$30 from
35:13the victim's wallet
35:15and the car
35:16he goes back
35:17to his sister's place
35:18tells them
35:19that he has this car
35:20which they ask him
35:21to park somewhere else
35:22and he's got $30
35:23so he then goes out
35:25to buy some crack cocaine
35:26comes back
35:27$30 of crack cocaine
35:29doesn't last long
35:30they use up
35:30the crack cocaine
35:31then he has
35:32the brilliant idea
35:33of going to get
35:34more money
35:35to buy more crack cocaine
35:36that's where
35:37Tara McDonald came in
35:38these types of crimes
35:39are target focused
35:42the target
35:42is the money
35:44and however you get
35:46the money
35:46doesn't really matter
35:47so whether it is
35:48hitting someone
35:49over the head
35:49with a hammer
35:50stealing a car
35:51breaking into a home
35:54any of those things
35:55the target
35:55is to get the money
35:56to get the drugs
35:57and then you need
35:59to get more money
35:59to get more drugs
36:00and so it is crime
36:02that fuels
36:04that repetitive
36:05endless cycle
36:06at the onset
36:07of the first trial
36:09for the attack
36:10at the ATM
36:11that was caught
36:12on video
36:12Trevor Stang
36:14pleaded guilty
36:14to robbery
36:15but he denied
36:17attempting to kill
36:18the victim
36:19a key forensic finding
36:21in this case
36:22came from the jeans
36:23that Trevor Stang
36:24was wearing
36:25when he was arrested
36:26those genes
36:28had blood on them
36:30and through DNA testing
36:31that was linked
36:32not to Tara McDonald
36:33but to the ATM robbery victim
36:37and so that also helped
36:39to link his involvement
36:41in the spree
36:43that occurred that evening
36:44in the end
36:46a judge acquitted him
36:47of attempted murder
36:48and convicted him
36:50of aggravated assault
36:52in handing down
36:54a 10-year prison term
36:55the judge noted
36:57staying made
36:58no expression
36:59of remorse
37:03then
37:03in the fall of 2001
37:06Tara McDonald's mother
37:08went to court
37:09to see her daughter's
37:10accused killer
37:11stand trial
37:12in front of a jury
37:17the subway sandwich shop
37:19murder was a crime
37:22of convenience
37:23Tara McDonald
37:24was a young woman
37:25working at the subway sandwich shop
37:27working by herself
37:28at night
37:29she wasn't hanging around
37:30with the wrong people
37:31she wasn't doing bad things
37:32she was just doing her job
37:34and that's the kind of murder
37:36that people are more afraid of
37:38where you're just doing
37:39your life
37:40you're just doing things
37:41in life
37:42and you happen to be
37:43the chosen victim
37:45little did she know
37:46but Trevor Stang
37:47was out
37:48looking to make
37:49some quick cash
37:50to buy some crack cocaine
37:51he went into the subway sandwich shop
37:54she was working alone
37:55there were no customers
37:56he went up to her
37:57and with a four pound hammer
38:00struck her on the back
38:02of the head
38:03collapsing her skull
38:05and then stole the cash register
38:08he wasn't smart enough
38:09to open the cash register
38:10so he actually stole
38:12the entire cash register
38:13and then ran away with it
38:16along with wiretap admissions
38:19Stang made
38:20while in custody
38:21awaiting trial
38:22the jury heard evidence
38:24from Stang's own sister
38:26and her boyfriend
38:28his calls from the remand center
38:30made it very clear
38:32that he was the killer
38:33his remand center calls
38:35alone probably
38:37would have put him
38:39in the frame
38:41for conviction
38:42but his sister's evidence
38:43really gave us
38:44the context
38:45for the robbery
38:47for coming home
38:47with the cash drawer
38:48for getting rid of the evidence
38:51that sort of thing
38:54the evidence against Stang
38:56was overwhelming
38:58yet he refused
38:59to admit to the murder
39:01the defense was
39:03that this was a manslaughter
39:05the argument before the jury
39:07was that there was
39:08no intent to kill
39:10no intent to cause bodily harm
39:11that would rise to the level of murder
39:13this was an unintentional killing
39:16a robbery gone bad
39:18and that was the logical argument
39:21for the defense to make to the jury
39:24after hearing nearly three weeks of evidence
39:27the jury deliberated
39:29for just five hours
39:31the jury did not convict
39:33of first-degree murder
39:35and it was absolutely open to them
39:37to do what they did
39:38they convicted him of second-degree murder
39:40they could have convicted him of first-degree murder
39:42but they clearly weren't satisfied
39:44beyond a reasonable doubt
39:45that there had been enough planning
39:47or premeditation
39:48to rise to the level of first-degree murder
39:50but they clearly had no difficulty
39:52convicting him of second-degree murder
39:54because they were satisfied
39:55there was an intent to kill
39:56or an intent to cause bodily harm
39:59and being reckless
40:00as to whether death ensued or not
40:02prior to being sentenced
40:05Stang stood up in court
40:06and said he wished he could take it back
40:09I mean you say I'm sorry to people
40:12when you bump into them on the street
40:13you don't say I'm sorry to their families
40:15after you hit them over the head with a hammer
40:17Stang was sentenced to life in prison
40:20with no chance of parole
40:22for 18 years
40:25it's a fair sentence
40:26this was a terrible crime
40:28there's no doubt about it
40:29and it was resulted in very tragic consequences
40:33well all the evidence went before the judge
40:36I think he considered all the appropriate factors
40:38and he gave a decision
40:39that's within the range in law
40:42I'm a bit disappointed
40:44but that just meant that he can't fly to get out
40:46until 18 years is up
40:49this means he's going to get out
40:54even with Tara's killer behind bars
40:57there was no peace for her mother
40:59I thought it was unfinished
41:01because I do believe that
41:04not out of revenge or anything
41:07they should have to face the victim's family
41:10she decided to visit Trevor Stang
41:13at Bowdoin Institution
41:15because I was raised at
41:17prisons or country club settings
41:20and that they can get their education
41:22and you know
41:23I'd never had anything to do with the justice system
41:27so to go in
41:29and go through the doors
41:31that slam automatically behind you
41:34and the security clearance
41:37and then
41:38it was in a room
41:39half this size
41:40just across a table
41:42they brought him in
41:44handcuffed and shackled
41:46and
41:46he was absolutely terrified
41:50and I think that might have given me
41:53the strength to
41:55I wasn't going to buckle in front of him
41:57oh he was crying
41:58and he
42:01apologized prophetically
42:02and
42:04like he kept asking me
42:05if I forgave him
42:07and he says no
42:08I says that's not up to me
42:10I don't have to forgive you
42:12it's
42:13not my place
42:14you know
42:15he said Tara was his only victim
42:19he had ever left behind
42:20and I says but you had 40 some prior convictions
42:24maybe not murder
42:25but
42:26other victims
42:29and he didn't see them as victims
42:32because they were alive
42:36Stang remains in prison
42:38Deb Dorr continues to attend his parole hearings
42:43and even visited him
42:44for a second time
42:46in custody
42:47in 2025
42:49he was just very quiet
42:51and reserved
42:52and
42:53said he'd served his sentence
42:55and I says yes
42:56but your 25 year sentence
42:58is what they consider life
43:00where I get the life sentence
43:03without my daughter
43:04and that
43:06he didn't see nothing to that
43:08I really don't feel anything towards him
43:12like I say
43:12I think
43:13I'm more angry about
43:15well I'm angry at him
43:16and I always will be
43:17but not to the point
43:18where it's going to eat me alive
43:21I don't care if he forgets me
43:23but I don't want him to ever forget
43:26what he did to her
43:32Deb often visits her daughter's
43:34final resting place
43:36at a cemetery
43:37not far from the home
43:38where Tara grew up
43:40in Lethbridge
43:43every time
43:44she's reminded
43:46of the magnitude
43:47of what she lost
43:50there's been lots of weddings
43:51and births
43:53I'm lucky enough
43:54I've got 10 grandchildren
43:55and two great-grandchildren
43:57and
43:58I see what
44:00they missed out on
44:02to me
44:03all my kids were spectacular
44:05but
44:05Tara
44:07fought for everything she had
44:10and
44:11excelled at everything
44:12and
44:13still
44:13never lost the compassion
44:15or the caring
44:16or
44:17she would help anyone
44:18I mean
44:19if he demanded the money
44:20she probably would have made him a sandwich
44:22to go with it
44:27when Trevor Stang
44:28was convicted of murder
44:29he had a record
44:30with approximately
44:3140 prior convictions
44:33Stang was also investigated
44:35in relation to
44:36hammer attacks
44:37and robberies
44:38involving
44:39two cab drivers
44:40in 1999
44:41in the end
44:42he was convicted
44:43of one count of robbery
44:45Tara McDonald's family
44:46hoped her death
44:48would lead to laws
44:49being passed
44:49preventing businesses
44:51from having solo workers
44:53at night
44:53but that never happened
44:55in Alberta
44:58thank you for joining us
45:00tonight on Crime Beat
45:01I'm Anthony Robart
45:03Want more episodes of Crime Beat?
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45:23and we'll see you next time
45:30and we'll see you next time
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