True Crime

Murder of a Mob boss

Murder of a Mob boss — Part 1 of 2

Opinion

Murder of a Mob boss: ‘We’re going to move mountains together’

Mar 30, 2024
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Murder of a Mob boss — Part 2 of 2

Opinion

Murder of a Mob boss: ‘There is no statute of limitations on revenge’

Part 2: The conspiracy behind the killing of Johnny Papalia

Mar 30, 2024
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Cold Case: Who killed Gail Ryan?

‘Never love like that again’: Shirley Ryan’s paralyzing grief for the loss of her big sister

Cold Case

‘Never love like that again’: Shirley Ryan’s paralyzing grief for the loss of her big sister

Fifty years ago she lost Gail, now there is renewed hope that one day Shirley Ryan will know who killed her sister

Mar 1, 2024
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Cold Case

Who killed Gail Ryan? Hamilton mystery unsolved for 50 years

Mar 1, 2024
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Previous series

Homicide: Part 1 of 5

A freedom to kill for

Boys swimming in a quarry found a corpse in a bag. A body with no name. One thing was certain — this was murder. Part 1 of Homicide, a five-part true crime series by reporter Grant LaFleche.

Blood trail: ‘He kept fantasizing about stabbing him’

End of The Rainbow: Part 1

Blood trail: ‘He kept fantasizing about stabbing him’

End of the Rainbow: Part 1 of 2. In May 1979 fate brought two men together in the darkness in Hamilton. One a young and meek soul from the Maritimes; the other packed a hunting knife and a

‘You’re not going anywhere’: Chapter 1 of To the Grave

To the Grave: Chapter 1

‘You’re not going anywhere’: Chapter 1 of To the Grave

Body parts are discovered in Sam Pirrera’s garbage. A homicide investigation begins. But how many victims are there?

News Topics That Matter

Chapter 1: A Burning Cross

The Army of God manual contained a cryptic dedication to “Atomic Dog.” Part 1 of 24 of Murder for Life, a true crime series

The teacher had scandalous secrets. When a trip to Greece threatened to expose his lies, he did the unthinkable

Getting Rich: Part 1

The teacher had scandalous secrets. When a trip to Greece threatened to expose his lies, he did the unthinkable

As a reckoning approached, Richard Taylor set his childhood home on fire and burned his mother and stepfather alive, “for the money.”

He’s Canada’s most notorious hitman. For the first time he talks about his rise from tormented boy to infamous Mob killer

Hitman: Part 1

He’s Canada’s most notorious hitman. For the first time he talks about his rise from tormented boy to infamous Mob killer

Ken Murdock was a soldier in a bloody international Mafia war. Journalist Jon Wells delves inside the mind of the Hamilton-born killer and his demons.

High tech trackers, nefarious plans and the murders that started a Hamilton Mob war

Trigger: Part 1

Analysis

High tech trackers, nefarious plans and the murders that started a Hamilton Mob war

Nicole O’Reilly reports on never-before heard details of the homicides, the complex police investigation into the killers and the sophisticated inner workings of the Mafia

Post Mortem: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Death in the family

Post Mortem is a 26-part true crime series that ran in The Hamilton Spectator in February and March 2006, detailing the investigation into the murder of a woman whose bludgeoned body was left in a

A little girl's abduction and murder sparks a manhunt and haunts a community

The Forever Girl: Part 1

A little girl’s abduction and murder sparks a manhunt and haunts a community

In the summer of 1974, four-year-old Cindy Williams disappears from her Mountain apartment. The Forever Girl: Part 1 of 2.

Railroaded: Part 1

Railroaded – Footprints in the snow

The story of how police investigated the police in the case of two Hamilton men wrongfully convicted of killing a Toronto mobster in 1983

'I'm already a dead man,' Jeremy Hall told the detective investigating Billy Mason's murder

Remorseless: Chapter 1

‘I’m already a dead man,’ Jeremy Hall told the detective investigating Billy Mason’s murder

Jon Wells goes inside the mind of killer Jeremy Hall and the chase that brought him down. Remorseless Chapter 1 of 7.

The Family

Insiders called it a cult. To others, it was a family — until it turned on itself

Hamilton Region

Insiders called it a cult. To others, it was a family — until it turned on itself

They lived, prayed and worked together, until allegations of assault, sexual abuse, death threats and gun violations tore The Family apart.

Sep 3, 2023
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Drug Smuggler

Crime

Drug smuggler: A Hamilton woman’s journey from St. Lucia to prison

How did a young Westdale grad pursuing a marketing career get caught up in the international drug trade? And what became of her as she ended u…

Sep 3, 2023