Monday, January 02, 2012

Mariani Murder Update

Just a very short article in the "Calgary Sun" discussing the investigation:

Time not our enemy say cops

By ,Calgary Sun
First posted:

It began with a photograph of the murder victim on the detective’s desk.

As the days and weeks went by without an arrest, the investigator transformed an empty office into a situation room to try to find whoever killed Mark Mariani in October 2010.

“There was some very unique and creative, out-of-the-box thinking,” homicide staff Sgt. Doug Andrus said.

“He lived and breathed that file and even took over an office space and totally created time lines and (had) photos on the wall and formed an investigative team.

“Investigators put their heart and soul into investigations — we are working for the families, to bring closure.”
Some strategies in the search for Mariani’s killer or killers worked. Others didn’t.

About eight months later, however, two men were charged with second-degree murder.

Mariani’s mother, Arlene, just celebrated another Christmas without her son, who police believe to be an innocent victim of a random attack.

Now, she is bracing for the day she will see his accused killers, Robert Reitmeier and Tyler Sturrup, go to court. “It is terrible,” she said of the enduring agony.

“I have a photograph by my bed and I kiss him good night and tell him to, ‘please come home,’ — but he can’t come back. I miss him every day.”

In 2011, there were 11 more homicides in Calgary and police were able to tell families an arrest was made seven cases.

And though the city boasted a relatively low number of killings, compared to Edmonton, which saw at least 45, Andrus said there was no shortage of work.

Investigators were handed 97 files, everything from cold cases to suspicious deaths and assisting outside agencies on files. Andrus anticipates breaks in a few cases and hopes for new leads on old files.

“Out of the blue we can get something,” he said.

“Time is not our enemy.”

In 2011, the RCMP, which has more than 100 detachments in the province, investigated 48 homicides, including 21 in southern Alberta.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Given that the police say there was no ties to racism, why are you guys obsessing over this?

Kurt Phillips said...

You know, you're right. Why should we focus on a murder in which the chief suspects are well known members of a violent neo-Nazi organization?

Oh, wait....

You see, our focus isn't only on the racism. It's also on the violence perpetrated by organized racism. And the murder of a physically handicapped man for shits and giggles really sort of says a great deal about the people who did it.

Anonymous said...

So much for innocent until proven guilty...

Kurt Phillips said...

Oh don't get us wrong. Both suspects (and you'll note that is how we have described them previously) must be afforded a fair trial and they must be considered innocent unless their guilt can be proven. If the evidence doesn't support the charge, they should be released.

But it is interesting isn't it that your side certainly doesn't afford people of color the same rights you expect for Reitmeier and Sturrup? In fact, simply being charged with a crime is usually more than sufficient to proclaim the guilt of any suspect who happens to have a different skin tone than you. Hell, there usually doesn't have to be a suspect; your side simply convicts minorities on the basis of suspicion. There's a long history of this from racists and, in the United States, led to an epidemic of extra-judicial lynchings of African-Americans, primarily men, who in some cases were merely accused of looking at a White woman. Wouldn't even bother with a trial before punishment was meted out at the end of a rope. Reitmeier and Sturrup should consider themselves lucky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVxVa3D11n4

Anonymous said...

Amen ARC.

Anonymous said...

Considering Hitler used to have all kinds of people killed, including the handicapped if I´m not mistaken, there´s your reason.

"u have killed a person??"
"have u ever killed an ant?"
"yes."
"it´s the same thing."

I heard this from Reitmeier himself long before he was charged with any murder. Frankly, I wouldn´t be surprised if he actually did it. I like to believe there´s fairness in the world, so I hope he gets punished if he killed the man, and if not, get a second chance and not crap on it, by perhaps realizing he´s throwing his life away and rethinking the way he´s been leading his life. Nothing about what he stands for will benefit him in any way, and if he sees benefit in it, he´s either very sick in the head or the "benefit" is nothing compared to where he´ll end up sooner or later (either dead, jailed or institutionalized and NO OTHER OPTION). He should think of what he´ll put his child through, growing up without a father, regardless of his faults (which can be turned around, it´s never too late), if this happens he will damage the kid for life. It´s not just his life he´s going to fuck up.

I believe nazis are victims of brainwash and I have my reasons to believe this. After they´re no longer fresh cuts and they're not too high on cloud 88, I don´t think they know why they´re in it, they´re just too deep in that shit to get out, so they give up on themselves, or try to ignore reality by drinking too much, taking drugs, forcing themselves to walk the talk because they feel hopeless, getting more and more violent (projecting how they feel about themselves/their lives in those whom they harm). I know I´m right about this, and the few who don´t feel this way, should see a psychiatrist and be removed from society until they can live THEIR lives, maybe even be racist, but like a normal person is: making the "right" choice when choosing a partner, but because they´re not attracted to the person, rather than obsessed with an imposition, and don´t persecute those of colour and respect other people´s decisions if they are "white" and want have sex/have a relationship with a person that is not "white". And I don´t know where in science it says that making friends with people who aren´t white is going to affect your DNA, or where the need to be rude at them comes from. Why is it necessary?
Knowing that their freedom ends when somebody else´s freedom begins is what nazis lack in abundance. "Let it be", you know? Take control of your own life and hope your kids will make the decisions you made, but if they don´t make the same decisions and want to go on a different direction, you let them. If a ("white") stranger wants to have an orgie with as many women as he can of all the races there are, you let them (WHO GIVES A FUCK, REALLY?). It´s not your life, it´s theirs. urgh, grow up.

S.D said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.