Season 1 | Episode 1: The Wells Gray Gunman
The Detectives | Posted: December 19, 2019 8:21 PM | Last Updated: December 19, 2019
"How did six people disappear off the face of the earth?"
One of the largest mass murders in Canada is committed In Wells Gray Park, B.C., as three generations of a family are killed on a camping trip. For Detective Mike Eastham, it's a mission that takes him across the country and back again as he harnesses the powers of TV, radio and print media to catch the gunman.
"There's not one case in my entire career over hundreds of homicides as horrendous as this one," says Eastham. "You never forget."
Episode preview
What was unique to this investigation?
- This was the first time in Canadian history that the maximum 25-year sentence was handed down for second degree murder.
- At the time, it was one of the most costly investigations in Canadian history, but Detective Eastham said in a later interview: "I could justify every penny under the circumstances." (1)
1 Eastham, Michael (1999). The Seventh Shadow. Warwick Publishing, p. 82, 90.
Related news stories
- Apr 27, 2009 | Parole board rejects appeal of man who killed B.C. family
- Dec 31, 2008 | Killer of B.C. family appealing parole rejection
- Nov 11, 2008 | Man convicted in B.C. park killings granted escorted leave
- Jun 23, 2008 | Kelowna residents fight killer's release
About the detective
Retired Detective Staff Sergeant Mike Eastham was with the British Columbia RCMP for 35 years and worked on numerous homicide cases. He was awarded the Long Service Medal in 1981 and retired in 1996.
Cast
| Detective Mike Eastham | JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON |
| Gerry Dalen | ERIC DAVIS |
| Sgt. Frank Baruta | DAVID NERMAN |
| Police Pathologist | LUC PILON |
| Park Employee | MARK HAUSER |
| Brian the reporter | PAUL HOPKINS |
| Waitress | LARA BINAME |
| Windsor Mechanic | CHRISTOPHER MACCABE |
| Detective Al Haslett | DANIEL RINDRESS-KAY |
| Man at trailer park | MARC THIBAUDEAU |
| David Shearing | STEPHEN MCINTYRE |
| Coffee Waitress | KATIE MALLOCH |
| George Bentley | CLIVE BREWER |
| Edith Bentley | IRENE OSPREY |
| Bob Johnson | EUGENE BROTTO |
| Jackie Johnson | OLGA MONTES |
| Janet Johnson | CHARLI BIRDGENAW |
| Karen Johnson | SATINE SCARLETT MONTAZ |
| TV Studio P.A. | VANESSA WILLETT |
| Detective Mechanic | ANDREW MACKAY |
| Woman at Trailer Park | SARAH LEVESQUE |
| Real Helicopter Pilot | PIERRE DEMONT PILOT |