In 1999, Winnipeg police Det. Andrew Mikolajewski was tasked with reviewing the case file of the 1981 murder of 16-year-old Barbara Stoppel in a Winnipeg doughnut shop and the wrongful conviction of Thomas Sophonow. Now retired, Mikolajewski is publishing his findings in a new book, Stoppel.

This is an excerpt from the book Stoppel about the murder and the investigation.

Incident number 81-5-192838

It was Wednesday, December 23 and 16-year-old Barb Stoppel couldn't have been more excited for Christmas to arrive. Everything was falling into place. She'd wrapped a collection of gifts for her friends — salt and pepper shakers, candles, spices and a host of Rubik's cubes — and had dropped them with her friend Jody the day before. She kept a long written list of other gifts she'd purchased for the family:

For Daryl, a new boyfriend she'd met recently at a party, she's bought a football jersey. Two days earlier, on Dec. 21, Barb had marked her calendar with a special note: "1 month me & Daryl". She was in love and looking forward to Daryl joining her family for supper on Christmas Eve at the family's 2½-storey house on Ferndale Avenue in Winnipeg's Norwood Flats.

Born in Winnipeg on August 9, 1965, Barb was the third child of loving parents Muriel and Fred Stoppel. Although the youngest of three, she was the only child still living at home. Older brother Rick was 23, and sister Roxanne, 19, were both married and off living their own lives in Winnipeg.

Image | Andrew Mikolajewski

Caption: Former Winnipeg police officer Andrew Mikolajewski's new book explores the investigation into Barbara Stoppel's death and the wrongful conviction of Thomas Sophonow. (Facebook)

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She was a typical teenager focused on school, sports and boys. A Grade 10 student at Nelson McIntyre Collegiate, she possessed both beauty and brains. Barb excelled in academics and was outgoing and popular. She was also kind, friendly and thoughtful — a softhearted girl who saw the good in everyone.

Like most girls her age, her free time was spent roller-skating at Saints Roller Rink and playing basketball. She was also a member of the Nelson McIntyre Girls Volleyball team. The caption under her 1980 School year book photo read: "If her ankle isn't broken roller skating... its basketball."

She had big dreams and wanted to become a famous actress. She studied acting at the Manitoba Theatre Workshop and after tryouts on December 9 had been given the lead role in her school's annual play.

For the past few weeks Barb had worked part-time as a waitress at the Ideal Donut shop located at 49 Goulet Street, only minutes from her home on Ferndale. Daryl recalled that she was the type of person who would talk to customers for hours without having even met them before. She had an air of confidence about her with a caring disposition that may be interpreted as flirtatious by some although it was not intended.

In 1981 Winnipeg still had a sense of innocence about it. The Winnipeg Jets had a strong team with the likes of Dale Howerchuk, Morris Lukowich, Dave Babych and had just traded a sixth-round draft pick to the Montreal Canadians for defensemen Serge Savard. Gas prices had just exceeded 60 cents a litre and loan rates were a stiff 16.5 per cent.

Kim Carnes' Betty Davis eyes was topping the music charts while Indiana Jones and the raiders of the Lost Ark was the number one box office hit. The mood in in the city was positive and geared towards another Holiday Season.

At the Winnipeg Police Department, however, things were not so rosy. The department had suffered a major blow to its reputation earlier in the year and public trust was shaken by the case of Paul Clear, whose canvas-wrapped body, was discovered in a shallow grave outside the city by a man and his son hunting for hazelnuts in a wooded area. Winnipeg Police Constables Jerry Stolar and Barry Neilson were later convicted of his murder. They were also implicated in a series of break ins while they were on duty and shared much of their spoils with unknowing co workers at parties they hosted. It was an era of mistrust that to some extent was much deserved.

Barb was originally scheduled to work December 23 but had agreed to switch days with a co-worker and work the 22 instead. At the last minute, her co-worker changed their mind and switched it back. Also a friend was supposed to meet her at the shop and go out after work but as it happened, the friend cancelled. A synchronized domino effect of tragedy was unfolding.

Barb had been grounded for not doing her chores but she was allowed to work her shift at the Donut shop, which was from 4 to 9 in the evening. She was scheduled to work alone.

As she got ready for work that day, she rushed around the house deciding on clothes to wear making sure that her hair and makeup were perfect. She chose a pair of white pants and a white coloured knit sweater and said goodbye to her mother and left out the back door. It was 3:30 p.m. as she slammed the door behind her, fresh snow from the awning above the door fell on her head, messing up the hair that had taken so long to perfect. It was the last time Muriel Stoppel would see her daughter alive.

At minus 13 C and overcast, it was a moderately cool day by Winnipeg standards. About a half hour after Barb arrived at work, the sun set and despite being the holiday season, traffic slowed at the Dominion Shopping Centre. The peaceful serenity of a Winnipeg winter was about to be forever changed.

At 8:46 p.m., just 14 minutes before Barb's shift was supposed to end, the police dispatcher voiced the high priority call to the Ideal Donut Shop in response to a robbery and possible rape. A downtown cruiser car requested to be assigned — they were seconds away just over the Norwood bridge.

As chance would have it they were denied, per policy, and district 5 units were assigned instead — and so continued a series of haunting "what if's".

When Police arrived there were a half dozen or so people standing outside trying to get their attention.

"She's in there I think she's dead!" shouted one woman.

Constable Gary Schmidt, a rookie officer, rushed in and found Barb unconscious on her back in the woman's bathroom in the Southeast corner of the shop. Her body was fully outstretched, her left arm pinned under her body in what Gary described as an "unusual position." As he felt for a pulse he discovered a green and yellow nylon twine wrapped twice around her neck and tied in two knots. It was embedded so tightly that it hadn't been seen by those who initially found her. Barb had continued to silently choke as she laid on the floor waiting for emergency responders to arrive. The officer hastily removed the twine and placed it on the bathroom sink.

Ambulance attendants soon arrived and rushed Barb to the St. Boniface Hospital. Her family kept a bedside vigil for the three days she spent on life support at hospital, while police desperately looked for the suspect.

Taken from Stoppel by Andrew Mikolajewski. Used by permission of the author www.barbstoppel.com.