Special thanks must go to Darcy Henton, a fine journalist, editor, and author, who provided direction and support throughout this entire project. This book would not have been possible without his critical and guiding hand. Fellow writers Ben Gelinas and Ryan Cormier also deserve a mention, as does novelist Todd Babiak.
It would be impossible to name all of the 112 police officers involved in this case, but I must acknowledge Detective Bill Clark, Retired Detective Mark Anstey, and the rest of the Edmonton Police Service homicide unit for their assistance beyond what is clearly evident within the text.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the Edmonton media for providing extensive coverage of the case, especially CTV Edmonton. And I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank my informal researchers and supporters: Jag Dhadli, Kris Berezanski, Amri Benjamin, Kate Rossiter, Gabe Wong, Gene Dub, my former colleagues at the Edmonton Journal, and a handful of friends and relatives.
Thank you to my editor, Anita Chong, who was a joy to work with despite our differing time zones, and my agent, Martha Magor Webb, for her enthusiasm, dedication, and efforts in seeing this book published.
And lastly, I offer my thanks to Edmonton. I admit that the city may not be a pretty sight at times, but I still love it nonetheless.
IMAGE CREDITS
Grateful acknowledgement is expressed to the following people and sources for permission to reprint these images.
viii-ix
Map of Edmonton and surrounding areas: 2011. Matt Gardner.
PHOTO INSERT
Page 1
Detective Mark Anstey: 2008. Edmonton Journal / Postmedia Network. Ryan Jackson.
Post-It: 2011. Steve Lillebuen. In R. v. Twitchell, Mark Andrew, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Edmonton, 2011, Exhibit 11.
KA-BAR knife: 2008. Constable Gary Short. In R. v. Twitchell, Mark Andrew, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Edmonton, 2011, Exhibit 2 (C-16).
Page 2
“The Film Studio,” BB gun, handcuffs, and stun baton: 2008. Constable Gary Short. In R. v. Twitchell, Mark Andrew, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Edmonton, 2011, Exhibit 2 (H-20), Exhibit 2 (J-37), Exhibit 2 (J-40), Exhibit 2 (J-44).
Page 3
“The Kill Room” and “Tools”: 2008. Constable Gary Short. In R. v. Twitchell, Mark Andrew, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Edmonton, 2011, Exhibit 2 (H-35), Exhibit 2 (J-22).
Page 4
Mark Twitchell: 2005. Self-portrait. Used with permission.
Twitchell in Grades 10, 11, and 12: 1995, 1996, 1997. Archbishop O’Leary High School Yearbooks, Edmonton.
Page 5
Wedding portrait: 2007. Used with permission.
Kit Fisto: 2005. Courtesy of the Dispatch and the Rock Island Argus. Dan Videtich.
Bumblebee: 2007. Used with permission.
Page 6
The Detectives: 2011. Courtesy of CTV Edmonton.
Gilles Tetreault: 2011. Edmonton Journal / Postmedia Network. Ed Kaiser.
Mike Young: 2011. Edmonton Sun / QMI Agency. Codie McLachlan.
Page 7
Portraits of Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, Natalie Portman, and a character from Avatar: 2010. Mark Twitchell. Used with permission.
Page 8
Elfriede Altinger: 2011. Edmonton Journal / Postmedia Network. John Lucas.
Last photo of Johnny Altinger: 2008. Courtesy of Marie Laugesen.
Johnny Altinger: circa 2006. Photographer unknown. In R. v. Twitchell, Mark Andrew, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Edmonton, 2011, Exhibit S-2. Used with permission of the Altinger family.
Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders. In the event of an inadvertent error or omission, the publisher would be happy to amend credit lines as necessary in subsequent printings.
The Devil's Cinema Page 35